UK Basket of Goods Over Time
Historical UK prices for 12 everyday items from 1990 to 2024. A tangible view of inflation — what the same £1.00 bought you in different decades.
Price history
| Item | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2015 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loaf of white sliced bread (800g loaf) | £0.52 | £0.56 | £1.14 | £1.09 | £1.07 | £1.40 |
| Pint of milk (pint (568ml)) | £0.30 | £0.36 | £0.44 | £0.45 | £0.43 | £0.72 |
| Dozen large eggs (12 large) | £1.25 | £1.45 | £2.20 | £2.40 | £2.60 | £4.20 |
| Pint of beer in a pub (pint, on-licence) | £1.10 | £1.85 | £2.81 | £3.46 | £3.94 | £4.87 |
| Litre of petrol (unleaded) (1 litre) | £0.41 | £0.77 | £1.19 | £1.13 | £1.15 | £1.45 |
| First-class stamp (stamp) | £0.20 | £0.27 | £0.41 | £0.63 | £0.76 | £1.65 |
| Cinema ticket (standard adult) | £2.50 | £4.40 | £6.50 | £7.10 | £7.80 | £9.90 |
| Big Mac (UK) (1 burger) | £1.55 | £1.90 | £2.29 | £2.89 | £3.39 | £4.19 |
| Weekly family food shop (basket for 2 adults + 2 kids) | £38.00 | £58.00 | £72.00 | £76.00 | £79.00 | £108.00 |
| Electricity (kWh, dual-fuel) (1 kWh) | £0.08 | £0.07 | £0.12 | £0.15 | £0.16 | £0.28 |
| Netflix standard subscription (1 month) | £0.00 | £0.00 | £5.99 | £7.49 | £8.99 | £10.99 |
| Average regulated rail fare (index (rebased: 100 in 2015)) | £70.00 | £85.00 | £95.00 | £100.00 | £113.00 | £130.00 |
Sources: ONS Consumer Prices Indices (item-level time series), RAC Foundation pump price history, Cinema Exhibitors' Association, Royal Mail published rates.
A closer look, year by year
Click any year for a dedicated page showing what £1, £5 and £10 bought you.
Why track a basket of goods?
The monthly Consumer Prices Index (CPI) abstracts price change into a single weighted index number. That is useful for statistics but hides what people actually experience day-to-day: bread and milk have not risen at the same rate as petrol or cinema tickets, and a pint in the pub has broadly tracked CPI but at a discontinuous pace.
Our inflation calculator gives the single-number answer. This page gives the tangible one.
Related tools
- UK inflation calculator — adjust any amount across years.
- Salary buying power — what your salary actually buys.
- Salary vs inflation — how your salary tracks CPI.
- All UK pay & inflation insights.