Boomers and Gen Xers share what they used to be able to buy with a quarter. Wow.

As Americans struggle with the cost of living in an era of inflation and income inequality, much ado has been made about the value of a dollar. But what about the value of a quarter?

Many of us remember a time when we carried a quarter in our pocket in case we needed to make a call from a pay phone (though some of us may even remember it being a dime or even a nickel). Nowadays, few of us make it a point to carry coins at all, and finding a quarter on the ground isn't nearly as exciting as it used to be.

It's fun to remember what we used to be able to buy with the change in our pockets, which is why over 1,000 people responded to an inquiry on Reddit about what Gen Xers and boomers used to buy with a quarter. "I can’t look at a candy bar without thinking damn, I used to get the same thing for 20 cents plus 5 penny candies," a Redditor wrote.

Of course, the purchasing power of a dollar going down over time is normal and expected. But periods of excess inflation, depreciation, or devaluation can impact that power to varying degrees.

Here’s what boomers and Gen Xers said they used to get for a quarter—and what those items cost in today’s dollars:

A gallon of gas used to cost about a quarter. Giphy

A gallon of gas

From 1950 to 1970, the average price for a gallon of gas was $0.27 to $0.36, which means it cost a quarter in a lot of places. Those amounts in today's dollars would be around $3.00 to $4.00, so we're not doing too shabbily on the gas price front on average at the moment.

"I remember when premium shot up to $0.33/gal. I was shocked! But I had a '69 Toronado which drank gas like an open sewer, so I had to pay the man my money."

"My mother was upset when the price changed from a quarter as well. She was used to just handing over a $10 bill when she filled up at half a tank. She could do the math for the higher price, but she found it annoying."

"Grew up in Texas and started driving when it was $.19/gal. I had a 1966 Ford Fairlane 500 and could get 8 girls in there, who each had to contribute a quarter for gas. We could do a lot of cruising for $2."

"Driving around in my Dad’s WWII era jeep with friends, we noticed a broken gas gage. We put a gallon of gas in it to be safe for 25¢. But it took 3 of us to come up with the 25¢ in 1959. 😀"

You could buy candy bars for less than a quarter. Giphy

A whole lot of candy

As a Gen X kid, I recall being disappointed when the price of a candy bar went from $0.25 to $0.33. On really good sale days, they were 10 for $1. Today, thanks to the rising cost of chocolate, in addition to normal inflation, we pay a whole lot more than that.

"5 regular candy bars which were probably almost twice the size they are now and if I felt flush a $0.12 big Baby Ruth."

"If memory serves, which it often times doesn't, I paid 10-15 cents for a candy bar and then some penny candy."

"25 packages of sixlets. For those who don't know, sixlets are pea-sized chocolate candies. They were sold in packages of 6 (hence the name) for a penny."

"I'm 67. In 1968, when I was 10 years old, I bought full-sized candy bars for TEN CENTS. (When I was 15, candy bars went up to 15 cents.) For a quarter in 1968, I could buy two big candy bars and five pieces of bubble gum that had comics printed on the wrappers."

"I remember when a pack of gum went from five cents for five sticks, to 10 cents for seven sticks. The public was in shock."

A meal at McDonald's used to cost a quarter Giphy

A fast food burger

Fast food has always been cheap, but it was super cheap back in the day. In fact, according to Chowhound, you could order the entire McDonald's menu for $2 in the 1950s.

"Burger and fries at McDonald’s when I was a kid. Three cents more for a cheeseburger."

"Burger was 15 cents and cheese burger was 19."

"Remember when McDonald's ads boasted you could buy a burger, fries, soda and apple pie and still get change back from your dollar?"

"Two White Castle burgers!"

"A hamburger!!! Cheeseburger was .25. McDonald’s."

Smoking has become way more expensive. Giphy

A pack of cigarettes

In the days before cigarettes were outed as a major cancer causer, smokes were cheap. In 2025, depending on what state you live in, people who still smoke will shell out anywhere from $7.00 to $15.00 a pack.

"My grandpa quit smoking because he was so angry that cigarettes had gone up to a quarter a pack."

"There was a restaurant in my small home town that sold single cigarettes for 2 cents each, and we thought he was making so much off of us kids."

"I never smoked. I remember going to the store to get cigarettes for My Grandfather. They were 25 cents. I was shocked when I went to get cigarettes for someone a few years ago. $8.00."

"A little before my time, but I had an older friend who told me he could buy cigarettes for 24 cents from vending machines. Told me there was a penny in the cellophane so you could use a quarter."

Comic books were less than a quarter. Giphy

Comic books

New comic books (yes, they're still making them!) cost nearly $5.00 as of 2023, so likely even more in 2025—a far cry from the quarter or less that they used to cost.

"Comic books were a quarter in the 70's. I especially enjoyed the Richie Rich comics. Small bag of chips were 10 cents."

"I had an allowance of .25/week. when I was a kid. I could buy a candy bar, or a giant issue of Archie comics. Or I could buy a Coke."

"Two comic books."

"Comic books were 25 cents when I started collecting."

"Comic books. When I started they were 12 cents. I remember my shock when they went up to 15 cents."

doughnut GIF by Hustle Giphy

Other things you could buy for a quarter or less included a fancy doughnut, a pack of baseball cards, a large ice cream cone, a cup of coffee, a movie ticket, multiple pinball plays, a box of macaroni and cheese, and more. Ah, the good old days.

In another 50 or 60 years, people will be lamenting what they used to be able to buy for less than $10. Will quarters even be used then or will they go the way of the penny? Only time will tell.