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The 1950sWhat things cost in the 1950s
Gas, homes, wages and stamps year by year from 1950 to 1959, with what a dollar from each year is worth in 2025.
50s
23%Rise in average prices (CPI-U) from 1950 to 1960
$0.27 → $0.30Average gallon of regular gas, 1950 to 1959
$0.75 → $1.00Federal minimum wage, 1950 to 1959
Prices in the 1950s, year by year
| Year | $1 then in 2025 | Gas / gal | Median home | Min. wage | Stamp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | $13.36 | $0.27 | – | $0.75 | 3¢ |
| 1951 | $12.38 | $0.27 | – | $0.75 | 3¢ |
| 1952 | $12.10 | $0.27 | – | $0.75 | 3¢ |
| 1953 | $12.01 | $0.29 | – | $0.75 | 3¢ |
| 1954 | $11.97 | $0.29 | – | $0.75 | 3¢ |
| 1955 | $12.01 | $0.29 | – | $0.75 | 3¢ |
| 1956 | $11.83 | $0.30 | – | $1.00 | 3¢ |
| 1957 | $11.46 | $0.31 | – | $1.00 | 3¢ |
| 1958 | $11.14 | $0.30 | – | $1.00 | 4¢ |
| 1959 | $11.02 | $0.30 | – | $1.00 | 4¢ |
National median home price data in this series starts in 1963. See house prices by year.
Taken together, $1 in 1950 buys about as much as $13.36 did in 2025, so a $0.27 gallon of gas in 1950 is roughly $3.58 in 2025 money.
Things from the 1950s that are mostly gone
Sources: BLS CPI-U; EIA gasoline prices; Census/HUD median sales price (first quarter); U.S. Department of Labor; USPS. See Sources.