Here's What It Cost To Live In The Sioux Empire In The 1980's

It's right back there, in your rearview mirror. It doesn't seem that long ago, but it was. Time flies.

The 1980's.

Where were you in the '80s? Just a kid or already making your way through life on your own? Chances are you were either buying candy or buying a car or house. Remember the cost of those things?

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Let's take a trip back to the 1980s. Oh, we could just write a letter I suppose...after all, a postage stamp in 1985 was just 22 cents. But what the heck, let's dive into the decade and see what kind of cash we dropped for this...and that.

If you're hungry but short on time we can just swing through McDonald's. A Big Mac Meal will touch you for about $2.59, but it'll fill ya up. And if you want to pull into the theater parking lot and see the latest and greatest flick, you'll drop about $3.55 for a movie ticket (those billion-dollar-grossing movies are way up there somewhere in the future).

OK, enough fun and goofing around, we need to get gas. Remember when a twenty would fill 'er up? Well, in the 80's you'd spend about $1.12 for a gallon, maybe a little more or less depending on what year it is. And if you wanted to keep up with what's going on, a newspaper would run ya about 40 cents (Oh c'mon, you remember newspapers!).

Wow, that beautiful new home over there is a sweet deal at just under a hundred grand. And if you adjust things for inflation, milk and eggs were cheaper back in the day than they are now. So pick some up on your way back home to 2021

The 1980's. Seems like the day before yesterday. But it's been a wee bit longer ago than that.

Kiplinger Contributed To This Article

Look at the Prices on these Vintage South Dakota Restaurant Menus

It has been one of the top topics of conversation in my house for the last few months, the prices they are charging for food these days.

When I say a top topic, I mean I complain about it so much my family just rolls their eyes when I go into a Pre- and Post-pandemic price comparison rant.

So, instead of complaining more, I wanted to take a dive into the past and see what restaurants were charging back in the day.

Luckily eBay had quite a few posts. Mostly from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. So we gathered them up and present a look back at how much used to be charged for dinner at the Cataract Hotel Coffee Shop, Happy Chef, and other restaurants in South Dakota.