How this is worked out
Which foods got less expensive, and which cost more?
Eleven foods, priced in two years.
Second year. 2026 means January to August 2026.
Every food, from the biggest drop to the biggest rise. Prices are national averages. Milk before 1998 is the half-gallon price; later years are the gallon price halved and adjusted. Butter 2013 to 2017 and coffee 2008 are estimates, and two Census values are doubtful (1952 potatoes, 1956 bacon). The basket is one unit of each food, not what a household buys.
The biggest moves. Work is minutes of after-tax factory pay for one single worker: federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, no state tax and no credits. Where there was no factory pay (1917 and 1918) it says so. Prices and pay for 2026 are January to August 2026.
The year you were born. Prices are for the year you were born.
Your answer in words. From 1960 to 2026, after inflation, 9 of the 11 foods got less expensive and 2 got more expensive. Eggs (1 dozen) fell the most (64% less); ground coffee (1 lb) rose the most (12% more).
Some choices came from your profile.
US inflation 3.4% (August 2026, US Bureau of Labor Statistics)
How every calculator on the site is built, and what changed and when, is on How it works.