If you grew up in the ‘60s, you probably remember how much buying power a single dollar gave you. You could fill up your car with a gallon of gas for just 30 cents, enjoy the latest blockbuster at the theatre for 80 cents, and buy a week’s worth of groceries for less than $20.
Today, the average American household pays more than $200 a week on groceries, which is more than 10x what it cost in the ‘60s. Oh, how the times have changed.
Here’s a stroll down a 1960s supermarket to see how much each food item on the shelf cost then. If you weren’t alive in the ‘60s, here’s a warning: the price differences will shock you.
A real U.S. based grocery store in the 1960s
Gary Hoover, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
1960s Food Prices vs. Today
The ‘60s were a cheaper time. If you found a few stray dollars in your pocket, you could have a burger, fries, and milkshake with your friends and still have some money left over!
Let’s have a look at how 1960s grocery prices compare to today (and how they changed throughout the ‘60s).
Meat
The meat section was the highlight of any ‘60s supermarket. You could get a whole pound of meat for (mostly) less than a dollar back then. A good meatloaf, tuna casserole, or hamburger pie could fill up your belly and your soul.
| Meat Type | Prices in 1960 (in cents) | Prices in 1965 (in cents) | Prices in 1969 (in cents) | Prices in 2025 (in dollars) |
| Round steak beef | ¢105.5 per lb. | ¢108.4 per lb. | ¢126.7 per lb. | $15 per lb. |
| Chuck roast beef | ¢61.6 per lb. | ¢59.5 per lb. | ¢70.4 per lb. | $12.12 per lb. |
| Beef hamburger | ¢52.4 per lb. | ¢50.8 per lb. | ¢ per lb. | $12.06 per lb. |
| Pork chops | ¢85.8 per lb. | ¢97.3 per lb. | ¢112.2 per lb. | $4.35 per lb. |
| Bacon | ¢65.5 per lb. | ¢81.3 per lb. | ¢87.8 per lb. | $7.29 per lb. |
| Chicken | ¢43 per lb. | ¢39 per lb. | ¢48 per lb. | $4.17 per lb. |
| Lamb | ¢74 per lb. | ¢141.5 per lb. | ¢181 per lb. | $18.07 per lb. leg |
| Turkey | ¢45 per lb. | ¢48.4 per lb. | ¢46 per lb. | $1.71 per lb. |
Eggs
In 1960, you could get a dozen large, Grade A eggs for the price of ¢57.3. In the middle of the decade, in 1965, the average price of a dozen eggs fell to ¢52.7. Towards the end of the decade in 1967, the price increased slightly with a dozen eggs costing you ¢62.1.
In 2025, egg prices have increased dramatically. In the middle of 2025, you had to pay $5-$6 for a dozen eggs on average. In late 2025, though, costs have come back down, hovering in the $2-$3 range for a set of 12 eggs.
Dairy Products
In the ‘60s, you didn’t necessarily have to make a trip to the grocery store to get milk. You could have fresh milk delivered right to your doorstep everyday for just an extra cent or two. And a single dollar could cover an entire gallon of milk.
| Product | Prices in 1960 (in cents) | Prices in 1965 (in cents) | Prices in 1969 (in cents) | Prices in 2025 (in dollars) |
| Fresh milk | ¢49.4 per half gallon | ¢47.3 per half gallon | ¢54.2 per half gallon | $2.3 per half gallon |
| Delivered milk | ¢52 per half gallon | ¢52.6 per half gallon | ¢62.9 per half gallon | — |
| Butter | ¢74.9 per lb. | ¢75.4 per lb. | ¢84.6 per lb. | $4.7 per lb. |
| American cheese | ¢34.3 per half lb. | ¢37.7 per half lb. | ¢45 per half lb. | $2.46 per half lb. |
| Ice cream | ¢86.8 per half gallon | ¢78.7 per half gallon | ¢51 per half gallon | $6.5 per half gallon |
Fruits (Fresh and Processed)
You might be surprised to know that 1960s supermarkets barely had any fresh produce. Organic? Most of the general public hadn’t even heard of that word by then.
The most common fruits in the 1960s were oranges, apples, and bananas. Fruits like kiwi and avocado that are mainstream today were considered rare and exotic back then. Remember being served those sickly sweet canned peaches or apple crisps at your school cafeteria?
