Inflation Calculator
See how inflation quietly erodes the value of money over time — what an amount will be worth, and what it will cost to match it. Everything runs locally in your browser.
New to this? Read the Inflation Calculator guide →
- Future buying power
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- Cost to match
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- Value lost
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in today's money
future price of today's basket
of original buying power
Buying power over time
Year-by-year
| Year | Buying power | Cost to match |
|---|
Estimates assume a constant annual inflation rate. Real inflation varies year to year. Not financial advice.
How to use the inflation calculator
- Enter an amount of money and a number of years.
- Set an annual inflation rate.
- See what that money will be worth in future buying power, or what a past amount equals today.
What inflation does to money
Inflation is the steady rise in prices over time, which means each dollar buys a little less than it did before. It compounds just like interest, but against you: at 3% a year, prices roughly double in about 24 years, so the same cash holds only half its purchasing power. The calculator applies the rate across your chosen period to show the real change.
Why it matters
Inflation is the reason cash sitting idle loses value, and why long-term savings and retirement targets need to account for it. A return that merely matches inflation keeps you level; to actually grow wealth, your money has to earn more than the inflation rate. Pair this with the compound interest calculator to compare growth against rising prices.
Where you'd use this
Comparing money across time honestly: an old salary against today's, a price you remember against the current one, a long-term return before and after inflation.
For example: A $45,000 salary in 2005 needs to be roughly $73,000 today to buy the same amount. A raise from $45,000 to $60,000 over that period is, in real terms, a pay cut.
Frequently asked questions
What does the inflation calculator show?
How the purchasing power of an amount of money changes over time, so you can see what a sum from one year is worth in another.
How is inflation applied?
It compounds the annual inflation rate across the years between your start and end dates to adjust the value. Use it to compare historical prices or future buying power.
Is this financial advice?
No. It is an illustrative estimate using the rate you provide, calculated in your browser.