In the 70’s, a five-dollar bill was worth way more than a fancy coffee. You could fill your car with gas, pocket a few bucks, and grab a lunch. You won’t be losing any money, but in fact gaining some. Let’s painfully look back at what $5 bills bought you in the 70’s and what the same value buys you today.
Table of Contents
- 1 1. Movie Ticket: Then $2.50, Now $12.50
- 2 2. Gallon of Gas: Then 36¢, Now $3.50
- 3 3. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal: Then $1.65, Now $8.99
- 4 4. Pack of Cigarettes: Then 60¢, Now $7.50
- 5 5. Album Record: Then $3.99, Now $25.99
- 6 6. Comic Book: Then 20¢, Now $4.99
- 7 7. Diner Breakfast: Then $1.99, Now $12.99
- 8 8. Six Pack of Beer: Then $1.49, Now $9.99
- 9 9. Baseball Game Ticket: Then $3.50, Now $35.00
- 10 10. Video Game Tokens: Then 25¢, Now $1.00
- 11 11. Paperback Book: Then 95¢, Now $8.99
- 12 12. Blue Jeans: Then $4.99, Now $49.99
- 13 13. Phone Call: Then 10¢, Now Extinct
- 14 14. Minimum Wage Hour: Then $2.00, Now $7.25
- 15 15. Fast Food Burger: Then 49¢, Now $4.99
- 16 16. Box of Cereal: Then 89¢, Now $5.99
1. Movie Ticket: Then $2.50, Now $12.50
You used to have a date night at the theater with leftover money to buy popcorn. Today, you would just have to buy one ticket to get a seat. That means a date night would actually cost five times the price. You would get to the movies much earlier because movie tickets were so much cheaper than today.
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2. Gallon of Gas: Then 36¢, Now $3.50
Early 70’s gas was still under 5 bucks and you could fill your Mustang up every week. Then, the gas crisis happened which costs 4 times as much at full-service stations where they’d check your oil and clean your windshield for free.
3. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal: Then $1.65, Now $8.99
Unlike today where you could feed a family of three with what would buy you one meal out, back then you could get a Big Mac, fries, and a drink and have loads of money leftover from 5 bucks.
4. Pack of Cigarettes: Then 60¢, Now $7.50
Even though we know the health risks, back in the 70’s, smoking was a common thing to do. You could buy 8 packs of smokes for 5 dollars, even in states where one pack costs more than that today.
5. Album Record: Then $3.99, Now $25.99
Buying a vinyl album used to cost less than $4, and singles were under a dollar. Vinyl records are now a luxury item, with new releases costing as much as a weeks worth of groceries back then.
6. Comic Book: Then 20¢, Now $4.99
In the 70s, your allowance could buy you a stack of comic books. Superman, Spider-Man, and Batman adventures were all in a kids budget. 5 dollars would get you 25 comics, now 5 dollars barely covers one premium issue.
7. Diner Breakfast: Then $1.99, Now $12.99
Breakfast with eggs, bacon, and coffee used to cost less than 2 dollars. 5 dollars could feed two people at the diner. Now, a cup of coffee can cost half that.
8. Six Pack of Beer: Then $1.49, Now $9.99
A six pack of domestic beer used to cost less than $1.50. Today, a pack of craft beer can cost more than a case of beer back then.
9. Baseball Game Ticket: Then $3.50, Now $35.00
You could afford to go to a major league baseball game with 5 dollars. Now you need a small loan to park at the stadium.
10. Video Game Tokens: Then 25¢, Now $1.00
5 dollars could buy you 20 games of pong or pinball. Now it costs at least 4 times as much to play modern arcade games.
11. Paperback Book: Then 95¢, Now $8.99
A good paperback book could be bought for fifty cents. Even the deluxe editions wouldn’t go over one dollar and fifty cents. You could start a good collection for five dollars. Now a single paperback book costs more than a whole bag of books did back then.
12. Blue Jeans: Then $4.99, Now $49.99
A pair of jeans could be bought for five dollars, and although they weren’t designer brands, they got the job done. For today’s prices, those pairs of jeans might be more than ten dollars.
13. Phone Call: Then 10¢, Now Extinct
With a single dime, you could make a local call from a pay-phone. With five dollars worth of calls, you could make a call and talk for hours. Now, pay-phones are a thing of the past, and cell phone plans cost more than groceries used to.
14. Minimum Wage Hour: Then $2.00, Now $7.25
To get that five dollar bill, you had to work two and a half hours at minimum wage. Even though minimum wage has gone up, the purchasing power has gone down. What you could buy with one hour’s work then often takes three or four hours now.
15. Fast Food Burger: Then 49¢, Now $4.99
Back in the day basic hamburgers cost less than 50 cents at the majority of fast food restaurants. With five dollars, you could feed a family of four and even have some change left over. Now-a-days, five dollars barely gets you a single value meal!
16. Box of Cereal: Then 89¢, Now $5.99
You could get a box of your favorite cereal for less than one dollar. That box even came with a toy prIze. Now you can only get a single box of cereal for five dollars, and of course no toy.
