Inflation
Inflation calculator
What any amount of money is worth in any other year, using official CPI data back to 1947. For example, $100 in 1970 has the buying power of $853 in 2026.
$100 in 1970 is $853 in 2026
Prices rose 753.0% over those 56 years — an average of 3.90% a year. Put the other way, $100 in 2026 buys what $11.72 bought in 1970.
2026 is a partial year — averaged over the 7 months of CPI data available.
What $100 from 1970 was worth in each later year
Annual average CPI-UThe slope is the inflation rate — steep through the 1970s and early 1980s, close to flat in the low-inflation decades that followed.
| In 1970 | Worth in 2026 | Increase |
|---|---|---|
| $1 | $8.53 | +753% |
| $5 | $42.65 | +753% |
| $10 | $85.30 | +753% |
| $20 | $171 | +753% |
| $50 | $427 | +753% |
| $100 | $853 | +753% |
| $500 | $4,265 | +753% |
| $1,000 | $8,530 | +753% |
| $5,000 | $42,650 | +753% |
| $10,000 | $85,301 | +753% |
| $100,000 | $853,008 | +753% |
| $1,000,000 | $8,530,082 | +753% |
How this works
The calculation uses the annual average of the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, not seasonally adjusted (CPI-U, NSA) — the same series the Bureau of Labor Statistics uses in its own calculator, so results match. Each year's figure is the mean of its twelve monthly index values; the current year averages only the months published so far and is labelled as partial. CPI measures a fixed basket of household goods and services nationally, so it will not match your personal experience: rent in your city, your health plan and your grocery habits all diverge from the average basket. It is also not a wage or investment comparison — it says what things cost, not what you could have earned.
Related: Current inflation rate · Mortgage rates
FAQ#
- How is the inflation calculation done?
- It multiplies your amount by the ratio of the two years' average Consumer Price Index values. If the index doubled between the two years, a dollar buys half as much, so the amount doubles.
- How far back does the data go?
- To 1947, the start of the modern CPI-U series published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Why doesn't this match what I remember things costing?
- CPI tracks a national average basket. Individual categories move very differently — college tuition and medical care have risen far faster than the average, while televisions and clothing have fallen in real terms. Your own inflation rate depends on what you actually buy and where you live.