3-step workflow · seconds

Adjust a dollar amount for inflation in three steps

No sign-up. The result updates as you type.

STEP 01
Type the amount
Any dollar amount, with or without commas, like 2,500.
Up to a trillion
STEP 02
Pick From and To
Two years, or two months with the Month switch. Swap turns them around.
1913 to Oct 2026
STEP 03
Read the result
The same buying power in the other year, plus how much prices changed.
Copy it in one tap

Guide

How to use this inflation calculator

On a phone the amount, both dates and the result fit on one screen.

Uses BLS CPI-U, data through October 2026

1
Type the amount
Plain numbers and grouped ones both work: 100, 2500 and 2,500.00.
2
Pick the From year
Any year from 1913. Year mode uses the BLS annual average for that year.
3
Keep To on the latest month
To starts on October 2026, the newest month BLS has released. Pick any year to compare two past years.
4
Switch to Month for recent dates
Month mode uses the monthly index, for questions like what a January 2021 price is in today's dollars.

The source

What the CPI-U measures

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Average change in prices

The CPI measures the average change over time in the prices urban consumers pay for a market basket of goods and services.

All items, U.S. city average
Base 1982-84 = 100
Series CUUR0000SA0

Most of the country

BLS says the CPI-U population is over 90 percent of the U.S. population. The CPI-W covers wage earners and clerical workers only.

Published monthly
Not seasonally adjusted
Final when issued

What it leaves out

It is not a full cost-of-living index. Stocks, bonds, real estate as an investment and income taxes are outside it.

An average, not your budget
Not for comparing cities
Not a forecast

How it works

The formula behind the result

The same one the BLS CPI Inflation Calculator uses: the amount times the ratio of two index values.

Year to year

$150.30for $100 from 2000, in 2020

Annual averages

CPI-U averaged 172.2 in 2000 and 258.811 in 2020. So $100 × 258.811 ÷ 172.2 = $150.30: prices rose 50.3% over those 20 years.

Month to month

$129.03for $100 from Jan 2021, in Oct 2026

Monthly index

CPI-U was 261.582 in January 2021 and 337.511 in October 2026, so $100 then buys what $129.03 does now. The BLS calculator gives the same answer.

The yearly average: the calculator also shows the steady rate that gives the same total change, (CPI_to ÷ CPI_from) to the power of 1 ÷ years, minus 1. Real inflation is never that even: some years are much higher, some lower, and in a few years prices fell.

Compare

Year mode or Month mode?

Both use the same BLS series. They answer slightly different questions.

Question	Year mode	Month mode
Index used	BLS annual average for each year	The index for each month
Range	1913 to the latest full year, plus the latest month	Recent years only, to Oct 2026
Best for	Salaries, prices and savings decades apart	Rent, bills and prices in the last few years
Gaps	None	October 2025 was never published

BLS could not collect October 2025 prices during the 2025 lapse in appropriations, so there is no index for that month. Month mode leaves it out, just as the BLS calculator does.

Guide

Who uses an inflation calculator

Same maths, different reasons to look back.

Workers

Pay

Check whether a raise kept up with prices since your last one, or what a starting salary from years ago is in today's dollars.

Use: Year mode, To on latest

Renters and home buyers

Housing

See what a rent or a house price from the past is worth in current dollars.

Use: Month mode for recent leases

Students and writers

History

Turn a price from a book or an old newspaper into today's money.

Use: Any year back to 1913

Savers

Planning

See how much buying power cash lost over a stretch of years.

Use: Read the yearly average

Pro tips

Pro tips for reading inflation numbers

Small habits that make an adjusted price more useful.

Check the data month

The newest number is the latest BLS release. The month is shown under every result.

Go backwards too

Swap the dates to see what today's price was in an older year's dollars.

Look at the decades

The bar list shows the same amount at each decade, so you can see when prices moved most.

Average is not every year

The yearly average smooths out high and low years. Single years can be far from it.

Copy with the source

Copy result adds the BLS source and data month, so a note says where the number came from.

Share a comparison

Links like ?amount=100&from=1980&to=latest open the calculator with those values.

Your basket differs

The CPI is an average. Your own costs may have risen faster or slower.

Contracts name a series

For a lease or contract clause, BLS advises naming the exact index series, like CUUR0000SA0.

An average for the whole country

The CPI-U tracks the average urban consumer in the United States. It can't say whether one city is cheaper than another, and it isn't financial advice. Use the result as a guide to buying power over time.

Use cases

Everyday questions it answers

Same three steps, many situations.

Was my raise real?

Compare your old salary in today's dollars with your new one.

Rent then and now

What a rent from a few years ago is in current dollars.

Old prices

A 1970s price tag or a parent's first car in today's money.

Value of a dollar

What $1 from any year since 1913 buys now.

Cash under the mattress

How much buying power savings lost over the years.

History homework

Put a historical price into modern terms.

Want to see how savings could grow instead? Try the Compound Interest Calculator. Checking a raise? See take-home pay with the Paycheck Calculator.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers on where the numbers come from, how they are worked out and how often they change.

