1800s Facts: Grocery and Other Retail Prices in the 1800s

It’s a well-established fact that grocery prices have dramatically increased between the 1800s and 2025. In the 1800s, the dollar's purchasing power was much greater than it is today, suggesting that a dollar could buy a larger quantity of goods and services.

This article presents the prices of groceries and other household items during the years 1800, 1851, 1860, 1864, 1870, 1872, and 1882. You will learn the retail prices for common household staples, including butter, coffee, lard, potatoes, and soap.

Here is a sneak preview of what this article is all about:

1. Grocery and Other Retail Prices in 1800
2. Weekly Food Budget for a Family of Five Living in Philadelphia During 1851
3. Grocery and Other Retail Prices in 1860
4. Weekly Food Budget for a Family of Six Living in New York City During 1864
5. Grocery and Other Retail Prices in 1870
6. Grocery and Other Retail Prices in 1872
7. Grocery and Other Prices in 1882

1. Grocery and Other Retail Prices in 1800:

1. 20 pounds of venison: 67 cents
2. 100 apple trees: $6.67
3. 100 fresh shad: $4.44
4. 100 pounds of hay: 40 cents
5. Four bushels of rye: $2.67
6. Nine pounds of beef: 60 cents
7. One-half bushel of beans: 53 cents
8. One-half bushel of corn: 24 cents
9. One bushel of buckwheat: 40 cents
10. One bushel of oats: 33 cents
11. One bushel of potatoes: 50 cents
12. One bushel of salt: $2.40
13. One bushel of wheat: $1.33
14. One dozen pigeons: 13 cents
15. One pound of butter: 13 cents
16. One pound of tobacco: 13 cents
17. One quart of soap: Seven cents
18. Six bushels of turnips: $1.20
19. Six pounds of pork: 40 cents
20. Three and one-half pounds of cheese: 47 cents
21. Three bushels of ashes: 27 cents
22. Three deerskins: $3.47
23. Three pounds of flax: 40 cents
24. Two pounds of bread: 13 cents
25. Two yards of tow cloth: 80 cents

2. Weekly Food Budget for a Family of Five Living in Philadelphia During 1851

1. Butcher’s meat @ 10 cents per pound for seven days: $1.40
2. Barrel of flour that will last eight weeks: $5.00
3. Two pounds of butter: 62 cents
4. One-half bushel of potatoes: 50 cents
5. Four pounds of sugar: 32 cents
6. Coffee and tea: 25 cents
7. Milk: 14 cents
8. Salt, pepper, vinegar, starch, soap, soda, yeast, cheese, and eggs: 40 cents

Total: $8.63

Adjusted for inflation, $8.63 in 1851 is equivalent in spending power to about $375.00 today.

3. Grocery and Other Retail Prices in 1860:

1. In 1860, rice cost seven cents a pound, a quart of beans cost eight cents, and New Orleans molasses was 50 cents a gallon.
2. Lard cost 13 cents a pound, a dozen eggs were 20 cents, and potatoes were 59 cents a bushel.
3. Cornmeal cost two cents a pound, rye flour was three cents a pound, and super-fine wheat flour cost $7.61 a barrel.
4. Butter cost 21 cents a pound, milk was four cents a quart, and cheese cost 13 cents a pound.
5. Fresh pork was 11 cents a pound, salted pork was also 11 cents a pound, and smoked ham was 13 cents a pound.
6. Mutton chops were 13 cents a pound, sausage cost 11 cents a pound, and veal cutlets were 14 cents a pound.
7. Corned beef cost six cents a pound, roasting beef cost 11 cents a pound, and soup beef was four cents a pound.
8. Brazilian coffee cost 21 cents a pound, oolong tea was 54 cents a pound, and coffee sugar cost nine cents a pound.
9. Coal for home heating cost $6.40 a ton, hardwood cost $6.49 a cord, and pine wood was $7.00 a cord.
10. Men’s heavy boots were $2.75 a pair, cotton flannel was 15 cents a yard, and satinet cost 56 cents a yard.
11. In 1860, common soap cost eight cents a pound, and starch was 11 cents a pound.

4. Weekly Food Budget for a Family of Six Living in New York City During 1864

1. Meat for the week: $3.50
2. One bag of flour: $1.80
3. Four pounds of butter: $1.60
4. Potatoes for seven days: $1.19
5. Three and one-half pounds of sugar: $1.05
6. One pound of coffee: 35 cents
7. One-quarter pound of tea: 38 cents
8. Milk: 56 cents
9. Vegetables: 50 cents
10. Dried apples: 25 cents
11. Two pounds of lard: 38 cents
12. Soap, starch, salt, pepper, and vinegar: $1.00

Total: $12.56

Adjusted for inflation, $12.56 in 1864 is equivalent in spending power to about $265.00 today.

