Tool
What Would Your Silver Buy?
Silver's dollar price is just a number. What matters is what it can actually
buy. Enter an amount below, pick a year, and see real purchasing power
comparisons — not just dollar math, but actual goods.
70–80% of silver is mined as a by-product of other metals
4,000 years as money — longer than any fiat currency
1,000+ silver-bearing capacitors inside every smartphone
85 : 1 gold/silver ratio today vs. 15:1 for most of history
The Coinage Act set the silver dollar at 371.25 grains of pure silver, roughly $1.29/oz.
What 100 oz of silver could buy:
- A skilled laborer earned about $1/day — 100 oz of silver was roughly 4 months of wages
- A full-size farm horse cost $30–60 — your silver could buy two
- A bushel of wheat cost about $1.25 — you could buy 100+ bushels
- A modest wooden house in a small town cost around $100–300
Silver held near its legal value even as gold flooded in from California.
What 100 oz of silver could buy:
- A month's rent in New York City: roughly $5–8 — your silver covers a full year
- A Colt revolver cost about $25 — you could buy five
- A barrel of flour: $4–5 — your silver buys over 25 barrels
- Passage from New York to San Francisco by ship: ~$100–200
After decades of demonetization, silver hit multi-century lows in purchasing power terms.
What 100 oz of silver could buy:
- A dozen eggs cost about $0.21 — your silver buys ~300 dozen eggs
- A men's suit cost $10–15 — your silver buys about 4–6 suits
- Average annual rent: $100–150 — your silver covers roughly 5–6 months
- A bicycle cost about $20–30 — you could buy two or three
Silver hit rock bottom at ~$0.35/oz during the Great Depression. Everything was cheap — but so was silver.
What 100 oz of silver could buy:
- A new Ford Model B cost ~$500 — your silver doesn't even come close at $35
- A loaf of bread cost $0.07 — your silver buys 500 loaves
- Average monthly rent: $18–20 — your silver covers less than 2 months
- A gallon of gas cost $0.10 — you could buy 350 gallons
The final year U.S. dimes, quarters, and halves contained 90% silver. After this, the metal disappeared from circulation.
What 100 oz of silver could buy:
- A gallon of gas: $0.30 — your silver buys 430 gallons
- A new Ford Mustang: ~$2,400 — your silver covers about half
- Average monthly rent: ~$90 — your silver covers about 14 months
- A color TV (a luxury): $400–500 — you could buy almost three from your silver
The Hunt brothers tried to corner the silver market, driving it to $50/oz before the COMEX changed the rules.
What 100 oz of silver could buy:
- A new Honda Civic: ~$4,500 — your silver buys one outright with cash left over
- Average U.S. home price: ~$65,000 — your silver covers most of a down payment
- A gallon of gas: $1.19 — your silver buys 4,200 gallons
- Average annual grocery bill for a family: ~$2,500 — your silver covers 2 full years
Silver nearly touched $50 again during the post-2008 precious metals rally.
What 100 oz of silver could buy:
- A new Toyota Camry: ~$23,000 — your silver covers over two-thirds
- Average monthly rent: ~$850 — your silver covers about 5 years of rent
- A MacBook Pro: ~$1,800 — you could buy almost three
- Average U.S. home price: ~$225,000 — your silver covers a solid 20% down payment
Silver traded around $28/oz for much of 2024, with industrial demand from solar panels and EVs growing.
What 100 oz of silver could buy:
- A month of groceries for a family: ~$900 — your silver covers about 3 months
- Average monthly rent: ~$1,700 — your silver covers about 19 months
- A used Honda Civic: ~$18,000 — your silver covers over 1.5 of them
- An iPhone 15: ~$800 — you could buy 3 with change
*2026 has seen extreme price volatility — silver has swung dramatically amid geopolitical tensions, industrial demand surges, and monetary uncertainty. $85/oz is approximate and the range this year has been wide.
What 100 oz of silver could buy:
- Average monthly rent: ~$1,800 — your silver covers nearly 4 years of rent
- A new Toyota Camry: ~$29,000 — your silver buys almost three
- A year of in-state university tuition: ~$11,000 — your silver covers 7+ years
- Average U.S. home price: ~$400,000 — your silver covers over a 20% down payment
Why this matters
Dollar prices are misleading across time. A silver price of $1.29 in 1964 was worth
far more in real purchasing power than $28 in 2024. This tool helps you think about
silver in terms of what it can actually do — which is the whole point of sound money.
All purchasing power comparisons are approximate and based on historical averages.
Prices varied by region, season, and availability. Sources include the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, historical newspaper archives, and the U.S. Geological Survey commodity data.
This tool is for educational purposes only. Not financial advice.
See our disclaimer.