Inflation
calculator
What is $100 from 1980 worth today? This uses the real US Consumer Price Index, year by year since 1913, to translate money across time — and shows the average inflation rate along the way.
How inflation is measured
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks the price of a broad basket of goods and services in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Comparing the index in two different years tells you how far prices moved between them — and therefore what a sum of money from one year is "worth" in another.
Worked example
100 × (322.2 ÷ 82.4) ≈ $391 — prices roughly quadrupled.
Why it matters for money you hold
Inflation is the quiet tax on cash. At the long-run US average of roughly 3% a year, prices double about every 24 years — so a sum that just sits still loses half its buying power in a generation. That is the core argument for putting long-term money to work; the compound interest calculator shows the other side of the ledger, and the M2 money supply calculator shows one force behind rising prices.
Data note: figures use BLS CPI-U annual averages from 1913 to 2024, with 2025 estimated. Individual experiences differ — your personal inflation depends on what you actually buy.
Inflation FAQ
Roughly $391 in 2025 dollars. CPI averaged 82.4 in 1980 and about 322 in 2025, so prices nearly quadrupled — meaning $100 then bought what about $391 buys now.
Divide the CPI of the later year by the CPI of the earlier year. That ratio is the cumulative price change; multiply any dollar amount by it to translate the sum across time.
Around 3% a year over the last century, though it swings widely — from double digits in the late 1970s to near zero in the 2010s and a spike above 8% in 2022.
CPI is a national average basket. If your spending skews toward housing, healthcare, or education — which have risen faster — your personal inflation rate is likely higher than the headline number.