Inflation Calculator
Enter an amount, an inflation rate, and a time frame to see what that money becomes in the future — both the future price of the same thing and the real purchasing power of today's money.
Run it on real data — 113 years of US inflation (1913–2025)
The calculator above uses a rate you assume. This one uses the annual CPI-U figures the US Bureau of Labor Statistics actually published. Pick two years and you get what really happened between them.
⚠️ US CPI only. It does not describe prices in Korea, Germany, or Japan.
Data and methodology
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics series CUUR0000SA0 — Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted. Every year from 1913 to 2025 was pulled from the public API (2026-09-09). As a US federal government work it is in the public domain. Base: 1982–84 average = 100.
Known divergence 1 — annual average vs December-to-December
The rates here are annual average against annual average. The figure the press usually quotes as “inflation that year” is normally December against the prior December, which gives a different number. That is a difference in basis, not an error.
- 2022: 8.0% on an annual-average basis / 6.5% December-to-December
- 2008: 3.8% on an annual-average basis / 0.1% December-to-December
For comparing purchasing power across years, the annual-average basis is the better fit, because it represents the whole year rather than one particular day in it.
Known divergence 2 — October 2025 is missing
The 2025 lapse in appropriations meant BLS could not publish an October 2025 CPI. BLS published the 2025 annual average (321.943) regardless, so that value rests on eleven months rather than twelve.
What it leaves out
No taxes, no fees. And CPI tracks the average basket of an urban US consumer, so anyone whose spending on housing, healthcare, or education is unusually weighted will experience a different rate than this one.
Year-by-year CPI-U, as published
Index values are exactly as BLS published them. The change column is computed on an annual-average basis.
| Year | CPI-U index | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1913 | 9.9 | — |
| 1914 | 10 | +1.0% |
| 1915 | 10.1 | +1.0% |
| 1916 | 10.9 | +7.9% |
| 1917 | 12.8 | +17.4% |
| 1918 | 15.1 | +18.0% |
| 1919 | 17.3 | +14.6% |
| 1920 | 20 | +15.6% |
| 1921 | 17.9 | -10.5% |
| 1922 | 16.8 | -6.1% |
| 1923 | 17.1 | +1.8% |
| 1924 | 17.1 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 17.5 | +2.3% |
| 1926 | 17.7 | +1.1% |
| 1927 | 17.4 | -1.7% |
| 1928 | 17.1 | -1.7% |
| 1929 | 17.1 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 16.7 | -2.3% |
| 1931 | 15.2 | -9.0% |
| 1932 | 13.7 | -9.9% |
| 1933 | 13 | -5.1% |
| 1934 | 13.4 | +3.1% |
| 1935 | 13.7 | +2.2% |
| 1936 | 13.9 | +1.5% |
| 1937 | 14.4 | +3.6% |
| 1938 | 14.1 | -2.1% |
| 1939 | 13.9 | -1.4% |
| 1940 | 14 | +0.7% |
| 1941 | 14.7 | +5.0% |
| 1942 | 16.3 | +10.9% |
| 1943 | 17.3 | +6.1% |
| 1944 | 17.6 | +1.7% |
| 1945 | 18 | +2.3% |
| 1946 | 19.5 | +8.3% |
| 1947 | 22.3 | +14.4% |
| 1948 | 24.1 | +8.1% |
| 1949 | 23.8 | -1.2% |
| 1950 | 24.1 | +1.3% |
| 1951 | 26 | +7.9% |
| 1952 | 26.5 | +1.9% |
| 1953 | 26.7 | +0.8% |
| 1954 | 26.9 | +0.7% |
| 1955 | 26.8 | -0.4% |
| 1956 | 27.2 | +1.5% |
| 1957 | 28.1 | +3.3% |
| 1958 | 28.9 | +2.8% |
| 1959 | 29.1 | +0.7% |
| 1960 | 29.6 | +1.7% |
| 1961 | 29.9 | +1.0% |
| 1962 | 30.2 | +1.0% |
| 1963 | 30.6 | +1.3% |
| 1964 | 31 | +1.3% |
| 1965 | 31.5 | +1.6% |
| 1966 | 32.4 | +2.9% |
| 1967 | 33.4 | +3.1% |
| 1968 | 34.8 | +4.2% |
| 1969 | 36.7 | +5.5% |
| 1970 | 38.8 | +5.7% |
| 1971 | 40.5 | +4.4% |
| 1972 | 41.8 | +3.2% |
| 1973 | 44.4 | +6.2% |
| 1974 | 49.3 | +11.0% |
| 1975 | 53.8 | +9.1% |
| 1976 | 56.9 | +5.8% |
| 1977 | 60.6 | +6.5% |
| 1978 | 65.2 | +7.6% |
| 1979 | 72.6 | +11.3% |
| 1980 | 82.4 | +13.5% |
| 1981 | 90.9 | +10.3% |
| 1982 | 96.5 | +6.2% |
| 1983 | 99.6 | +3.2% |
| 1984 | 103.9 | +4.3% |
| 1985 | 107.6 | +3.6% |
| 1986 | 109.6 | +1.9% |
| 1987 | 113.6 | +3.6% |
| 1988 | 118.3 | +4.1% |
| 1989 | 124 | +4.8% |
| 1990 | 130.7 | +5.4% |
| 1991 | 136.2 | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 140.3 | +3.0% |
