Inflation Calculator
How much is a dollar really worth? Enter any amount and two years to see how inflation has changed its purchasing power.
Inflation Calculator
See how the purchasing power of the dollar has changed over time.
$100.00 in 1970 is equivalent to
$806.70
in 2024 dollars+706.7%
Quick Examples
A dollar in 1970 had the same buying power as about $8.07 today.
$100 of groceries in 1990 would cost nearly $240 at today's prices.
A $50,000 salary in 2000 would need to be about $91,000 today to have the same purchasing power.
How CPI-Based Inflation Adjustment Works
The Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys thousands of prices every month across hundreds of categories — everything from rent and electricity to haircuts and hospital visits. These prices are weighted by how much the average urban household spends on each category, producing a single index number: the CPI.
The base period is 1982–84 = 100. So a CPI of 313 (roughly where we are in 2024) means that the same basket of goods that cost $100 in 1982–84 now costs about $313.
To adjust a dollar amount between two years, you simply multiply by the ratio of the two CPI values. For example, to convert $1,000 from 1980 (CPI = 82.4) to 2024 dollars (CPI = 313.0):
That means $1,000 in 1980 had the same purchasing power as about $3,799 in 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does this inflation calculator work?
It uses the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The formula is simple: multiply the original amount by the ratio of the CPI in the target year to the CPI in the source year.
What is CPI and why does it matter?
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a basket of goods and services. It is the most widely used measure of inflation in the United States and forms the basis for cost-of-living adjustments to Social Security, tax brackets, and many contracts.
Is this the same as a cost-of-living calculator?
Not exactly. CPI measures price changes for a fixed basket of goods, but it does not account for changes in quality, new products, or shifts in spending patterns. It is the best general-purpose measure available, but your personal inflation rate may differ depending on what you spend money on.
Why do prices only go up?
Over the long run, mild inflation is actually a feature of modern monetary policy, not a bug. The Federal Reserve targets about 2% annual inflation. Persistent deflation (falling prices) is generally more economically destructive than mild inflation because it discourages spending and investment.
How far back does the data go?
Our CPI data goes back to 1913, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics began collecting it. That gives us over a century of inflation data to work with.
Want to see how specific items have changed? Browse our price history datasets or compare two datasets side by side.