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CalcTortoise

Inflation Calculator

See what money from any year since 1927 is worth in today’s dollars — and what today’s prices could look like down the road.

Written by the CalcTortoise editorial team · How we work

US prices rose 3% a year on average from 1928 to 2025.

years

Cost in 20 years

$1,806

At 3% inflation, what costs $1,000 today will cost $1,806 in 20 years. Put another way, $1,000 will buy only $554 worth of today’s goods.

Buying power then (today’s money)
$554
Buying power lost
44.6%

Illustration only, not investment, tax or legal advice.

Rising prices and falling buying powerWhat it will costWhat your money will buy (today’s value)

Year by year

YearCostBuying power (today’s money)
Year 1$1,030$971
Year 2$1,061$943
Year 3$1,093$915
Year 4$1,126$888
Year 5$1,159$863
Year 6$1,194$837
Year 7$1,230$813
Year 8$1,267$789
Year 9$1,305$766
Year 10$1,344$744
Year 11$1,384$722
Year 12$1,426$701
Year 13$1,469$681
Year 14$1,513$661
Year 15$1,558$642
Year 16$1,605$623
Year 17$1,653$605
Year 18$1,702$587
Year 19$1,754$570
Year 20$1,806$554

How to use this calculator

  1. Choose “Past years” to convert dollars between any two years since 1927.
  2. Choose “Future cost” to project today’s prices forward at a rate you pick.

Frequently asked questions

What is $1,000 from 1990 worth today?

About $2,423 in 2025 dollars. Prices rose 142% over that stretch — roughly 2.6% a year.

How much will things cost in the future?

At 3% inflation, something that costs $1,000 today will run about $1,806 in 20 years.

How has inflation changed the value of a dollar over the long run?

$100 in 1950 buys what $1,297 buys in 2025.

Where does the data come from?

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, via the St. Louis Fed’s FRED database, 1928–2025, December to December.

Sources and method

Standard compound-interest formulas, tested against worked examples. Nothing here depends on outside data; the rates you type in are your own assumptions.

No outside data is used. The numbers you type in are the only inputs.

Page and formula last reviewed . How we calculate · Editorial policy · Corrections and change log

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Last updated 10 October 2026. For information only — not financial advice. Check the final figures with your lender or bank.