Watch how the value of a dollar has changed over the past 120 years, from toilet paper to coffee
Grace Kay
![Watch how the value of a dollar has changed over the past 120 years, from toilet paper to coffee](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstaticbiassets.in%2Fthumb%2Fmsid-88419006%2Cwidth-700%2Cheight-525%2Cimgsize-308408%2Fwatch-how-the-value-of-a-dollar-has-changed-over-the-past-120-years-from-toilet-paper-to-coffee.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
- Last month, inflation hit its highest level in nearly 40 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Everything from coffee to toilet paper is getting more expensive and customers are feeling the pinch.
Bread
![Bread](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-88419096,width-700,height-525,imgsize-23596/bread.jpg)
One dollar in the 1900s would be worth over $33 today, according to an inflation calculator.
In 2021, $1 can only buy about half a loaf of bread or about 75% less bread than it could in the 1980s, according to data from Self Financial.
The financial group plotted the historical pricing for 10 of the most common groceries across the decades and compared them to Walmart's current online grocery prices as of October.
Toilet paper
![Toilet paper](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-88419092,width-700,height-525,imgsize-6460/toilet-paper.jpg)
Over the past decade, the amount of toilet paper that customers can buy with $1 has more than halved, according to Self Financial's data.
The group noted that the amount of toilet paper in a roll has also shrunk over the years.
Coffee
![Coffee](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-88419089,width-700,height-525,imgsize-17318/coffee.jpg)
Coffee prices have soared over the past year.
Extreme weather in Brazil — the world's top coffee producing nation — decimated crops, while the shipping crisis made it more difficult to import the product, forcing coffee roasters and retailers to hike prices. Last month, Bloomberg reported coffee prices are expected to climb for several years.
Self Financial found that this year $1 can only buy about 0.17 pounds of coffee.
Gasoline
![Gasoline](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-88419077,width-700,height-525,imgsize-5932/gasoline.jpg)
Gas prices plummeted at the beginning of the pandemic, but climbed to a 7-year high during summer travel season.
Since peaking at a $3.42 per gallon national average, prices have evened out as the Omicron COVID-19 variant dampens holiday travel plans. Over the past decade, gas prices have remained relatively steady, according to Self Financial's report.
Today, $1 can buy an average of 0.3 gallons of gasoline. In the 1900s, it could buy an average of 14.3 gallons.
Chocolate
![Chocolate](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-88419075,width-700,height-525,imgsize-12858/chocolate.jpg)
Over the past 20 years, chocolate prices have been relatively stagnant, per Self Financial's analysis.
One dollar could purchase over two pounds of chocolate in the 1920s. But since the 2000s, $1 can typically purchase about 0.1 pounds of chocolate.
Milk
![Milk](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-88419071,width-700,height-525,imgsize-10526/milk.jpg)
A dollar hasn't been enough to purchase a gallon of milk since the 1970s.
In 2021, $1 counts toward around one-third of a gallon milk bottle. Last month, Bloomberg reported that milk output in the US is near an all-time low, threatening to push prices higher after the industry fell mostly flat over the past decade due to dietary movements away from dairy.
Butter
![Butter](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-88419064,width-700,height-525,imgsize-7398/butter.jpg)
About 120 years ago, $1 could buy about four pounds of butter. Today, a dollar could buy about half a pound or about two sticks of butter.
Rice
![Rice](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-88419061,width-700,height-525,imgsize-14446/rice.jpg)
Rice has always been a relatively cheap food option.
In the 1900s, a dollar could buy an average of over 14 pounds of rice. In 2021, it can buy nearly a pound and a half.
Bar of soap
![Bar of soap](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-88419059,width-700,height-525,imgsize-9048/bar-of-soap.jpg)
Over 100 years ago, $1 could keep one person stocked with 20 bars of soap for about two years. Today, it can't buy one bar of soap.
Lemons
![Lemons](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-88419057,width-700,height-525,imgsize-22222/lemons.jpg)
Since the 1980s, the number of lemons a dollar can buy has dropped 82%.
In the 1900s, $1 could buy 125 lemons. As of October, a dollar can purchase less than two lemons.
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