Don Draper’s World vs. The World of 2012

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Don Draper lives in a world where you could enjoy a smoke and scotch in your office. A world where a Cadillac Coupe DeVille and sharp fedora was the epitome of class. A world where men were men and women were too.

But it turns out smoking and a lax definition of sexual harassment may not be the only things that separate Don Draper’s world for our own.

As this infographic tells us, the economy of 1962 was better than it is today. A lot better. Even when adjusted for inflation, the prices on goods in 1960 were ridiculously low. Take a night’s stay in a fancy hotel, for example. In 1960, $10 a night. In today’s dollars that’s $76.58 a night. That might get you by in a Motel 6 along the freeway today. Try $415 for a nights stay in a New York Hotel. That pack of Lucky Strikes Draper loves so much: $0.35 in 1960, with an adjusted inflation of $2.63. I don’t know where you can get a pack a of cigarettes for less than $3 these days. Try $11 a pack on Madison Avenue.

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