Finance
Inflation Calculator
Find out what money from another year is really worth. Enter an amount and two years — the calculator uses the US Consumer Price Index to show the equivalent value, the total price change, and the average inflation rate between them.
Equivalent value in 2024
$182.17
Total price change
82.2%
Average inflation / year
2.53%
What $100 from 2024 bought in 2000
$54.89
Based on the US Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U annual averages (1913–2024). Figures are estimates of average consumer prices — individual categories like housing, education, and healthcare have risen faster than the overall index.
How it works
The conversion uses the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U), the Bureau of Labor Statistics' measure of average consumer prices. Multiply your amount by the ratio of the two years' index values: $100 in 2000 × (313.7 / 172.2) ≈ $182 in 2024 dollars.
Inflation compounds like interest: the ~3.3% average annual inflation of the last century means prices have doubled roughly every 21 years. It's why a $0.05 coffee in 1930 and a $3 coffee today can represent similar 'real' prices.
The index is an average basket — housing, food, transport, medical care and more. Individual categories drift from the average: college tuition and healthcare have risen much faster than the CPI, while electronics have gotten dramatically cheaper in real terms.
value(to) = amount × CPI(to) / CPI(from)
avg annual inflation = (CPI(to)/CPI(from))^(1/years) − 1
Example: $100 in 2000 → 100 × 313.7 / 172.2 = $182.17 in 2024Frequently asked questions
What is the CPI and who publishes it?
The Consumer Price Index tracks the average price of a fixed basket of goods and services bought by urban consumers. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes it monthly; this calculator uses the official annual averages from 1913 to the latest complete year.
How much has the dollar lost since 1913?
Prices are roughly 32 times higher than in 1913, meaning a 1913 dollar had about the buying power of $32 today. Equivalently, today's dollar buys what about 3 cents bought back then.
What was the worst inflation in US history?
In modern records, the late 1970s–1980 peak: prices rose about 13.5% in 1980 alone. The 2021–2022 episode topped out around 9% year-over-year in mid-2022 — the highest in four decades.
Why does my personal inflation feel higher than the official number?
The CPI averages across everything and everyone. If your spending skews toward rent, tuition, childcare, or medical care — categories that outpace the average — your personal cost of living rises faster than the headline rate.
How do I protect savings from inflation?
Cash loses purchasing power at the inflation rate, so long-term money usually belongs in assets that historically outrun inflation — broad stock index funds, I-bonds and TIPS (which are indexed to CPI), or real estate. Keep only near-term needs in cash.