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Prices of a family budget of staple foods, fuel and lighting, and rent, for 60 cities in Canada, 1920, 1926, and 1928 to 1936
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| Unit | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $ | ||||||
| Staple foods | ||||||
| Beef, sirloin steak | 1 lb. | 0.245 | 0.210 | 0.214 | 0.231 | 0.231 |
| Beef, chuck roast | 1 lb. | 0.129 | 0.112 | 0.115 | 0.126 | 0.125 |
| Veal, roast | 1 lb. | 0.138 | 0.119 | 0.121 | 0.129 | 0.137 |
| Mutton, roast | 1 lb. | 0.209 | 0.188 | 0.200 | 0.209 | 0.218 |
| Pork, fresh, roast | 1 lb. | 0.152 | 0.151 | 0.201 | 0.212 | 0.214 |
| Pork, salt mess | 1 lb. | 0.156 | 0.148 | 0.184 | 0.198 | 0.201 |
| Bacon, breakfast | 1 lb. | 0.184 | 0.198 | 0.304 | 0.311 | 0.295 |
| Lard, pure leaf | 1 lb. | 0.121 | 0.126 | 0.135 | 0.161 | 0.161 |
| Eggs, fresh | 1 dozen | 0.294 | 0.281 | 0.319 | 0.312 | 0.338 |
| Eggs, storage | 1 dozen | 0.228 | 0.217 | 0.259 | 0.258 | 0.279 |
| Milk | 1 qt. | 0.098 | 0.093 | 0.098 | 0.102 | 0.103 |
| Butter, dairy | 1 lb. | 0.216 | 0.220 | 0.236 | 0.237 | 0.248 |
| Butter, creamery | 1 lb. | 0.253 | 0.255 | 0.270 | 0.273 | 0.283 |
| Cheese, old | 1 lb. | 0.206 | 0.196 | 0.199 | 0.199 | 0.211 |
| Cheese, new | 1 lb. | 0.206 | 0.196 | 0.199 | 0.199 | 0.211 |
| Bread, plain white | 1 lb. | 0.059 | 0.057 | 0.059 | 0.056 | 0.630 |
| Flour, family | 1 lb. | 0.030 | 0.029 | 0.032 | 0.034 | 0.360 |
| Rolled oats | 1 lb. | 0.047 | 0.048 | 0.051 | 0.052 | 0.520 |
| Rice, good medium | 1 lb. | 0.085 | 0.080 | 0.081 | 0.078 | 0.790 |
| Beans, hand picked | 1 lb. | 0.043 | 0.041 | 0.046 | 0.052 | 0.055 |
| Apples, evaporated | 1 lb. | 0.160 | 0.150 | 0.152 | 0.155 | 0.160 |
| Prunes, medium | 1 lb. | 0.111 | 0.115 | 0.127 | 0.122 | 0.111 |
| Sugar, granulated | 1 lb. | 0.059 | 0.073 | 0.072 | 0.064 | 0.051 |
| Sugar, yellow | 1 lb. | 0.057 | 0.071 | 0.070 | 0.062 | 0.060 |
| Tea, black | 1 lb. | 0.472 | 0.424 | 0.504 | 0.524 | 0.520 |
| Tea, green | 1 lb. | 0.472 | 0.424 | 0.504 | 0.524 | 0.520 |
| Coffee | 1 lb. | 0.428 | 0.400 | 0.392 | 0.376 | 0.360 |
| Potatoes | 1 pk. | 0.130 | 0.189 | 0.183 | 0.152 | 0.265 |
| Vinegar, white wine | 1 pt. | 0.072 | 0.072 | 0.072 | 0.072 | 0.720 |
| All foods, weekly budget1 | $ | 7.10 | 7.03 | 7.56 | 7.70 | 8.09 |
| Starch, laundry | 1 lb. | 0.117 | 0.114 | 0.114 | 0.114 | 0.117 |
| Fuel and lighting | ||||||
| Coal, anthracite | 1 ton | 15.616 | 15.056 | 15.056 | 14.704 | 14.688 |
| Coal, bituminous | 1 ton | 9.584 | 9.296 | 9.280 | 9.360 | 9.360 |
| Wood, hard, best | 1 cord | 10.912 | 9.808 | 9.632 | 9.792 | 9.568 |
| Wood, soft | 1 cord | 7.984 | 7.408 | 7.328 | 7.296 | 7.216 |
| Coal oil | 1 gallon | 0.274 | 0.271 | 0.275 | 0.272 | 0.270 |
| Rent | 1 month | 25.76 | 23.04 | 22.16 | 23.32 | 22.76 |
| Grand total, weekly budget | $ | 16.60 | 15.70 | 16.02 | 16.16 | 16.65 |
| Note: In the past, Canada used the British Imperial system of measurement (lb., inch, foot, etc.). However, in the 1970s, the Pierre Trudeau government implemented the International System of Units (km, cm, m, kg, etc.). | ||||||
| 1. Totals for "All foods" and "Grand total"are based upon the estimated weekly family consumption. | ||||||
| Source: Statistics Canada, Canada Year Book, 1937. | ||||||
