For a snapshot of wartime grocery prices in the United States, this ad appeared in the August 30, 1943, issue of the Pittsburgh Press. Of course, every product has a price, but many of the products also require ration coupons or points, since rationing was in effect in the United States. But if a homemaker had used up all of the coupons for the month, there were still some options. Fish and chicken could be purchased without points. And if you wanted to eat in the cafeteria, a dinner of beefsteak or fish could be had for $1.25 for two people.

Beef, bacon, sausage, and even cans of soup, fruits, or vegetables required ration points.  But chicken was 59 cents a pound, and fish was 45 or 49 cents, with no need for coupons.

Three pounds of coffee was 85 cents.  These prices look like bargains, but there’s been a lot of inflation in the last 78 years.  According to this inflation calculator, one dollar in 1943 is the equivalent of $15.78 in 2021 dollars.