| 1993 | 144.5 | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 148.2 | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 152.4 | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 156.9 | +3.0% |
| 1997 | 160.5 | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 163 | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 166.6 | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 172.2 | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 177.1 | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 179.9 | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 184 | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 188.9 | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 195.3 | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 201.6 | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 207.342 | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 215.303 | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 214.537 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 218.056 | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 224.939 | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 229.594 | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 232.957 | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 236.736 | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 237.017 | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 240.007 | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 245.12 | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 251.107 | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 255.657 | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 258.811 | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 270.97 | +4.7% |
| 2022 | 292.655 | +8.0% |
| 2023 | 304.702 | +4.1% |
| 2024 | 313.689 | +2.9% |
| 2025 | 321.943 | +2.6% |
How it works
Inflation compounds
Each year inflation stacks on top of the previous price, so the future price equals amount × (1 + inflation)^years. A rate like 3 percent looks small, yet multiplying 1.03 twenty times over compounds to roughly 1.81 times the starting price.
Future price versus purchasing power today
These are two sides of one coin. The future price of the same item grows by multiplying, while the real purchasing power of money you hold today shrinks by dividing by that same factor.
Worked example
Take 1,000 dollars at 3 percent for 20 years. The future price climbs to about 1,806 dollars, while the purchasing power of that 1,000 dollars falls to about 554 dollars. The number on the bill is unchanged, but it buys far less.
Caveats
- Real inflation varies year to year; a long-run developed-economy average near 3 percent is a common assumption, not a forecast.
- Your personal basket (housing, food, healthcare) can differ from the headline rate.
- The rate you enter is only one scenario.
Read next
How inflation quietly erodes the value of your savings →
Frequently Asked Questions
How is future purchasing power calculated?
It divides the amount today by (1 + inflation)^years, showing how much less the same money buys in the future.
What inflation rate should I use?
There is no single answer, but 2 to 3 percent is a common long-run assumption for developed economies. It varies by era and country, so try a few values to see a range.
Does savings interest not cover it?
If your interest is below inflation, real value still falls. What matters is the real return — nominal interest minus inflation.
Why does a small inflation rate matter so much?
Because it compounds. At 3 percent, prices roughly double in about 24 years, following the rule of 72 (72 divided by the rate). Decades of small increases add up to a wide gap.
What is the difference between the two results?
Future cost shows what the same item will cost later (the amount multiplied up). Purchasing power shows what a fixed sum of money will buy later (the amount divided down). They move in opposite directions.
Does the calculator assume a constant rate?
Yes. It applies one fixed rate every year for simplicity. Real inflation rises and falls, so treat the output as a smooth scenario rather than a precise prediction.
This calculator is an educational estimate, not individual financial advice. Real inflation varies every year.