What Could a Dollar Buy You in the 1980s?

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Television music videos. Mall food courts. Cabbage Patch dolls. The 1980s were full of trends and products that lasted beyond the decade.

While not everyone could afford some of the high-priced dolls and toys, the prices for many items from the 1980s seem very cheap, given how much we’re paying for things today. According to the Official Data Foundation, $1 from 1980 is worth $3.79 in purchasing power today. That means a dollar today buys only about 26% of what it could buy back in 1980.

Grocery Prices

Although the grocery store technology of the 1980s may have you missing today’s advancements, the prices will likely have you wishing it was the 80s all over again. According to The People History, here are some of the food prices from the 1980s:

• 2% gallon of milk in Iowa in 1987: $1.59
• Apples in Wyoming in 1986: $0.39 per pound
• Ground beef in New York in 1980: $1.39 per pound
• Bacon in New Jersey in 1986: $1.69 per pound
• Flour in Pennsylvania in 1981: $0.99 for five pounds
• White sliced bread in Pennsylvania in 1981: $0.50

Clothing Prices

If you want to find out how much a wardrobe might have cost in the 1980s, the Morris County Library in New Jersey looks interesting. A Morristown, New Jersey newspaper, the Daily Record, listed prices in a survey in 1900. Here’s a look at some clothing prices from the 1980s:

• Men’s Levi’s jeans in 1980: $13.30-$27 per pair
• Men’s dress shirt in 1980: $13.50-$18.50
• Men’s cowboy boots in 1980: $29.99-$40 per pair
• Women’s corduroy pants in 1980: $15-$23 per pair
• Women’s Oxford shirt in 1980: $11-$15

Automobile Prices

If you’re a fan of game shows, you may have seen a steady increase in car prices over the years. Here’s a look at some prices from 1980 in New Jersey:

• New Buick Regal: $8,085
• New Buick Grand Prix: $7,727
• New Plymouth Volare: $5,888
• Used 1975 Ford Pinto Squire: $1,995
• Used 1974 Chevy Malibu Classic: $1,575
• Used 1973 Pontiac Firebird: $2,495

Real Estate Prices

Depending on where you live, real estate prices have been all over the place in recent decades. Here’s how much you could have paid for a place in several New Jersey locations in 1980:

Houses for Sale

• Boonton, colonial with three bedrooms: $62,000
• East Hanover, seven rooms: $95,500

Houses for Rent

• Hopatcong with six rooms: $475 per month
• Montville with three bedrooms: $725 per month

Apartments and Rooms for Rent

• Hopatcong with six rooms: $475 per month
• Madison with four rooms: $400 per month
• Morristown with three rooms: $200 per month

Household Item Prices

If you’re going to have a place to live, you probably need to furnish it. Here is how much you would have spent in the 1980s in New Jersey:

• Full-size bed in 1986: $88
• Water bed of any size in 1986: $189
• Lamp in 1986: $49-$129
• Dishwasher in 1988: $399.99
• Microwave in 1988: $159.99
• Refrigerator in 1988: $559

Paychecks

If you’re going to buy things, you probably need a job to pay for them. Here’s a look at some pay from 1986 in New Jersey:

• Assistant store manager: $17,000-$19,000 per year plus bonus
• Babysitter or housekeeper: $150 per week
• Restaurant bus person: $3.75 per hour

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