Here’s how much Costco’s hot dog combo would cost today — if accounted for inflation

Costco customers relish in the low price of the beloved hot dog and drink combination — and rightfully so.

Spending just $1.50 on a soda and a hot dog is unheard of these days, and the wholesale store famously hasn’t changed the price since 1985.

That price isn’t likely to go up any time soon since it’s such an appeal to the brand, and the store makes a bulk of its profit from other areas, such as grocery sales and membership fees.

As Phil Andrews of @maxinomicsmb, a YouTube channel that explores spending habits, previously noted, “that 50 cents is peanuts compared to the ten minutes your partner will spend wandering around while you eat it.”

And let’s be frank, Costco doesn’t want any beef with its loyal members.

But if the retailer did increase the price for inflation, that $1.50 hot dog and soda combo would cost you $4.55, just over three times as much, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ official inflation calculator.

Originally, Costco’s hot dogs were made by Hebrew National, but demand was so high that they took matters into their own hands to control costs.

In 2008, they started producing their own hot dogs, supplying the food courts with the all-beef Kirkland Signature hot dog as well as selling them in bulk in the refrigerated section of the store.

Compared to how much people spend just walking through Costco, any money lost on not increasing hot dog prices to account for inflation is ultimately pennies in their pockets.

Andrews explained previously that from the moment someone walks into a Costco, they’re set to spend about $1.75 per minute — and the average person spends about 37 minutes wandering around Costco, which will bring the shopper to spend about $64.75.

“Every square foot of floor space at Costco will do $1,900 in sales, 40% more than in 2019 — after adjusting for inflation,” he said in September 2024.