Inflation Calculator
Calculate how inflation affects purchasing power. See what money from any year since 1913 is worth today using historical CPI data.
Inflation Parameters
Results
$100.00 in 2000 is equivalent to
$189.14
in 2026
Cumulative Inflation
+89.14%
Avg Annual Rate
2.48%
Purchasing Power Change
-47.13%
Years
26
What this means: Something that cost $100.00 in 2000 would cost $189.14 in 2026. Your dollar lost 47.1% of its purchasing power over this 26-year period.
How to Use Inflation Calculator
- 1
Enter an amount
Enter the dollar amount you want to adjust for inflation.
- 2
Select start year
Choose the year your amount is from (as far back as 1913).
- 3
Select end year
Choose the year you want to compare to.
- 4
View results
See the equivalent value, cumulative inflation rate, and average annual inflation rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Tools
What Inflation Actually Does to Your Money
Inflation is the gradual erosion of purchasing power — $100 today buys less than $100 did ten years ago, and will buy less still ten years from now. At a steady 3% annual inflation rate, $100 today is worth about $74 in ten years and $55 in twenty years. This isn't a dramatic event you'll notice day-to-day; it's a slow, consistent drain that compounds the same way investment returns do, just in the wrong direction.
Where inflation really bites is in long-term financial planning. If you plan to need $60,000/year in retirement 25 years from now, you actually need to plan for $125,000/year in today-equivalent spending — assuming 3% inflation. Retirement projections that don't account for inflation dramatically underestimate what you'll need.
Real vs Nominal Returns
When investment advisors talk about historical stock market returns of 10%, that's the nominal return — before adjusting for inflation. The real return, which is what actually matters for your purchasing power, is roughly 7% for the US stock market historically. The difference is what inflation eats away. A bond yielding 4% when inflation runs at 4% has a real return of approximately zero. You're not growing wealth — you're treading water.
This matters for savings accounts too. A high-yield savings account paying 4.5% looks decent until you realize that if inflation runs at 3.5%, your real return is only 1%. Money sitting in a traditional savings account at 0.5% during a period of 4% inflation is actively losing purchasing power at roughly 3.5% per year.
Categories That Inflate Faster Than Average
The CPI represents an average basket of goods, but different categories inflate at different rates. Healthcare costs have historically risen at 5-7% annually — significantly faster than overall CPI. College tuition has averaged around 6% annually over the past few decades. Housing costs vary enormously by location and period. Meanwhile, technology products often deflate — the same computer that cost $2,000 a decade ago costs less today while being dramatically more capable. Understanding which expenses you'll face in the future, and their typical inflation rates, leads to better planning than applying a single average rate to everything.
Protecting Purchasing Power
Historically, equities (stocks) have been the most reliable long-term hedge against inflation, with real returns well above zero over multi-decade periods. Real estate, commodities, and Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) are also commonly used inflation hedges. The goal isn't to beat inflation dramatically — it's to ensure that the money you'll need in the future retains its purchasing power relative to what you're saving today.