I receive a lot of email about my "What Did Things Cost in 1860?" and "What Did Things Cost in 1872?" posts. Many people have asked if I would post more prices from these years from the old family journals. So here are prices for 1860, 1872, 1878, and 1882… for "groceries, provisions, fuel, dry goods, rents, and boards."

GROCERIES
QUANTITIES ARTICLES AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES
(standard gold)
1860 1872 1878 1882
Barrel Flour, wheat, super-fine $7.61 $10.75 $8.03 $9.92
Barrel Flour, wheat, family $7.14 $12.75 $7.96 $8.57
Pound Flour, rye $0.03 $0.03 $0.04 $0.05
Pound Corn meal $0.02 $0.01 $0.02 $0.04
Pound Codfish, dry $0.05 $0.08 $0.06 $0.08
Pound Rice $0.07 $0.11 $0.09 $0.10
Quart Beans $0.08 $0.09 $0.08 $0.13
Pound Tea, oolong $0.54 $0.69 $0.60 $0.58
Pound Coffee, Rio, green $0.21 $0.34 $0.23 $0.19
Pound Coffee, roasted $0.23 $0.42 $0.26 $0.29
Pound Sugar, good brown $0.08 $0.10 $0.08 $0.10
Pound Sugar, coffee $0.09 $0.10 $0.09 $0.10
Pound Sugar, granulated $0.10 $0.12 $0.10 $0.11
Gallon Molasses, New Orleans $0.50 $0.70 $0.57 $0.67
Gallon Molasses, Porto Rico $0.57 $0.76 $0.68 $0.63
Gallon Syrup $0.63 $0.75 $0.86 $0.77
Pound Soap, common $0.08 $0.08 $0.08 $0.07
Pound Starch $0.11 $0.12 $0.10 $0.09


A few coins from my mother's collection

PROVISIONS
QUANTITIES ARTICLES AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES
(standard gold)
1860 1872 1878 1882
Pound Beef, roasting $0.11 $0.19 $0.14 $0.17
Pound Beef, soup $0.04 $0.07 $0.05 $0.06
Pound Beef, rump steak $0.14 $0.29 $0.21 $0.21
Pound Beef, corned $0.06 $0.10 $0.08 $0.10
Pound Veal, fore-quarter $0.07 $0.10 $0.10 $0.11
Pound Veal, hind-quarter $0.11 $0.17 $0.16 $0.15
Pound Veal, cutlets $0.14 $0.28 $0.20 $0.20
Pound Mutton, fore-quarter $0.07 $0.10 $0.10 $0.12
Pound Mutton, leg $0.12 $0.19 $0.17 $0.16
Pound Mutton, chops $0.13 $0.15 $0.19 $0.18
Pound Pork, fresh $0.11 $0.12 $0.10 $0.13
Pound Pork, salted $0.11 $0.11 $0.10 $0.13
Pound Hams, smoked $0.13 $0.13 $0.13 $0.15
Pound Shoulders, corned $0.08 $0.10 $0.09 $0.12
Pound Sausages $0.11 $0.12 $0.11 $0.14
Pound Lard $0.13 $0.12 $0.11 $0.15
Pound Mackerel, pickled $0.09 $0.13 $0.13 $0.13
Pound Butter $0.21 $0.39 $0.25 $0.35
Pound Cheese $0.13 $0.17 $0.12 $0.18
Bushel Potatoes $0.59 $1.02 $0.98 $1.26
Quart Milk $0.04 $0.08 $0.05 $0.06
Dozen Eggs $0.20 $0.30 $0.25 $0.40

Notice how a pound of butter and a dozen eggs each cost more than a pound of meat… and a pair of heavy men's boots in 1860 cost only pennies less than a whole week's worth of room and board!

FUEL
QUANTITIES ARTICLES AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES
(standard gold)
1860 1872 1878 1882
Ton Coal $6.40 $9.25 $6.45 $7.84
Cord Wood, hard $6.49 $10.12 $6.74 $8.97
Cord Wood, pine $4.42 $7.00 $5.04 $7.09
DRY GOODS
QUANTITIES ARTICLES AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES
(standard gold)
1860 1872 1878 1882
Yard Shirting, 4-4 brown $0.09 $0.13 $0.08 $0.09
Yard Shirting, 4-4 bleached $0.10 $0.16 $0.10 $0.11
Yard Sheeting, 9-8 brown $0.10 $0.14 $0.09 $0.11
Yard Sheeting, 9-8 bleached $0.13 $0.19 $0.12 $0.14
Yard Cotton flannel $0.15 $0.27 $0.15 $0.16
Yard Ticking $0.17 $0.24 $0.18 $0.17
Yard Prints $0.11 $0.11 $0.08 $0.08
Yard Satinet $0.56 $0.59 $0.54 $0.54
Pair Boots, men's heavy $2.75 $3.94 $3.24 $3.19

This compilation of prices is from a small government statistics book published in 1883 that was inside one of the old family journals. All prices have been rounded up or down to the nearest cent and cover a span of twenty-two years.

RENTS
QUANTITIES ARTICLES AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES
(standard gold)
1860 1872 1878 1882
Month 4-room tenement $4.45 $14.75 $5.55 $7.99
Month 6-room tenement $7.54 $16.00 $9.43 $12.25
BOARDS
QUANTITIES ARTICLES AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES
(standard gold)
1860 1872 1878 1882
Week Men $2.79 $5.62 $4.19 $4.75
Week Women $1.79 $3.75 $2.63 $3.00

The higher figures for 1872 are not typos… the cost of almost everything rose dramatically that year but had dropped again in most instances six years later.

Filed Under: Glimpse into the Past