CPI purchasing power examples: $100.00 in 1996 equals $212.25 in 2026. $1.00 in 1913 equals $33.64 in 2026. $20.00 in 1950 equals $276.37 in 2026. $50.00 in 1976 equals $292.64 in 2026. $500.00 in 2008 equals $773.38 in 2026. $100.00 in 2019 equals $130.26 in 2026.
US inflation calculator $X in year A equals $Y in year B.
Use this CPI inflation calculator to compare any dollar amount between years. We crunch official BLS Consumer Price Index data and show you what those dollars are really worth today, or any other year you choose.
Inflation calculator
$1.06 in 2002 is like spending
$1.95
in 2026.
Prices rose 85.1% over that span.
April CPI is used for 2026 until the annual average is published.
How the Fiat Watch inflation calculator works
Inflation erodes the value of money over time. A dollar in 1913 bought a lot more bread, gasoline, and rent than a dollar today. To compare prices across years fairly, we use the Consumer Price Index — a basket of goods the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has been tracking since 1913.
The math is simple:
converted = amount × (CPItarget ÷ CPIstart).
We use the annual averages of the CPI-U (All Urban Consumers, series CUUR0000SA0) so the
result reflects a typical year, not a single noisy month.
Popular CPI calculators
For common budget questions, use a focused calculator with examples for that cost category.
- Salary inflation calculator
- Rent inflation calculator
- Grocery inflation calculator
- Gas inflation calculator
- Car price inflation calculator
- College tuition inflation calculator
- Minimum wage inflation calculator
Historical prices
Browse BLS average prices by item, then open year-specific pages for inflation-adjusted comparisons.
- Historical gas prices
- Historical egg prices
- Historical bread prices
- Historical milk prices
- Historical ground beef prices
Frequently asked questions
- What years are supported?
- Annual averages from 1913 through 2026. April CPI is used for 2026 until the annual average is published.
- Why do my answers differ slightly from other calculators?
- Most calculators use annual averages, but a few use specific months (often December or January). We use annual averages — the same approach the BLS recommends for long-horizon comparisons.
- Where does the data come from?
- Directly from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The dataset bundled with this site is refreshable via a single Rake task that hits the public BLS API.