Inflation Calculator
See what money from one year is worth in another at a chosen average inflation rate — cumulative inflation, purchasing power lost, and a year-by-year table.
Latest CPI-U index: 332.813 (2026-07-01, BLS via FRED).
Inflation Calculator: with the default inputs, equivalent amount is $215.66.
A later year shows what the amount is worth then; an earlier year deflates it.
US CPI averaged about 3% a year over the past century and about 2.6% since 2000. For actual historical figures use the BLS CPI calculator linked below.
- Cumulative inflation
- 115.7%
- Purchasing power lost
- 53.6%How much less the original amount buys at the end than at the start.
- What the original amount buys, in start-year terms
- $46.37The original dollars deflated — the mirror image of the equivalent amount.
- Years elapsed
- 26
Assumptions
- A single average inflation rate applies to every year in the range.
- Years are treated as whole calendar years; no within-year timing.
| Year | Equivalent amount | Cumulative inflation |
|---|---|---|
| 2,000 | $100.00 | 0% |
| 2,001 | $103.00 | 3% |
| 2,002 | $106.09 | 6.1% |
| 2,003 | $109.27 | 9.3% |
| 2,004 | $112.55 | 12.6% |
| 2,005 | $115.93 | 15.9% |
| 2,006 | $119.41 | 19.4% |
| 2,007 | $122.99 | 23% |
| 2,008 | $126.68 | 26.7% |
| 2,009 | $130.48 | 30.5% |
How this is worked out
The formula
Equivalent = Amount × (1 + i)^n Cumulative inflation = (1 + i)^n − 1 Purchasing power lost = 1 − 1 ÷ (1 + i)^n i = average annual inflation rate, n = end year − start year (negative n deflates)
Open How it’s calculated above to see this worked through with your own numbers.
What you enter
- Amount
- A number.in dollars · 0 or more · defaults to 100
- From year
- A number.from 1900 to 2100 · whole numbers only · defaults to 2000
- To year
- A later year shows what the amount is worth then; an earlier year deflates it.from 1900 to 2100 · whole numbers only · defaults to 2026
- Average annual inflation
- US CPI averaged about 3% a year over the past century and about 2.6% since 2000. For actual historical figures use the BLS CPI calculator linked below.a percentage · from -20 to 100 · defaults to 3
What you get back
- Equivalent amountmain answer
- Cumulative inflation
- Purchasing power lost
- How much less the original amount buys at the end than at the start.
- What the original amount buys, in start-year terms
- The original dollars deflated — the mirror image of the equivalent amount.
- Years elapsed
What this assumes
- A single average inflation rate applies to every year in the range.
- Years are treated as whole calendar years; no within-year timing.
About this calculator
Inflation is the rate at which prices rise, which is the same thing as the rate at which each dollar buys less. Compounded over years it's large: at 3% a year, prices double in about 24 years, so a salary, pension or savings balance that stays flat in dollars loses half its buying power over a career.
How to use it
Enter an amount, the year it comes from, the year you want it expressed in, and an average annual inflation rate. The default 3% is close to the long-run US average; 2% is the Federal Reserve's target and a fair assumption for planning; the 2021–2023 stretch ran 4–9%. To go backwards ("what was $50,000 today worth in 1995 dollars?") just put the earlier year in the To field.
For a real historical conversion between two specific years you want actual CPI data, not an average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a free CPI Inflation Calculator (linked below) that uses the monthly index back to 1913; take its answer as the reference and use this tool to understand the arithmetic or to project forward, where no data exists yet.
Reading the results
- Equivalent amount is what it takes in the end year to buy what the original amount bought in the start year.
- Cumulative inflation is the total price rise over the period — 26 years at 3% is 116%, not 78%, because it compounds.
- Purchasing power lost is the flip side: 116% cumulative inflation means each original dollar now buys about 46% less.
Why it matters for planning
Any long-term figure quoted in today's dollars — a retirement income target, a college cost, a house price — needs inflating before you compare it with a projected account balance. Equally, an investment return needs deflating before you know what it earned you: 7% nominal with 3% inflation is a real return of (1.07 ÷ 1.03) − 1 ≈ 3.9%, not 4%. Wages, Social Security benefits and TIPS bonds are indexed to CPI; fixed-rate bonds, most pensions and cash are not.
Caveats
CPI measures an average urban basket. Your personal inflation depends on what you buy — housing, healthcare and college have risen faster than the index for decades, while electronics and clothing have fallen. And an average rate smooths over the variation: two decades at 3% and one year at 8% end in a different place than 21 steady years.
Frequently asked questions
▸How is inflation calculated over multiple years?
It compounds: multiply (1 + rate) by itself once per year. At 3% for 10 years the factor is 1.03^10 = 1.344, a 34.4% rise — not 30%.
▸What inflation rate should I use for planning?
2–3% for long-run US projections: 2% is the Federal Reserve's target and about 3% is the century average. Use a higher figure for healthcare or college costs, which have outpaced CPI.
▸Where do I get actual CPI figures?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes CPI monthly and offers a free CPI Inflation Calculator that converts dollars between any two months since 1913.
▸What's the difference between nominal and real?
Nominal figures are in the dollars of their own year; real figures are adjusted to a common year's purchasing power. A 5% raise with 3% inflation is a real raise of about 1.9%.
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The questions people ask next to a inflation.
Nominal and real GDP by the expenditure approach, the GDP deflator, per-capita figures and growth rates — with the BEA definition and what GDP leaves out.
See how a lump sum plus regular deposits grows with daily, monthly, quarterly or annual compounding — with a year-by-year table, chart and inflation adjustment.
Project savings at retirement, the inflation-adjusted income they can sustain, the shortfall vs. your spending goal, and the extra monthly saving to close it.
Project investment growth with monthly contributions, annual raises, fund expense ratios and inflation — with a yearly split of what you invested vs. earned.
Convert pay between hourly, daily, weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, monthly and annual figures using your real hours per week and weeks worked per year.
Compound annual growth rate from a start value, end value and years — or the end value from a rate — with total growth and a year-by-year table.