McDonald's menu from 1959 shows how much prices have risen over the past decades

The world has advanced so much in the past years and there is no doubt that prices have also increased with the change in the economy. Though recent years have seen a massive surge in prices, there has been a comparatively large jump financially over the many years. The cost of living has undoubtedly increased. A very simple yet eye-opening evidence of the same is the astonishing rates of food items. Reddit user u/MeeranQureshi shared a post on Reddit revealing what McDonald’s prices were back in the 1950s and it has everyone turning heads.

No one is a stranger to the fast-food outlet that has been a favorite since the 90s. Through the years, the franchise has grown and multiplied its options and servings. However, with the same, they have grown financially as well to keep up with the rising costs. The menu shared on Reddit featured 10 popular initial items sold at the beginning. With only a pure beef hamburger and a cheeseburger in the burger section, the prices were a shocking 19 cents and 15 cents, respectively. With over 15 different burger options today, Cash Net USA shared that burger prices from McDonald’s all over the world are between $2 and $9. In the USA, it is over $5 for a Big Mac.

Hopping on to the delicious shakes, the 90s menu had the triple-thick shakes priced at 20 cents only. Mobile Cuisine revealed the 2024 menu with prices of solo and meals. With McDonald’s caffeinated drinks, bakery items and more added to the list, beverages are priced between $1.30 and $4. Initially sold at a cost-efficient 10 cents, fries are now segregated based on size and sold for the price range between $1.39 to almost $4. The prices have shot up from cents to quite a few dollars in these years. The 90s menu further revealed that other drinks like root beer, coffee and soda were priced at a moderate 10 cents each. Today’s menu features a variety of over 20 drinks that shoot up to 4 dollars depending on the type of drink and size.

However, the prices are mind-boggling but not much of a surprise. With over 2k upvotes, commenters can not get enough of the price rises but, at the same time, can not get over the mesmerizing offering the outlet has. Many were obsessed with the creativity in the 90s menu with names such as, “Tempting Cheeburger” and “Pure Beef Hamburger.” u/technohippie said, “Now they charge 100x as much, but I don't get any adjectives.” u/RoySchwayne said, “According to a sweet inflation calculator, $0.15 in 1959 is $1.58 today.” u/dongckoj said, “They’re so big now and with such a high market share that they can raise prices.” u/Gecko99 compiled the story, in a nutshell, saying, “Despite increasing automation and other technological advances, understaffed restaurants, and lowered expectations of food quality and speed, a meal at Mcdonald's costs more now than it did in 1959.”

u/RoySchwayne said, “According to a sweet inflation calculator, $0.15 in 1959 is $1.58 today.” u/dongckoj said, “They’re so big now and with such a high market share that they can raise prices.” u/Gecko99 compiled the story, in a nutshell, saying, “Despite increasing automation and other technological advances, understaffed restaurants, and lowered expectations of food quality and speed, a meal at Mcdonald's costs more now than it did in 1959.”