differences in marketing systems between urban and rural settings have a lot to do with availability and cost of goods, including food. See also: Reitz 1986 in Historical Archaeology 20(2)
these prices are from the Washington St. market in NYC 1866 (from the New York Times)
(price range in dollars)
beef prices
hind quarter .15 - .2
fore quarter .1 - .13
roasting piece .24 -.3
chuck roast . 26 - .27
round .18 - .25
rump .17 - .23
porterhouse .23 - .28
sirloin .24 - .32
course cuts .12 - .18
corned .14 - .24
smoked .23 - .28
mutton
carcass .11 - .16
hind .18 - .22
fore .12 - .16
chops .2 - .25
legs .22 - .25
pork
roasting pig 2. - 4.5
carcass .13 - .14
joints .16 - .2
steaks .2 - .23
bacon .22 - .25
ham .24 - .28
shoulders .16 - .2
chicken .35 - .4
capons .45 - .5
ducks .35 - .4
geese .22 - .28
turkey .18 - .35
U.S.D.A. bureau of animal husbandry (1893) lists the Manhattan Park Poultry Ranch as selling spring broilers for a dollar each. four month old roasters weighing about six pounds each sold for forty cents a pound
between 1895 and 1899 chicken eggs prices varied from 9.5 cents per dozen to 34 cents a dozen. (median price 21.75 cents/dozen) depending on season and quality
the 1893 report lists a farmer with 650 hens producing 200 to 350 eggs daily (16 dozen to 29 dozen) - each chicken producing about 9 dozen a year on the low end with a mean of 12 dozen. at 21.75 cents a dozen each chicken earns 2.6 dollars a year from eggs, about the same as a roaster would bring.