How much did things cost in 1966?
These are prices of some sample items in 1966.
How much were these prices for someone on an average income in 1966? To get a feel for this, I have adjusted them for the increase in incomes from 1966 to today. You can see these adjusted prices in the column 'Income adjusted'.
| 1966 price | Income adjusted | |
|---|---|---|
| Gallon of petrol | 5s 5d | £12 |
| Pint of beer | 2s 6d | £5.50 |
| 20 cigarettes | 4s 7d | £10 |
| Pint of milk | 9½d | £1.70 |
| Large loaf of sliced bread (Co-op) | 1s 2½d | £2.70 |
| 19" Pye 40/F black & white TV | £72 19s 6d | £3,200 |
| Sanyo 6C-64D solo personal radio | £5 19s 6d | £260 |
| Polaroid Swinger instant camera | £9 19s 6d | £440 |
| The Daily Mirror newspaper | 4d | 73p |
| Average house price | £3,558 | £160,000 |
| Can of Pepsi Cola (Fine Fare) | 9½d | £1.70 |
| Ford Cortina car | £659 | £29,000 |
| Hotpoint Iced Diamond 50 refrigerator | £53 11s | £2,400 |
| Family pack of Golden Wonder or Smiths crisps (Fine Fare) | 1s 11d | £4.20 |
| A dozen eggs | 3s 6d to 3s 9d | £7.70 to £8.20 |
| Margarine per lb | 1s 3d to 3s | £2.80 to £6.60 |
| Anchor butter per pound | 3s 4d to 4s | £7.30 to £8.80 |
| Tea ¼lb Typhoo tea loose leaf tea | 1s 5d to 1s 9d | £3.10 to £3.80 |
| Nescafé 4oz (Fine Fare) | 4s 3d | £9.30 |
| Scalextric 33 model car race track | £6 1s 9d | £270 |
Prices are in pounds, shillings and pence.
Some shops priced more expensive items in guineas. A guinea is one pound and one shilling or £1.05.
The income adjusted prices are based on the Bank of England's Three Centuries Macroeconomic Dataset Version 2.3 - 30 June 2016. I have updated the income figures based on the ONS: Series code KAB9, adjusted to bring the figures inline with the Bank of England's.
For a comparison of prices in 1966 adjusted for inflation see Infation adjusted prices for 1966
By Steven Braggs, November 2021, updated May 2022
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