In the 1970s, a dozen eggs cost $0.61. Here's how grocery prices from 50 years ago compare to today.

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Two women shopping at an American grocery store in 1970.

The US has endured multiple periods of inflation throughout history.
The Great Inflation lasted from 1965 to 1982.
In 1975, a half gallon of milk cost $0.785, or $4.79 when adjusted for inflation; today, a gallon costs $4.03.

If it feels like you can't go anywhere without hearing about the rising price of eggs, it's for good reason.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that egg prices rose by 15.2% from December 2024 to January 2025, leaving the average price of a dozen Grade A large eggs at a record $4.95.

Now, amid ongoing egg shortages caused by the bird flu, stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Costco are limiting how many eggs customers can purchase at a time.

But what was it like 50 years ago?

Turns out, in 1975, the American public was facing its own inflation crisis, aptly called the Great Inflation.

This period of economic difficulty was caused and sustained by factors including Federal Reserve policies, a breakdown of the Bretton Woods system (which anchored the US dollar to gold), the Vietnam War, and the oil crises.

Food inflation peaked at more than 20% at the end of 1973, and overall food prices rose by 7.1% between 1968 and 1983, the BLS reported.

We looked at how today's average grocery prices compare to those 50 years ago using the latest data available from the USDA, US Department of Energy, and BLS, including its consumer price index (CPI) inflation calculator.

From eggs and milk to apples and bananas, here's how food prices today compare to those 50 years ago.

White bread cost $0.36 per pound.

A woman looking at bread at a Maryland grocery store in 1978.

Average price in 1975: $0.36 per pound

Adjusted for inflation: $2.20

Average price in 2025: $1.93 per pound

A grain shortage — caused by excessive exports to Russia following a 1972 deal — helped push up bread prices across the US, The New York Times reported.

Milk cost $0.785 per half gallon.

A person in Washington D.C. paying for groceries with food stamps in 1975.

Average price in 1975: $0.785 per half gallon

Adjusted for inflation: $4.79 per half gallon

Average price in 2025: $4.03 per gallon

The 1970s were also marked by a shortage of dairy products. In 1973, dairy prices rose by 30%, History.com reported.

Butter cost $1.03 per pound.

A woman checking out at a grocery store in 1974; there's a sign that says, "B.Y.O.B. Please bring back your paper bags to Safeway to be reused for your own groceries. We need and appreciate your cooperation during the extreme paper bag shortage."

Average price in 1975: $1.03 per pound

Adjusted for inflation: $6.28

Average price in 2025: $2.42 per pound

A dozen eggs cost $0.61.

Women in line at a grocery store in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1977.

Average price in 1970: $0.61 per dozen

Adjusted for inflation: $5.13

Average price in 2025: $4.95 per dozen

Though egg price data was not available for 1975 from the BLS, we'd be remiss not to include this grocery staple. Data from the agency's Consumer Expenditure Survey found that the average price of eggs in US cities in 1970 was $0.61 per dozen.

Bird flu has affected the American egg industry for three years in a row as one of the largest animal-based pandemics ever, Maurice Pitesky, an associate professor at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, told BI in January. This continued decrease in supply has heightened demand, leading to increasing prices.

Round steak cost $1.89 per pound.

Louise Redd, a Grand Union worker in West Side Manhattan, restocked meat next to a sign that read, "We've set our fresh meat prices at Grand Union at least ten cents a pound below our allowable ceilings," in April 1973.

Average price in 1975: $1.89 per pound

Adjusted for inflation: $11.52

Average price in 2025: $8.28 per pound

The American Farm Bureau Federation wrote in 2024 that rising beef costs could be attributed to a decrease in supply caused by drought and the increasing costs for feed grains.

Potatoes cost $0.134 per pound.

Two women grocery shopping in 1978 in Maryland.

Average price in 1975: $0.134 per pound

Adjusted for inflation: $0.82

Average price in 2025: $0.973 per pound

Rice cost $0.47 per pound.

Two people shopping in a grocery store aisle in 1975.

Average price in 1975: $0.47 per pound

Adjusted for inflation: $2.87

Average price in 2025: $1.01 per pound

Apples cost $0.34 per pound.

A woman shopping for produce at a market stand in the 1970s.

Average price in 1975: $0.34 per pound

Adjusted for inflation: $2.07

Average price in 2025: $1.26 per pound (Red Delicious)

In November 2024, NPR reported that apple prices are falling because of a decrease in demand from consumers and processors.

Bananas cost $0.232 per pound.

A person shopping at an outdoor produce market in New York City, circa 1970.

Average price in 1975: $0.232 per pound

Adjusted for inflation: $1.41

Average price in 2025: $0.621 per pound

Banana prices have remained low despite rising costs for other commodities as a result of factors like lower labor costs and free trade agreements, Axios reported in March 2024. However, Forbes reported in February that tariffs could lead to increased prices in the future.

A gallon of gas cost $0.57.

A wide shot of an Exxon Gas Station in New York City, April 1975.

Average price in 1975: $0.57 per gallon (leaded)

Adjusted for inflation: $3.48 per gallon

Average price in 2025: $3.34 per gallon (all types)

In October 1973, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) enacted an oil embargo on the US after President Richard Nixon requested Congress provide billions in emergency aid to Israel during the Yom Kippur War. Though the embargo was lifted in March 1974, oil prices remained significantly high.