25 CENT STEAK DINNER

Researching for our NOIR escape room, set in 1935 Chicago, we learned a lot about the decade following The Great Market Crash of 1929. By 1935, we were beginning to climb out of the Great Depression, and society was getting back to normal, although perhaps a bit more conservative than it was in the Roaring 20s.

How much did life cost in the 1930s? Check this out:

NEW HOME AVG COST: $4,100

NEW FORD DELUXE SEDAN: $655

GALLON OF GAS: 10 cents

MOVIE TICKET: 24 cents

LOAF OF BREAD: 41 cents

GAL OF MILK: 47 cents

DOZ EGGS: 36 cents

1 LB BACON: 38 cents

ORANGES: 25 cents for 2 doz

GRADE A STEAK: 22 cents per lb

It was certainly a simpler time, everyone dressed up to leave the house for any occasion (see some 1930s clothing costs in our other blog post here), and family time was spent… well… with family. Board games and radio were the entertainment at home. There would be no TV in the average American household for another decade or more.

But, before we long for the days of a 22 cent steak, it’s important to remember the average annual household income was only $1,622.

Man, that would buy a lotta steak, though.