Watching gasoline fall below $2 for the second time this year has been a pleasant experience for Hampton Roads motorists. It put me to thinking about whether or not costs generally have gone up or down during the past half-century.

To compare costs today and, let’s say, 1960, a good place to start is food, since that’s about as basic as life gets. And to make a meaningful comparison, it’s helpful to calculate the cost back then and now, and then to compare the cost back then with what it would be today accounting only for inflation.

Turns out, even with food, the picture is quite mixed.

An 18-ounce box of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes (what’s more typical than that?) cost 27 cents in 1960 and something over $4 today. Had corn flakes increased only at the inflation rate, though, the box would today be only $2.13. So, even after inflation, the cost of that particular cereal has about doubled.

The same with a can of Campbell’s Soup: A can that sold for 10 cents in 1960 today brings something north of $1. The inflated-only cost would be 79 cents.

But — and these are big buts — the cost of a dozen eggs in 1960 was 53 cents and today they cost around $2.50. The inflated cost, however, would be $4.18! It has either become more efficient to get eggs from chickens or the chicken farmers are coming up short.

The same with milk: A gallon of milk back in 1960 cost 95 cents and can be bought today for about $3.75. The inflated cost is $7.49, so again, the price has gone up only half as much as the inflation rate.

Like Cokes or Pepsis? A six-pack of Pepsi cost 59 cents in 1960 and runs $2 to $3 now. The inflated cost, however, would be $4.65, so manufacturers are clearly trying to keep sugar affordable.

And if you’re a beer drinker, there’s good news for you as well. A six pack of beer cost about 99 cents in 1960 and roughly $6 today. The inflated cost would be $7.81.

But look at bread. It’s gone the other way. In 1960, a loaf of white bread cost 20 cents and today about $2.25 (though the range can be great). The inflated cost of bread should be only about $1.58, so it’s no bargain today.

Back to gasoline, though. A gallon of gasoline cost 21 cents in 1960 and this week was down to about $1.87 locally. The inflated price would have it at $1.66, so at the moment, it just about tracks inflation, though it’s been well beyond the inflation rate for most of the past decade.

And then, there’s the real big purchase — a house. In 1960, the average house in the United States sold for $12,700. Had housing costs followed inflation, today’s average house would cost $100,143. But today’s average home cost, nationwide, is a stunning $285,000.

Of course, if income keeps up with rising costs, the rising costs are not so big a deal. Unfortunately, income has not kept up. In fact, income is where the rubber meets the road. In 1960, the nationwide average individual income was $5,315. In 2015, the nationwide average is $26,695. Had the nation’s average personal income just managed to keep pace with inflation, however, it would today be $41,819.

And our lowest paid are even lower today. In 1960, the national minimum wage was $1.25. Today, its $7.25, but had it followed inflation, it would be $9.86.

Depressed yet? Well, cheer up because here’s another piece of good news. A television in 1960 cost about $260, and today, you can still buy a nice one for $200 to $500. The theoretic inflation cost of a television, however, is $2,050. Thus, while it’s tougher today to buy bread, you can always watch inane shows on a cheap television built by workers in a far away land.