Fresh Fruits
| Fruits | Prices in 1960 (in cents) | Prices in 1965 (in cents) | Prices in 1968 (in cents) | Prices in 2025 (in dollars) |
| Apples | ¢16.2 per lb. | ¢17.8 per lb. | ¢23.8 per lb. | $1.6 per lb. |
| Bananas | ¢15.9 per dozen | ¢16 per lb. | ¢15.5 per lb. | $0.65 per lb. |
| Oranges | ¢74.8 per dozen | ¢77.8 per dozen | ¢96.6 per dozen | $1.59 per lb. |
| Grapefruit | ¢14.4each | ¢14.1 each | ¢16.6 each | $1.37 each |
| Strawberries | ¢34.3 per pint | ¢35.9 per pint | ¢40.2 per pint | $2.6 per pint |
| Watermelon | ¢5.1 per lb. | ¢5.4 per lb. | ¢6.6 per lb. | $0.62 per lb. |
| Seedless grapes | ¢25.4 per lb. | ¢29.4 per lb. | ¢37.3 per lb. | $2.4 per lb. |
Processed Fruits
| Product | Prices in 1960 (in cents) | Prices in 1965 (in cents) | Prices in 1968 (in cents) | Prices in 2025 (in dollars) |
| Orange juice concentrate | ¢22.5 per 6 ounces | ¢23.7 per 6 ounces | ¢21.1 per 6 ounces | $2.368 per 6 ounces |
| Lemonade concentrate | ¢13.4 per 6 ounces | ¢12.8 per 6 ounces | ¢12.4 per 6 ounces | $1.245 per 6 ounces |
| Fruit cocktail | ¢27 per can | ¢26.1 per can | ¢28.3 per can | $2.59 per can |
Vegetables (Fresh and Processed)
Walk into any supermarket today, and you’ll be greeted with a fresh produce aisle with a rainbow of vegetables being sprayed with mist. This wasn’t a thing back in the 1960s. People mostly relied on local greengrocers and farmer’s markets to buy fresh produce.
It was also the decade where frozen and canned vegetables rose in popularity. They were convenient, sure, but they were not tasty.
Fresh Vegetables
| Vegetables | Prices in 1960 (in cents) | Prices in 1965 (in cents) | Prices in 1968 (in cents) | Prices in 2025 (in dollars) |
| Potatoes | ¢71.8 per 10 lbs. | ¢93.7 per 10 lbs. | ¢76.3 per 10 lbs. | $10.1 per 10 lbs. |
| Onions | ¢9.2 per lb. | ¢11.9 per lb. | ¢15 per lb. | $3.70 per lb. |
| Carrots | ¢14.1 per lb. | ¢15.3 per lb. | ¢18.7 per lb. | $1.32 per lb. |
| Lettuce | ¢17.3 per head | ¢25.5 per head | ¢27.5 per head | $2.48 per head |
| Celery | ¢13.9 per lb. | ¢15.6 per lb. | ¢16.8 per lb. | $0.80 per lb. |
| Cabbage | ¢9.5 per lb. | ¢10.4 per lb. | ¢12 per lb. | $0.86 per lb. |
| Tomatoes | ¢31.6 per lb. | ¢34.3 per lb. | ¢40.2 per lb. | $1.91 per lb. |
| Navy beans | ¢16.7 per lb. | ¢17.5 per lb. | ¢19.6 per lb. | $1.35 per lb. |
Processed Vegetables
| Product | Prices in 1960 (in cents) | Prices in 1965 (in cents) | Prices in 1968 (in cents) | Prices in 2025 (in dollars) |
| Canned tomatoes | ¢15.9 per can | ¢16.1 per can | ¢20.4 per can | $2.99 per can |
| Canned green peas | ¢20.7 per can | ¢23.7 per can | ¢24.5 per can | $1.39 per can |
| Dried beans | ¢16.7 per lb. | ¢17.5 per lb. | ¢19.6 per lb. | $1.99 per lb. |
Seafood
Love a good shrimp cocktail? So did people in the 1960s. Remember how restaurants and bars often offered a free plate of fried shrimp for you to enjoy as you waited for your main courses to be delivered?
If you lived near the coast, you could head out to the dock and buy freshly caught seafood, too!
| Seafood | Prices in 1960 (in cents) | Prices in 1965 (in cents) | Prices in 1968 (in cents) | Prices in 2025 (in dollars) |
| Frozen shrimp | — | ¢73.1 per 10 ounces | ¢84.3 per 10 ounces | $12.49 per lb. |
| Frozen ocean perch fillet | ¢47.4 per lb. | ¢53.7 per lb. | ¢54.3 per lb. | $10 per lb. |
| Frozen haddock fillet | ¢55.7 per lb. | ¢62.1 per lb. | ¢67.5 per lb. | $11.99 per lb. |
| Canned tuna | ¢32.5 per 6.5 ounce can | ¢32 per 6.5 ounce can | ¢34.5 per 6.5 ounce can | $1.29 per 5 ounce can |
Baking Goods
If you walked into a 1960s kitchen, you could smell the freshly baked aroma of homemade bread, sponge cakes, cookies, and pies. Pancakes were a common breakfast food (and the go-to order for kids at family diners), and homemade cookies with milk were the after-school snack.
