# How much did air conditioners cost in the 165-1975 era? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 20, 2020, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-did-air-conditioners-cost-in-the-165-1975-era/846717 "2020-01-20T20:39:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-did-air-conditioners-cost-in-the-165-1975-era/846717/1 "2020-01-20T20:39:46Z")
Both window units and central units. I can look at old catalogs for tv or refrigerator prices, but don’t know where to look for ACs. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-did-air-conditioners-cost-in-the-165-1975-era/846717/2 "2020-01-20T20:47:02Z")
In [this here 1975 newspaper ad](https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth309195/m1/3/) you can see various window units advertised at prices in the $150-$450 range. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-did-air-conditioners-cost-in-the-165-1975-era/846717/3 "2020-01-20T20:58:33Z")
1975 Sears Wishbook. This is fun, a $300 microwave & cart. > **[1975 Sears Wishbook](http://www.wishbookweb.com/FB/1975_Sears_Wishbook/index.html#284)** > > This interactive publication is created with FlippingBook, a service for streaming PDFs online. No download, no waiting. Open and start reading right away! Still looking for ACs though. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-did-air-conditioners-cost-in-the-165-1975-era/846717/4 "2020-01-20T21:11:53Z")
FYI, $100 in 1965 is the same as about $812 now. $100 in 1975 is $475 now. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-did-air-conditioners-cost-in-the-165-1975-era/846717/5 "2020-01-20T21:20:29Z")
[Here is the picture of the head of a fan from approximately year 165](https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=fGuE5Mdm&id=55F6DFD70D1424621D0FD690D0439CD7A1BA018F&thid=OIP.fGuE5Mdm2dARmOw5i9heGAAAAA&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fc1.staticflickr.com%2f3%2f2201%2f2505576734_8ebe400bfe_z.jpg%3fzz%3d1&exph=640&expw=460&q=2nd+century+fan&simid=607992627793299069&selectedIndex=5&ajaxhist=0)…and it is _waaaaay_ out of your price range. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-did-air-conditioners-cost-in-the-165-1975-era/846717/6 "2020-01-20T21:36:16Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > FYI, $100 in 1965 is the same as about $812 now. $100 in 1975 is $475 now. Yeah, growing up in the 60s I recall air conditioning as being a luxury, far beyond what we could afford. Electric fans got us through the summer. ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-did-air-conditioners-cost-in-the-165-1975-era/846717/7 "2020-01-20T22:27:29Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > [Here is the picture of the head of a fan from approximately year 165](https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=fGuE5Mdm&id=55F6DFD70D1424621D0FD690D0439CD7A1BA018F&thid=OIP.fGuE5Mdm2dARmOw5i9heGAAAAA&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fc1.staticflickr.com%2f3%2f2201%2f2505576734_8ebe400bfe_z.jpg%3fzz%3d1&exph=640&expw=460&q=2nd+century+fan&simid=607992627793299069&selectedIndex=5&ajaxhist=0)…and it is _waaaaay_ out of your price range. 😃 Yeah, realized typo later, but couldn’t correct. :smack: > [@Kimstu](#): > > In [this here 1975 newspaper ad](https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth309195/m1/3/) you can see various window units advertised at prices in the $150-$450 range. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-did-air-conditioners-cost-in-the-165-1975-era/846717/8 "2020-01-20T22:51:20Z")
The prices for those window units are basically the same as they would be today for the same cooling capacity. Though when you consider inflation, ouch for them in the past. Plus their efficiency wasabysmal. EER of 6.1 is barely half of what modern units get (though to be fair, window A/C units have lagged significantly behind whole-house systems). ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-did-air-conditioners-cost-in-the-165-1975-era/846717/9 "2020-01-20T22:54:54Z")
Hey, found [one that’s labeled 1968](https://www.ebay.com/itm/1968-Whirlpool-Air-Conditioner-ASM-P49-2-ASL-220-3-Wall-Vintage-Print-Ad-10428-/352182019985), for anyone else interested. $99.95 for 5,000 BTU, $279.95 for 22,000 BTU. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-did-air-conditioners-cost-in-the-165-1975-era/846717/10 "2020-01-20T23:31:13Z")
$279 in 1968 is about $2000 today. The two top rated 22,000 BTU air conditioners on Amazon right now cost $740 and $800. So they were almost three times as expensive back then, assuming comparable quality, which I suppose is a pretty big assumption. We did have a fairly inadequate window air conditioner when I was growing up in Chicago in 1968. My family was certainly not wealthy, at best lower middle class, but I guess they deemed it worth the price for some relief from the brutal Chicago summers. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-did-air-conditioners-cost-in-the-165-1975-era/846717/11 "2020-01-20T23:35:20Z")
Back about 1973, we sold 4000 btu window a/c units for $99.95. ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-did-air-conditioners-cost-in-the-165-1975-era/846717/12 "2020-01-20T23:59:04Z")
I use in2013dollars regularly, and am aware of that the value of money changes. But I wanted the actual prices from back then, not value in today’s dollars, which is why I started with catalogs (where I found other items). Air conditioners seems to have [sold millions of units even in the early 1960s](https://www.achrnews.com/articles/84710-1960s-consumers-wanted-to-be-cool), and by the mid-70s 70% of new homes in the southern US were built with central air (understandably, the highest region by far with northeast lowest at under 20%). They were very expensive then, but not unobtainable for a large portion of the population, and those in hot climates, very desirable. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2020, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-did-air-conditioners-cost-in-the-165-1975-era/846717/13 "2020-01-21T03:57:07Z")
It’s not only the cost of the unit itself was a factor, but they were much less energy efficient back then. Probably close to a wash because of lower electricity costs. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2020, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-did-air-conditioners-cost-in-the-165-1975-era/846717/14 "2020-01-21T08:57:04Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Yeah, growing up in the 60s I recall air conditioning as being a luxury, far beyond what we could afford. Electric fans got us through the summer. And back in the '50s, if we wanted air conditioning we went to a movie.