How Much Jack In The Box Cost In The '60s
Today, we can take a trip back to the 1960s with a classic Dairy Queen sundae hack, but it's unlikely we'll ever resurrect the prices Jack in the Box customers enjoyed during that same time period. Like several big-name competitors, Jack in the Box was California-born and was quick to adopt the new drive-thru model of service. Earlier burger joints blurred the lines between fast food and fast casual by having carhops deliver orders to diners in their autos, but Jack-in-the-Box execs correctly theorized that they could cut costs and wait times with a drive-thru. When you're shilling 18-cent hamburgers, every penny counts!
As seen on a Facebook post, early '60s Jack in the Box prices were unbelievably low. Cheeseburgers were 27 cents, while an order of fries would set you back 17 cents. Tacos cost a quarter apiece. If you felt like splurging on premium options, you could get shrimp for 59 cents or chicken for 69 cents. A "Bonusburger," eventually reborn as the Bonus Jack with two patties and secret sauce, cost a princely 37 cents.
Today, Jack in the Box is one of the few places where you can enjoy a fast food burger during breakfast hours, but prices are significantly higher, thanks to inflation. According to the CPI Inflation Calculator, 18 cents in 1962 dollars is only $1.99 today. Yet, the Jack in the Box menu tells us that a plain, no-frills hamburger is $2.69. On the other hand, tacos are a way better deal today ... $0.25 is worth $2.76 in 2026 dollars, but you can get two tacos as a package deal for $1.99 at Jack in the Box right now.
Jack in the Box is taking some heat for its current prices ... perhaps unfairly
Some consumers might be longing for the halcyon days of 18-cent burgers, judging from social media criticism. "Jack in the Box Prices Out of Control!" one Reddit thread trumpeted. "Fast food prices are rising significantly faster than inflation. Jack and the Box prices are rising more wildly than anything it seems." Another Redditor dismissively summed things up, saying, "Prices are absurd for the quality of food, I don't perceive any reason to choose them over anything else." Elsewhere, a commenter took Jack in the Box to task for being pricier than the competition. "McDonalds and Taco Bell are still far cheaper and have much better app incentives and deals," they wrote. Another comment thread argued that "Literally maybe 7-10 years ago they used to be known for being CHEAP AND GOOD!! Now they are know [sic] for being ridiculously expensive!!"
A chart by Crews Bank & Trust depicting rising fast food prices as a function of economic inflation didn't show Jack in the Box as one of the measured entities, but it did place McDonald's as having 100% price inflation since 2014, with Taco Bell close behind at 81%. Perhaps consumer perceptions of Jack in the Box's prices are exaggerated? In any case, we've come a long way economically since the days you could conceivably build an elaborate fast food combo for just one dollar ... an improvement in some ways (tacos) and a downgrade in others (like burgers).