Inflation Calculator
Enter a US dollar amount and two years. This shows what that money is worth in the other year, how much prices changed in total, and the average inflation rate over the period.
What this is measuring
The Consumer Price Index tracks the price of a fixed "basket" of goods and services a typical household buys — food, housing, transport, medical care, and so on. When that basket costs more, the index goes up, and each dollar buys a little less. This calculator compares the index between the two years you pick and scales your amount by the same ratio.
How to read the result
If $100 from 2000 shows as roughly $187 today, it means you would need about $187 now to buy what $100 bought in 2000. The total price change is the cumulative rise across the whole period, and the average inflation per year is the single steady rate that would add up to that same change.
Your inflation is not the average
CPI is a national average. What you personally experience depends on your spending. For decades, rent, healthcare, childcare and higher education have risen faster than the overall index, while clothing and consumer electronics have risen slowly or fallen. Two households in the same year can face very different real inflation.
A quick rule of thumb
To estimate how long prices take to double, divide 72 by the inflation rate. At 2% a year that is about 36 years; at 3%, about 24 years; at 6%, about 12 years. The same rule works for how fast savings lose value if they are not earning at least the inflation rate.
Frequently asked questions
What data does this inflation calculator use?
The US Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), all items, US city average, using annual average values from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Figures run from 1913 to the most recent full year. The latest year is a provisional estimate until BLS confirms its annual average.
How is the equivalent value worked out?
Equivalent value = original amount × (CPI in the later year ÷ CPI in the earlier year). If prices doubled between the two years, the CPI doubled too, so the equivalent amount doubles.
Why does the result not match my own experience of rising prices?
CPI is a national average across a fixed basket of goods and services. Your personal inflation depends on what you actually buy. Rent, healthcare, childcare and college have risen faster than the average for decades; electronics have fallen.
What is a "normal" rate of inflation?
Many central banks aim for about 2% a year. At 2% prices double roughly every 35 years; at 3% roughly every 24 years; at 7% roughly every 10 years.
Can I use this for currencies other than the US dollar?
No. It is built on US price data. Other countries have their own inflation history, so the results would not apply.