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Inflation Calculator

CalculatorFinanceMath

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INPUT

Auto Process

OUTPUT

Client Side

Enter an amount, two years, and an inflation rate to see how purchasing power changes.

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Guide

Inflation Calculator

This tool shows how the value of money changes between any two years given an average annual inflation rate. Enter a starting amount, the year it belongs to, the year you want to compare against, and an inflation rate, and the calculator returns the equivalent purchasing power, the cumulative inflation between the two years, and a year-by-year breakdown with a chart. It works in both directions: project forward to see what today’s money will be worth in the future, or look backward to see what an old price would feel like in today’s dollars.

How to Use

Enter the amount of money you want to evaluate.
Enter the start year (the year that amount belongs to) and the end year you want to compare it to.
Enter an average annual inflation rate. Use a positive number for inflation, a negative number for deflation.
Read the equivalent value, cumulative inflation, and the purchasing power factor in the summary.
Scroll to see the year-by-year table and a line chart that visualizes how the value drifts over time.

Features

Bidirectional – set the end year before or after the start year and the math adjusts automatically.
Cumulative inflation – not just the annual rate, but how much prices have moved overall between your two years.
Purchasing power factor – tells you how much one start-year dollar buys in end-year dollars.
Year-by-year breakdown – every year between start and end with the equivalent value, cumulative inflation, and purchasing power.
Visual chart – a line chart of the equivalent value over time so you can see acceleration or compounding visually.
Deflation support – enter a negative rate to model price drops or comparing eras of falling prices.

 FAQ

What inflation rate should I use?

For US dollars, the long-term average CPI inflation rate is roughly 3% per year, though the actual figure varies a lot year to year (under 2% through most of the 2010s, over 8% in 2022, then back toward 3-4%). For planning, 2-3% is a reasonable conservative default for the US. For other currencies, look up your country's official CPI series and use the trailing 5- or 10-year average that matches your time horizon.
What is the difference between cumulative and annual inflation?

Annual inflation is the rate prices rise in a single year (for example, 3% per year). Cumulative inflation is what you get when you compound that annual rate across many years. 3% per year for 25 years compounds to about 109% cumulative inflation, meaning prices have more than doubled even though the annual rate sounds modest.
What does the purchasing power factor mean?

It tells you how much one start-year dollar would buy in end-year dollars. A factor of 0.50 means $1 from the start year buys what 50 cents buys in the end year - your money has lost half its purchasing power. A factor above 1.0 happens with deflation, where money gains purchasing power over time.
Can I use this for currencies other than US dollars?

Yes. The math is currency-agnostic. The dollar sign is just a label. Treat the amount as your local currency unit and use the appropriate average inflation rate for that currency (CPI series, RPI, HICP, etc.) and the calculator will give you the right equivalent value, cumulative inflation, and purchasing power for that currency.