How much did a computer in the 1950s cost?

Answer 1

50,000 to over 1 million dollars

Answer 2

An average computer of the 1950s would cost somewhere between $50000 for a low end Bendix G15 system to well in excess of 1 million dollars (1950s dollars) for a full Univac system of the mid '50s. In 2008 dollars, the equivalent would be between about 400000 and 7 million. In this price, the computer system and equivalent peripherals would be included, plus installation (they were monsters, low end models were the size of a large room, high end models would require a large data-center including specialized electricity and cooling systems) and significant training (no GUI's, not even any screens, just teletypes and punch-tape or cards, no operating system, not even what we would call today a high level programming language, just low end assembly language, and even that without mnemonics). Speeds and capabilities for those systems were about those you would get from a VERY cheap programmable graphing calculator today, maybe even slower. Given the huge cost, such devices were reserved throughout the 50s to large corporations (especially engineering), government agencies and large universities.

Answer 3

Well, the modern version didnt exist, but its predecessor costed several thousand dollars.