This 1945 photo shows what $1.34 could buy you in groceries. Today, you couldn’t buy a single avocado

Inflation has always shaped the cost of daily life, and food has been one of the clearest examples. From sugar and bread to milk and coffee, the prices of staples have changed dramatically over the decades, often showcasing bigger economic pressures. A striking example of this contrast recently surfaced on Reddit, showing just how different grocery shopping looked in the first half of the 20th century. In a photograph shared by u/Rabbitpyth that has gotten 6.8k upvotes so far, two women were seen displaying what $1.34 could buy you in 1918 vs three decades ahead in 1945. It just goes to show how unaffordable life has become for the average American today.  

The sign from 1918 showed that $1.34 would buy just 5 pounds of sugar. By contrast, the sign from 1945 showed the official ceiling prices set by the Office of Price Administration: 5 pounds of sugar for 32 cents, bread for 9 cents, 6 oranges for 22 cents, 2 quarts of milk for 29 cents, oatmeal for 27 cents, and coffee for 12 cents. With tax, the total also came to $1.34, but the difference in what that amount could buy was striking.

Historical price records from the Bureau of Labor Statistics confirm just how different prices looked between 1918 and 1945, which were the last years of World War I and World War II, respectively. According to one report, in 1918, sugar averaged around 8 to 9 cents a pound, bread cost 10 to 12 cents a pound, milk was about 12 to 13 cents a quart, and coffee ran into the mid-30 cent range per pound. By 1945, rationing and strict price ceilings kept sugar lower at about 6.7 cents a pound and bread cheaper at 8.8 cents a pound, while milk ticked up slightly to 14.5 cents a quart, oats rose modestly to about 10 cents a pound, and coffee landed almost level at 30.5 cents a pound, as per another report. The mix shows how wartime controls and post-war policies changed costs in uneven ways, sometimes driving staples down while raising others.

Those who saw the photo shared their own thoughts on how food prices have evolved. u/TinkerCitySoilDry explained, "People might be surprised across these past 4 decades. Milk, dairy, meat, and vegetables have remained remarkably stable. The cost increase on the consumer is enforced at the processing plants and distributors. There are hedge funds and investment firms that own approximately 80% of the meat processing plants. Slave labor, child labor. Meat is purchased once a year from the meat farmer, eggs are delivered every other Sunday, and vegetables are seasonal."

u/Moosplauze added, "Finding a coin on the road was something completely different in 1945 compared to now." u/TheWeirdDude-247 commented, "So checked how much that would cost today, sorting by cheapest and trying to match weight. £6.99 / $9.44 / €8.08. So in 80 years it’s £5.65 / $8.10 / €6.74 difference. I personally don’t think it’s that bad, but then I can remember, price of 6 pint milk is now the same as 4 pint and so on." u/purplegladys2022 said, "The local supermarket near me has candy bars by the front registers going for $1.79. I used to buy larger versions of those bars when I was a kid for $0.25. Heavy, heavy sigh."

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