QUESTION. I am researching for a serious study of one of the worst parts of our town in the mid Victorian period. I think, by a roundabout way, I have found out that in 1865 a prostitute charged a man 1/6d for her services which is about £50 in 2018. Is that about right?
ANSWER. The comparator will give you: If you want to compare the value of a 1s 6d Commodity in 1865 there these choices. In 2017 the relative:
real price of that commodity is £6.82
labour value of that commodity is £49.09
income value of that commodity is £61.96
The first problem with this question is that a google search will tell us that the charge for the services of a prostitute today can vary from £5 (or less) to £150 (or more.) So I guess we would have to know the range of prices in 1865 to know where to place this. The relative real price of less than £7 sounds pretty grim. That is the answer inflation calculators give. I like your choice of the labour value of about £50 because it is work for the prostitute.