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Food & Drink

How Much Grocery Store Items Cost In 1990 Vs. 2020

The 1990s was the era of grunge, independent films, and the dawning of the world wide web, but what was it like at the grocery store? For generations, people have commented on the rising cost of groceries, but when factoring in inflation, some items are actually cheaper today than they were in the 1990s. Food prices in 1990 were often similar to today's prices - which one would hope for, since it wasn't all that long ago - though some items have actually come down in price in the past decades. Have you ever wondered, “How much was a loaf of bread in the 1990s?” How about the price of eggs? This list will break down 1990 food prices by listing the average price back then, the 1990 price factoring in inflation - using the US Bureau of Labor Statistics' inflation calculator - and today's cost for the same items. Vote up the grocery store items that you think have the best 2020 value and vote down any food that you'd rather go back in time to purchase.

Entries
16
Votes
9.2K
Updated
yesterday

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  1. 1

    Rice

    1990: $0.50/lb 1990 Adjusted For Inflation: $1.01 2020: $0.73/lb

    77% upvoted
  2. 2

    Apples

    1990: $0.72/lb 1990 Adjusted For Inflation: $1.46 2020: $1.30/lb

    74% upvoted
  3. 3

    Pork

    1990: $2.13/lb 1990 Adjusted For Inflation: $4.32 2020: $3.41/lb

    74% upvoted
  4. 4

    Sugar

    1990: $0.40/lb 1990 Adjusted For Inflation: $0.81 2020: $0.59/lb

    74% upvoted
  5. 5

    Beef

    1990: $2.81/lb 1990 Adjusted For Inflation: $5.69 2020: $4.35/lb

    72% upvoted
  6. 6

    Flour

    1990: $1.25/5 lbs 1990 Adjusted For Inflation: $2.53 2020: $0.44/lb or $2.20/5lb bag

    75% upvoted
  7. 7

    Cheese

    1990: $3.50/lb (cheddar) 1990 Adjusted For Inflation: $7.09 2020: $5.32/lb (cheddar)

    71% upvoted
  8. 8

    A Dozen Eggs

    1990: $1.01/dozen 1990 Adjusted For Inflation: $2.05 2020: $1.52/dozen

    69% upvoted
  9. 9

    Bread

    1990: $0.70/lb 1990 Adjusted For Inflation: $1.42 2020: $1.37/lb

    70% upvoted
  10. 10

    Milk

    1990: $1.42/half gallon 1990 Adjusted For Inflation: $2.88 2020: $3.24/gallon or $1.62/half gallon

    68% upvoted