The American Old West and cost-of-living (general, 70s, economic, state)

[JBAinTexas]

Was the cost-of-living in the Old West high compared to today?

Whenever a boom happens in America due to oil, the cost-of-living rises. Example being Midland, Texas.

So many people would move wherever a boom happens, thus a rise in housing cost happens.

A lot of items in the Old West days would have to be shipped, transported by train, horses, and river boats.

Was it more expensive to live during those days than today?

[TheWiseWino]

Now that is a tough question to answer. Money has changed so much since the latter part of the 19th century as to make modern comparisons extremely difficult to make. Just dropping money from being pegged to the price of gold changes the idea significantly. And what do we mean by "cost of living" which is today based upon a set of goods that are considered essential.

But perhaps these articles might help..

The gun that beat inflation - MarketWatch

https://circlecadventures.blogspot.c...e-in-1880.html

Western Fictioneers: Cost of Living in the Old West, Part 1

[Nerys52SoSilver]

Found this standard list of prices and wages, Western frontier, ca. 1870s standard list of prices and wages, Western frontier ca. 1870s

[Snowball7]

Originally Posted by Nerys52SoSilver

Found this standard list of prices and wages, Western frontier, ca. 1870s standard list of prices and wages, Western frontier ca. 1870s

Those prices are far too high for most of those goods.
Something isn't right.
Beer was selling for a nickel at local bars in my area
just after Prohibition ended.
No way was it selling for $2.00/case in the 1870s.
The food prices are also too high.
The pit stop in the first part must have been taking advantage
of a particular situation.
Haggling was expected, not unexpected...

[chirack]

Originally Posted by Snowball7

Those prices are far too high for most of those goods.
Something isn't right.
Beer was selling for a nickel at local bars in my area
just after Prohibition ended.
No way was it selling for $2.00/case in the 1870s.
The food prices are also too high.
The pit stop in the first part must have been taking advantage
of a particular situation.
Haggling was expected, not unexpected...

Beer wont be pasteurized till the 1870ies so that list might reflex that price(i.e. not yet in the west). Before Pasteurization beer was made locally and could not be shipped far. Pasteurization allow cheaper beer because now it could be made in a large factory far away instead of at a small local brewery. Food prices also have not kept with inflation in a few cases(like eggs are cheaper today than in the past.)

[artillery77]

I believe the prices would be very different today in terms of relative scarcity.

1. Distribution was much more expensive, so goods shipped from out of state would be much more expensive and availability would be less certain. Beyond that truly imported goods were very expensive due to distribution costs and tariffs. The latter two effects have been eliminated relatively speaking.

2. Labor was at a premium as everyone really owned their own enterprise. For most it was farming. To get a larger company, one better have a large family or be willing to take on an apprentice to develop a future competitor to grow beyond their own skills. Specialization existed, but not nearly to the effect it is today.

3. Land was quite cheap, as you needed to supply the labor to work the land and it was incentivized as free for the homesteaders in exchange for working the land. Another caveat was the collective spirit of immigrant groups to the area. Buildings needed to be self built, and groups would generally work together to accomplish large building projects as well as other activities. Days were long.

4. Distribution cost also depressed the cost of goods produced in abundance in an area.


-----

1875



-A necktie “designed to supersede all other methods for fastening the bow to a turndown collar” cost $0.10
-A dozen pairs of Levi Strauss blue jeans cost $13.50 (1874)
-One pair of shoes cost $0.98 (1875)
-One suit cost $10.00 (1875)
-One opera ticket for “The Marriage of Figaro” cost $1 (San Fransisco, 1875)

-One pound of Coffee cost $0.25

-$1 in 1875 = $20.20 today

Following the Civil War, there was an unprecedented boom in US production compared with. This growth, however, was stalled by the Panic of 1873, a major economic recession. Apart from this downturn, the country underwent rapid expansion as the population over doubled from 1860 to 1890, from 31.5 million to 76 million. Most professions required a 60 hour work week, which paid anywhere between $1.60 per day (a fireman in Massachusetts) to $4.64 per day (a glassblower in New Jersey.)

[NJGOAT]

Originally Posted by Snowball7

Those prices are far too high for most of those goods.
Something isn't right.
Beer was selling for a nickel at local bars in my area
just after Prohibition ended.
No way was it selling for $2.00/case in the 1870s.
The food prices are also too high.
The pit stop in the first part must have been taking advantage
of a particular situation.
Haggling was expected, not unexpected...

The author notes that his prices are higher than other sources because he was specifically quoting "Black Hills Boom" pricing which was higher than average.

Distribution/shipping costs made up a disproportionate percentage of those costs. Getting items to places via train and stage coach was an expensive under taking. Not much was made or available locally in these boom towns, so prices were reflective of low supply and high demand.

You can see the same effect in modern boom towns. Prices, wages, housing, etc. all went through the roof in the Dakota's during the early shale oil boom. Sure, you could earn a 6-figure income easily, but costs scaled just as rapidly and many areas of the Dakota's during the early boom years had COL higher than most major cities.