Where does the inflation data come from?

From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), all items, U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted, series CUUR0000SA0. It is the same index the BLS CPI Inflation Calculator uses. The month the data runs to is shown under every result.

How is the result worked out?

The amount is multiplied by the CPI-U for the To date and divided by the CPI-U for the From date. For example, CPI-U averaged 172.2 in 2000 and 258.811 in 2020, so $100 in 2000 equals $100 × 258.811 ÷ 172.2 = $150.30 in 2020.

What is the difference between Year and Month mode?

Year mode uses the BLS annual average for each year, from 1913 to the latest full year, plus the latest month released. Month mode uses the index for single months in recent years, which is better for a rent or a price from a particular month.

What does the average yearly rate mean?

It is the steady yearly rate that would give the same total change over the period. Actual inflation varies a lot from year to year, so a single year can be far above or below the average.

How often is the data updated?

BLS publishes the CPI each month, usually in the middle of the following month. The table on this page is updated after new releases, and the page always says which month the data runs to.

Why can't I pick October 2025?

BLS could not collect October 2025 price data during the 2025 lapse in appropriations, so no index was published for that month. The BLS calculator can't use it either.

Does the CPI match my own cost of living?

Not exactly. The CPI-U is an average for urban consumers across the country, which BLS says covers over 90 percent of the U.S. population. Your own spending may have risen faster or slower, and the CPI can't compare one city with another.

Can I link to a set amount and years?

Yes. Add ?amount=100&from=1980&to=latest to the page address and the calculator opens with those values. Months work too, like from=2022-01. Values outside the table are ignored.

Reviews

What people say

Reviews from people who used this tool.

Loading reviews…

Question

Year mode

Month mode

Index used

BLS annual average for each year

The index for each month

Range

1913 to the latest full year, plus the latest month

Recent years only, to Oct 2026

Best for

Salaries, prices and savings decades apart

Rent, bills and prices in the last few years

Gaps

None

October 2025 was never published

Finance tool · Free

Inflation Calculator: US Dollar Since 1913

Type an amount and two years to see what it is worth in the other year, using the U.S. Consumer Price Index.

Inflation Studio

1913 to Oct 2026 · BLS CPI-U · swap in one tap

Data through October 2026 Free · No sign-up

Amount

From

$100.00 in 1990 is worth

$258.23in Oct 2026 (latest)

Prices rose 158.2% (2.6% a year on average)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U, data through October 2026. Same formula as the BLS CPI Inflation Calculator.

The result

$100.00 in 1990 is worth

$258.23in Oct 2026 (latest)

Prices rose 158.2% (2.6% a year on average)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U, data through October 2026. Same formula as the BLS CPI Inflation Calculator.

$100.00 from 1990 over time

1990$100.00
2000$131.75
2010$166.84
2020$198.02
Oct 2026$258.23

No sign-up needed Updates as you type Official BLS index Data month always shown

Years of data: 113
Recent months: 69
First year: 1913
Sign-ups needed: 0

Bureau of Labor StatisticsCPI-U, all items, U.S. city average, the index behind the BLS's own calculator.

The BLS formulaAmount times the ratio of the two index values. Nothing estimated, nothing adjusted.

Dated dataEvery result says which data it uses: data through October 2026.

No sign-up, no uploadThe whole table is in the page. Your numbers never leave this browser.

What's next

More money tools

Tools that pick up where this one leaves off.

Adjust a dollar amount for inflation in three steps

Type the amount

Pick From and To

Read the result

How to use this inflation calculator

Type the amount

Pick the From year

Keep To on the latest month

Switch to Month for recent dates

What the CPI-U measures

Average change in prices

Most of the country

What it leaves out

The formula behind the result

Annual averages

Monthly index

Year mode or Month mode?

Who uses an inflation calculator

Workers

Renters and home buyers

Students and writers

Savers

Pro tips for reading inflation numbers

Check the data month

Go backwards too

Look at the decades

Average is not every year

Copy with the source

Share a comparison

Your basket differs

Contracts name a series

Everyday questions it answers

Was my raise real?

Rent then and now

Old prices

Value of a dollar

Cash under the mattress

History homework

Frequently asked questions

What people say

More free money tools

Inflation Studio

The result

$100.00 from 1990 over time

More money tools

Adjust a dollar amount for inflation in three steps

Type the amount

Pick From and To

Read the result

How to use this inflation calculator

Type the amount

Pick the From year

Keep To on the latest month

Switch to Month for recent dates

What the CPI-U measures

Average change in prices

Most of the country

What it leaves out

The formula behind the result

Annual averages

Monthly index

Year mode or Month mode?

Who uses an inflation calculator

Workers

Renters and home buyers

Students and writers

Savers

Pro tips for reading inflation numbers

Check the data month

Go backwards too

Look at the decades

Average is not every year

Copy with the source

Share a comparison

Your basket differs

Contracts name a series

Everyday questions it answers

Was my raise real?

Rent then and now

Old prices