This calculator is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Results are estimates based on inputs you provide. Consult a qualified financial advisor before making financial decisions.
Inflation Calculator
Calculate the changing value of the US dollar over time using historical CPI data.
Your Details
The dollar value to convert.
Enter a year between 1913 and 2026.
Enter a year between 1913 and 2026.
Calculations are based on the official U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) averages from 1913 to current period projections.
$100.00 in 1980 has the same purchasing power as $0.00 in 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Inflation?
Inflation represents the rate at which the cost of a weighted average market basket of goods and services climbs over a period. In simpler terms, it measures how much purchasing power the US Dollar loses over time.
How is this calculated?
We use the historical Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The formula multiplies your initial amount by the ratio of the ending year CPI over the starting year CPI.
Why does my money lose value?
As the money supply increases and the cost of producing goods rises (due to labor or material costs), prices go up. This means the same $100 buys fewer goods today than it did 20 or 50 years ago.
What is a good inflation rate?
Most central banks, including the US Federal Reserve, target a steady inflation rate of about 2% per year. This gentle rise encourages consumers to spend and invest (since money loses value sitting in cash) while keeping prices stable enough for economic growth.
Inflation is the reason $100 in 1990 and $100 today are not the same money. This calculator uses the US Consumer Price Index to convert an amount between any two years, so you can see what a salary, a house price or a childhood allowance is worth in today's dollars — or what today's dollars would have bought then.
How CPI conversion works
Adjusted amount = original amount × (CPI in target year ÷ CPI in original year). The CPI is an index of the prices of a fixed basket of goods and services, published monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and set to 100 for the 1982–84 base period. The calculator uses annual average CPI-U values from 1913 onward. The cumulative inflation between two years is the ratio minus one, and the average annual rate is that ratio raised to the power of 1 ÷ years, minus one.
When to use this calculator
Use it to compare salaries across decades before deciding whether an offer is really a raise, to put a historical price in perspective, or to check whether a savings rate or investment return has actually beaten inflation. It is also the right tool for adjusting a contract, rent or pension that is indexed to CPI. Remember that CPI measures a national average basket; housing, education and healthcare have risen faster than the index, so a personal cost of living can differ.
Worked example
A $40,000 salary in 2000 corresponds to roughly $73,000 in 2025 dollars — cumulative inflation of about 82%, or around 2.4% a year. A house bought for $150,000 in 1995 would need to sell for about $315,000 in 2025 just to keep pace with inflation; anything above that is a real gain. Going the other way, $20 today had the buying power of about $5 in 1975.