5. Grocery and Other Retail Prices in 1870:

1. Bull: $90.00
2. Butter per pound: 15 cents
3. Calves: $2.50 apiece
4. Cheese per pound: Five cents
5. Corn per bushel: 40 cents
6. Cow: $26.00
7. Cowboy saddle: $60.00
8. Dried apples: 10 cents per pound
9. Dried apricots: 15 cents a pound
10. Dried figs: 20 cents per pound
11. Flour per barrel: $3.00
12. Harness: $50.00
13. Heifer: $18.75
14. Lard per pound: Six cents
15. Mess beef per barrel: $8.00
16. Mess pork per barrel: $9.00
17. Molasses (gallon): 15 cents
18. Oranges: 50 cents a dozen
19. Rice per pound: Five cents
20. Saddle: $30.00
21. Sugar per pound: Seven cents
22. Three-year-old steer: $62.00
23. Wheat per bushel: $1.02
24. Workhorse: $150.00
25. Yoke of two oxen: $150.00

6. Grocery and Other Retail Prices in 1872:

1. In 1872, rice cost 11 cents a pound, a quart of beans cost nine cents, and New Orleans molasses was 70 cents a gallon.
2. Lard cost 12 cents a pound, a dozen eggs were 30 cents, and potatoes were $1.02 a bushel.
3. Cornmeal cost one cent a pound, rye flour was three cents a pound, and super-fine wheat flour cost $10.75 a barrel.
4. Butter cost 39 cents a pound, milk was eight cents a quart, and cheese cost 17 cents a pound.
5. Fresh pork was 12 cents a pound, salted pork was 11 cents a pound, and smoked ham was 13 cents a pound.
6. Mutton chops were 15 cents a pound, sausage cost 12 cents a pound, and veal cutlets were 28 cents a pound.
7. Corned beef cost 10 cents a pound, roasting beef cost 19 cents a pound, and soup beef was seven cents a pound.
8. Brazilian coffee cost 34 cents a pound, oolong tea was 69 cents a pound, and coffee sugar cost 10 cents a pound.
9. Coal for home heating cost $9.25 a ton, hardwood cost $10.12 a cord, and pine wood was $4.42 a cord.
10. Men’s heavy boots were $3.94 a pair, cotton flannel was 27 cents a yard, and satinet cost 59 cents a yard.
11. In 1872, common soap cost eight cents a pound, and starch was 12 cents a pound.

7. Grocery and Other Prices in 1882:

1. Beans: 13 cents a quart
2. Brown sugar: 10 cents a pound
3. Butter: 35 cents a pound
4. Cheese: 18 cents a pound
5. Coal: $7.84 a ton
6. Coffee sugar: 10 cents a pound
7. Common soap: Seven cents a pound
8. Corned beef: 10 cents a pound
9. Cornmeal: Four cents a pound
10. Cotton flannel: 16 cents a yard
11. Dry codfish: Eight cents a pound
12. Eggs: 40 cents a dozen
13. Fresh pork: 13 cents a pound
14. Granulated sugar: 11 cents a pound
15. Lard: 15 cents a pound
16. Men’s heavy boots: $3.19 a pair
17. Milk: Six cents a quart
18. Mutton chops: 18 cents a pound
19. New Orleans molasses: 67 cents a gallon
20. Oolong tea: 58 cents a pound
21. Potatoes: $1.26 a bushel
22. Puerto Rico molasses: 63 cents a gallon
23. Rice: 10 cents a pound
24. Roasted coffee: 29 cents a pound
25. Roasting beef: 17 cents a pound
26. Rye flour: Five cents a pound
27. Salted pork: 13 cents a pound
28. Satinet: 54 cents a yard
29. Smoked ham: 15 cents a pound
30. Soup beef: Six cents a pound
31. Starch: Nine cents a pound
32. Super-fine wheat flour: $9.92 a barrel
33. Syrup: 77 cents a gallon
34. Veal cutlets: 20 cents a pound
35. Wheat flour: $8.57 a barrel

References:

1. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/yearonlytimeline1800-1899.html
2. https://www.quora.com/What-was-seen-as-entertainment-in-the-1800s-America
3. https://theinventors.org/library/weekly/aa111100a.htm
4. https://www.biographyonline.net/people/famous/nineteenth-century.html
5. https://www.infoplease.com/us/states/states-by-order-of-entry-into-the-union
6. https://www.history.com/articles/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-old-west
7. https://www.infoplease.com/us/education/major-universities-founded-1900
8. https://www.quora.com/What-was-seen-as-entertainment-in-the-1800s-America
9. https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2012/04/11/150437606/the-10-biggest-corporations-in-the-u-s-in-1812
10. https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-christmas/
11. https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/teachers/lessonplans/1870CatalogueofGoods.pdf
12. https://www.foodtimeline.org/cummings.pdf

Disclaimer: In writing and editing this article, Gregory DeVictor has made every effort to ensure historical accuracy and not to mislead his audience. In addition, the contents of this article, including text, graphics, and captions, are for general informational purposes only.

© 2026 Gregory DeVictor