Inflation Calculator
Free to use. Runs in your browser: your files and text are not uploaded.
This tool gives general information only. It is not financial advice.
Find out what an amount of US dollars in one year would buy in another year. The tool uses the official US Consumer Price Index from 1913 to 2025.
How to use it
- Type an amount in dollars.
- Choose the year the amount is from.
- Choose the year to compare with. It can be later or earlier.
The formula
Value in year B = amount × CPI in year B ÷ CPI in year A
The CPI tracks the price of a fixed basket of goods and services that households buy, such as food, housing, transport and medical care. It is set so that the average of 1982 to 1984 equals 100.
Worked example
What is $100 from 2000 worth in 2025?
- CPI in 2000 = 172.2
- CPI in 2025 = 321.943
- $100 × 321.943 ÷ 172.2 = $186.96
Prices rose by 87% over those 25 years, an average of 2.53% a year. Going back further, $100 in 1913 had the buying power of about $3,258 in 2025.
What the three results mean
- Same buying power: the amount needed in the second year to buy what the first amount bought.
- Total change in prices: how much the price level rose or fell between the two years.
- Average inflation a year: the steady yearly rate that would give the same total change.
Limits
- The CPI measures an average basket. Prices of particular things have moved very differently: electronics have fallen in price, while college tuition and medical care have risen much faster than the average.
- Yearly averages are used, so the result will differ a little from calculators that use monthly figures.
- The latest full year in the data is 2025. This page is updated each January, when the previous year’s average is published.
- The CPI-U covers urban households, which are most of the US population. Rural costs can differ.
Frequently asked questions
How is inflation calculated?
By comparing the Consumer Price Index (CPI) of two years. Amount in year B = amount in year A × CPI of year B ÷ CPI of year A.
Where does the data come from?
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The tool uses the yearly average of the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), which starts in 1913.
Does this work for other currencies?
No. The figures are for the US dollar and prices in the United States. Other countries have their own price indexes and very different inflation histories.