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Ray Kroc was a genius…and Walt Disney’s World War I buddy!

Let’s see how well McDonald’s measures up.  According to SecretMenus.com, a hamburger cost $1.29 in 2016. As you know, fries come in tiers today, which wasn’t an established concept back in the days of Ray Kroc. Today, an order of small fries costs $1.19, medium fries are $1.79, and large fries are $2.19. I’m going to use medium fries initially. That brings the price of a hamburger and fries up to $3.08 in 2016.

As a reminder, the same “meal” cost 25 cents in 1955. That’s the equivalent of $2.25 today. That’s an increase of 32 percent beyond the price of inflation. Had we used small fries instead, the total would be $2.48. We’d be discussing an increase of only 23 cents over time, a change of less than 10 percent over 61 years. McDonald’s remains a great value…although if I did some calorie calculations, you’d feel differently.

I’ve saved the cost of a house until the end because it’s the bloodiest calculation. The housing market fluctuates so dramatically between markets that using a single pricing average feels intellectually dishonest. I’m going to bite the bullet here and pick a single source for this data. YCharts research suggests that the average purchase price of a home in 2016 is $231,025. Adjusting the 1955 average of $22,000 for inflation, it’s the same as $197,715 today. The housing market has maintained stability over the years, with a total increase of less than 17 percent over the past 61 years.

A dollar today vs. a dollar, well, 61 years ago today

All of these are comparisons for other products that were popular in 1955. The most important stat, however, is average household salary in 1955 vs today. After all, Disney SHOULD charge more if consumers have more money. It’s corporate malfeasance to do otherwise. The problem with this particular calculation is that the 1955 data is shaky. Some government sources cite $5,000 as the average income. A few state that $4,400 is correct. And the only precise figure I’ve found is $4,137. That’s a huuuuuge variance, as $5,000 is more than 20 percent higher $4,137. As such, I’m going to have to run the calculations three times to account for all possibilities.

The lowest annual household income for 1955 is $4,137, which is the equivalent of $37,719.44. Using the $4,400 number, we’re talking about $39,543.03. And the highest possible amount, $5,000, still inflation adjusts to only $44,935.26. According to the most recent numbers, the current average American household income is $55,775. Using any of the suggested values for 1955, the average household is doing better in 2016 than they were during the mid-50s.

The catch from the Disney perspective is that families aren’t doing a lot better. I’ll be honest that this surprises me in an era of two household incomes rather than one. At best, average family take-home pay has increased 48 percent since 1955. At worst, we’re up 24 percent. That’s an uncomfortably large range for a statistician, but I’m inclined to use the median total of $4,400. That gives us a 41 percent overall increase over the past 61 years. It also allows for a reasonable conclusion.

Disneyland ticket prices have gradually risen between 21 and 52 percent, depending on calendar period when you visit (this whole piece would have been much easier to calculate in the days before surge pricing). My assessment of the situation is that Disneyland ticket prices are 34 percent higher than the standard cost of living increase over the past 61 years. We’ll use that number as a general rule of thumb.

During the same timeframe, the average American household is taking home approximately 41 percent more income. What we can determine from this data is that the cost of Disney ticket prices is expanding at an appropriate rate relative to the overall state of the American economy. I, too, am surprised by this revelation. (Editor's note: Particularly as the number, and quality, of attractions in the park has expanded significantly since 1955). The only catch is that Disney no longer discounts for children the way they did when Uncle Walt was running the show back in 1955.

 
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Comments

In my opinion Disney is for the wealthy, I currently have 6 foster kids ages 11 to 2 as well as my 2 teenage daughters living in my home, it would cost me just about 1,000 just to get in Disney for one day, not including food, drinks etc I really wish I could afford that but in reality I cant , these kids will probably never get to see in the inside of the parks for this reason alone

What's interesting to note is we don't have to pay for each ride. That's what make's up a bulk of the cost back in 1955. And even though this article talks about a single day ticket. You get a pretty decent savings for going multiple days. Obviously you wouldn't buy 4 single day tickets if you wanted to go to all the parks while you're down there. A 4 day pass is $81.25 a day which helps bring the cost down to about 73% of the original cost of a one day ticket.

So if anything. What's initially expensive is that one day ticket. The more days you go, the cheaper the entry fee is. Obviously if this article was about cutting costs it would go in detail about bringing your own food and drink..etc.

Even it's just perception...in 20 years tickets are up 60 dollars and parking 15 dollars.
Walt did buy that Florida swamp land for a nickle and a dime so asking 20 dollar to park is ridiculous compared to Universal who had to pay a premium for their land and even had to built garages (where your car stays cool, which is a bonus)

In my opinion Disney did not invest enough in rides the past decade...and even let Epcot with empty spaces. There are more shops and restaurants than rides...

There is a point where people think they are ripped off...and i think Disney is reaching that pricepoint sooner than later.

Even it's just perception...in 20 years tickets are up 60 dollars and parking 15 dollars.
Walt did buy that Florida swamp land for a nickle and a dime so asking 20 dollar to park is ridiculous compared to Universal who had to pay a premium for their land and even had to built garages (where your car stays cool, which is a bonus)

In my opinion Disney did not invest enough in rides the past decade...and even let Epcot with empty spaces. There are more shops and restaurants than rides...

There is a point where people think they are ripped off...and i think Disney is reaching that pricepoint sooner than later.

In reply to by Mind me (not verified)

You're not paying for the land the parking lot is built on. You're paying for the trams, the lighting, the maintenance, the security, the cast members that help you park, the signage, and on and on. How much the land cost is irrelevant.

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