Between 1957 and 1960, the Consumer Price Index went from 28.1 to 29.6.
Cumulatively, prices increased 5.3%, which works out to an average of
1.75% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1957 bought what
$0.95 buys in 1960.
Common amounts: 1957 dollars in 1960
Amount in 1957
Value in 1960
$1.00
$1.05
$5.00
$5.27
$10.00
$10.53
$20.00
$21.07
$50.00
$52.67
$100
$105
$500
$527
$1,000
$1,053
$5,000
$5,267
$10,000
$10,534
$100,000
$105,338
$1,000,000
$1,053,381
Inflation by spending category, 1957–1960
The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this
period. Here is what $100 of 1957 spending costs in 1960, by category:
Category
Avg. yearly inflation
$100 in 1957 →
All items (CPI-U)
1.75%
$105
Medical care
4.22%
$113
Transportation
2.47%
$108
Core (all items less food & energy)
1.92%
$106
Energy
1.38%
$104
Food
1.25%
$104
Apparel
0.89%
$103
Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1957: housing (1967–), recreation (1993–), education & communication (1993–).
MLA: “Inflation from 1957 to 1960: $100 is worth $105 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1957-to-1960/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1957 to 1960. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1957-to-1960/