Inflation Calculator

Inflation is the rise in prices over time, so the same money buys less as the years pass. Enter an amount and two years to see its equivalent buying power using official US CPI data, with the total and average annual inflation — or switch to the forecast mode to project a future value at a fixed rate.

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Value —
Total inflation —
Average per year —
Buying power kept —

How to Use the Inflation Calculator

Two years and an amount, or a rate and a horizon.

1

Pick a mode

Use Value over time to compare buying power between two past years with real CPI data, or Forecast to project a future value at a rate you choose.

2

Enter your figures

Type an amount, then either the from and to years (1913–2024) or an annual rate and the number of years ahead.

3

Read the result

See the equivalent value, the total inflation over the period and the average rate per year — updating as you type.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the inflation calculator work?
In the value-over-time mode the calculator uses the Consumer Price Index (CPI): the equivalent value equals your amount multiplied by the CPI in the later year divided by the CPI in the earlier year. For example, prices roughly doubled between 2000 and 2024, so 100 dollars in 2000 has about the same buying power as 182 dollars in 2024. From that same ratio it also shows the total inflation across the whole period and the average inflation per year, which is the constant annual rate that would compound to the same total. Everything runs in your browser from a built-in CPI table, so nothing you type is sent anywhere.
What is CPI and where does the data come from?
CPI stands for Consumer Price Index — a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a basket of goods and services. This calculator uses the US CPI-U (all urban consumers, US city average, with 1982 to 1984 set to 100), annual averages, published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The built-in table runs from 1913 to 2024, the latest complete annual average, so you can compare any two of those years. Because it uses annual averages rather than a single month, a figure for a very recent date can differ slightly from a month-specific calculator.
What is the difference between the two modes?
Value over time looks backward and forward using real historical CPI data: pick an amount and two years and it tells you the equivalent buying power, which is the right tool for questions like what a 1975 salary is worth today. The forecast mode looks purely forward using a fixed inflation rate you choose: enter an amount, an assumed annual rate and a number of years, and it projects both the future cost of something and how much your money will be worth then. Use CPI for the past and a fixed-rate forecast for the future, since no one knows future CPI in advance.
Why does my result differ from another inflation calculator?
Small differences are normal and come down to which index and which period each tool uses. This calculator uses CPI-U annual averages, while some use a specific month, a mid-year figure, CPI-W, or a regional index, and each gives a slightly different ratio. Rounding also matters: CPI values themselves are rounded, and the final figure is rounded for display. For historical comparisons the differences are usually a few percent at most; treat any inflation figure as a good estimate of buying power rather than an exact, penny-precise amount, and check the underlying BLS data if you need an official number.
How do I estimate future inflation?
Switch to the forecast mode and enter an assumed annual inflation rate. A common planning assumption is around two to three percent a year, which is close to the long-run US average and the Federal Reserve's two percent target, though inflation has been higher in some recent years. The calculator compounds that rate over the number of years you enter, so you can see both what a purchase might cost later and how much today's savings would be worth in real terms. Try a couple of different rates to see a range rather than relying on a single guess, because actual future inflation is uncertain.

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