1923 Grocery Prices

1933Aug14WashTo get an idea of grocery prices in the United States in 1923, this ad appeared in the Washington Times on August 14, 1923. Everything looks cheap, but there’s been a lot of inflation in the last 99 years. According to this online inflation calculator, one dollar in 1923 was the equivalent of $17.33 in 2022 money, so to compare, you need to multiply these prices by that amount.

For example, five pounds of flour was 27 cents, but that’s the same as $4.68 today. How does that compare to today’s actual price, shown below?

Similarly, a pound of butter was 52 cents, but that’s over $9 in today’s money. And 10 pounds of sugar was 83 cents, the same as $14.39 today. How does that compare to the current prices shown below?

A can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup was 9 cents, but that’s the same as $1.56 today. How does that compare?



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