1900 food prices

The average wage for an American man was about 13 dollars a week. What could a man buy for his family for that amount? What could they afford to eat? Below I have listed some prices typical for that era. Of course there were regional differences and many families still grew their own produce and raised their own vegetables. But these numbers will give you a rough idea.

Keep in mind that the typical families diet had less variety than today, except in the case of meat, where wild game was still sold in many butcher shops. Some fruits such as Oranges were becoming more common in stores, due to the more rapid ships and the transcontinental railroad.

Prepared foods, such as breakfast cereal, were becoming available. But many families still ate last night’s leftovers for breakfast or eggs and sausage rather than corn flakes.

By 1900 bread was usually available for purchase, but many housewives preferred to make their own. A mark of a good wife was the ability to make a good loaf of bread.

Below is a list of some basic foodstuffs, the next posts will concentrate on specific types of food.

Grocery	Price
Macaroni	.10 per pound
Rice	.07 per pound
Tea	.50 per pound
Coffee	.15 per pound
Cocoa	.25 per pound
Hominy Grits	.10 per pound
Breakfast Cereal	.15 a box
Gelatin (not Jello)	.15 per package
Wheat Bread	.05 per loaf
Vinegar	.28 per gallon