Inflation & Purchasing Power Calculator

About This Calculator

Enter any dollar amount and year range to see its inflation-adjusted equivalent. The result answers the question: "How much would $X in year A cost in year B?" — or conversely, what your money was worth in the past.

All data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U series — the official measure of consumer price inflation for all urban households. Annual averages are used (not seasonally adjusted), covering 1913 through 2024. Historical wages and prices from before your reference year are available at bls.gov/cpi. This same CPI data drives the COLA adjustments modeled in the Social Security Break-Even Calculator. To see what your dollar buys in real assets today, visit the Value of $1 — or use the Investment Calculators to see how consistent investing outpaces inflation over time.

Your Calculation

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Inflation-Adjusted Equivalent

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Total Inflation

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Avg Annual Rate

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Purchasing Power Ratio

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Purchasing Power Over Time

Equivalent value in current-year dollars

Original amount

Year-by-Year Breakdown

Year	Equivalent Value	Cumulative Inflation	Annual Rate

Data source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U (All Urban Consumers, All Items, 1982–84 = 100). Annual averages 1913–2024. bls.gov/cpi/data.htm

Methodology: Equivalent = Amount × CPI(to year) ÷ CPI(from year). Annual averages are used (not seasonally adjusted). Results represent average purchasing power for the full calendar year, not a specific month.

Not shown: Asset price inflation (housing, stocks), wage growth, regional variation, or category-specific inflation (healthcare, education). For informational purposes only.