| Product | Prices in 1960 (in cents) | Prices in 1965 (in cents) | Prices in 1969 (in cents) | Prices in 2025 (in dollars) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheat flour | ¢55.4 per 5 lbs. | ¢58.1 per 5 lbs. | ¢58.1 per 5 lbs. | $2.81 per 5 lbs. |
| Bread | ¢20.3 per lb. | ¢20.9 per lb. | ¢23 per lb. | $1.87 per lb. |
| Sugar | ¢58.2 per 5 lbs. | ¢59 per 5 lbs. | ¢60 per 5 lbs. | $5.21 per 5 lbs. |
| Grape jelly | ¢28.8 per 12 ounces | ¢31.2 per 12 ounces | ¢26.6 per 12 ounces | $8 per 12 ounces |
An angel food cake cost only ¢39 in 1960, while a mere ¢33 could get you a pecan crunch coffee cake. For the paltry sum of ¢9 you can buy a 12-ounce package of pancake mix!
7 ounces of vanilla cookies were just ¢24.5 in the ‘60s, while a pound of cream-filled cookies only cost you double at half a dollar. A pack of dozen donuts by Dunkin’ Donuts? Just ¢69! That’s an entire office meeting snack covered with pocket change.
Today, a slice of cake can cost you upwards of $6, while a 12 ounce pancake mix costs $7. You’ll have to shell out $5 for a pound of chocolate chip cookies, while a 12-pack of donuts would be $13.
Breakfast Cereals
The prices of cereals may have risen exponentially in the past few decades, but you know what hasn’t changed? People’s love for them. They are a breakfast staple today, and they were a breakfast staple in the ‘60s, too.
Back then, a 12-ounce package of corn flakes was a quarter dollar (¢25), while an 18-ounce packet of rolled oats was ¢22. Today, an 18-ounce package of corn flakes is $3.98, while a 12-ounce packet of rolled oats costs $3. Talk about inflation.
Beverages
Carbonated drinks like Dr. Pepper and Pepsi were very popular even back then, costing around 10 cents (or 2 nickels) each. Coffee, of course, was consumed by a large portion of the population.
| Product | Prices in 1960 (in cents) | Prices in 1965 (in cents) | Prices in 1968 (in cents) |
| Coffee (can) | ¢75.3 per lb. | ¢83.3 per lb. | ¢76.4 per lb. |
| Coffee (bag) | ¢59.2 per lb. | ¢71.1 per lb. | ¢62.6 per lb. |
| Tea bags | ¢24.4 per 16-pack | ¢62.2 per 48-pack | ¢60.7 per 48-pack |
| Cola drink | ¢29.8 per 26-ounce carton | ¢54.8 per 72-ounce carton | ¢65.1 per 72-ounce carton |
In 2025, the cost of coffee is $9.2 per lb., while you can expect to pay around $4 for 40 tea bags. If you want specialty tea, the prices can be double or triple that of standard tea. As for a 20-ounce cola bottle, it costs $1.97.
Snacks and Candy
‘60s supermarket shelves weren’t as stocked with snacks. Unlike today, there were precious few options available.
4 ounces of potato chips were just ¢27, while a chocolate bar only cost a nickel! You could get 8 ounces of pretzels for ¢31, and 9 ounces of frozen french fries for ¢17.
If you were to buy the same products today, you’ll be paying $1.8 per 4 ounces of potato chips, $1.5 for a chocolate bar, and $1.81 for 8 ounces of pretzels.
What Were Grocery Stores Like in the ‘60s? Then vs. Now
Here’s how the grocery stores of the 1960s differ from those of today.
- Smaller stores: Supermarkets in the 1960s were your typical brick-and-mortar stores unlike the giants of today, such as Walmart, Costco, and Target.
- Fewer choices: There weren’t 20 types of cake mixes available, causing you to freeze in indecision.
- No memberships: Yes, 1960s supermarkets had discount coupons, but you didn’t have to become a member of the grocery store chain to use it.
- Cash over cards: A majority of the shoppers used cash to pay.
- Checkout took longer: There were no barcodes and scanners, so staff had to check each item out manually on mechanical registers which took time.
Relive the Past with Classmates®
Oh, how simple things were back then. If you were hankering for a snack, all you had to do was root around in your pockets for a few nickels.
If this trip down memory lane made you think back fondly on the ‘60s, why not go one step ahead and reminisce about it with your old pals? Classmates has over 480,000 yearbooks within its yearbook archives that you can browse for a blast into the past.
Sign up for free to take a look (and to see if you have a high school reunion coming up!)
Explore related blogs from over the decades!
- Best TV Shows of the 1960s
- Best British Invasion Bands 1960s
- Cool Vintage Yearbooks From the 50s, 60s, & On
Sources:
- Gary Hoover, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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