Purchasing Power Calculator

See what a dollar amount buys in another year — using an average inflation rate or CPI indexes — and how much purchasing power a fixed amount loses or gains. Everything runs in the browser.

Past or future dollars
Rate or CPI
Stays on your device

A purchasing power calculator answers a practical inflation question: if $100 bought a basket of goods in one year, what does that same basket cost later — or what would today's $100 have bought earlier? Enter the amount, a start year, and either an end year or a number of years.

Then pick how prices change. The default is an average annual inflation rate of about 3%. That compounds each year, so 24 years at 3% roughly doubles prices. If you have published CPI (or another price-index) levels, switch to CPI mode and enter the start and end indexes. People also search this as an inflation purchasing power calculator or a buying power calculator — the comparison is the same. There is no second URL for those aliases.

The results panel shows equivalent purchasing power in the comparison year, the percent change in purchasing power for a fixed dollar amount, the percent change in the price level, and what the same nominal amount buys after inflation. A short sentence restates the example in plain language. Swap the years (or use a negative span) to go backward. Everything runs in your browser. Totals never leave the device, and there is no account.

Browse more calculators on the Finance hub, or open the balance transfer calculator, emergency fund calculator, monthly budget template, and 403b calculator. For campaign URLs, use the UTM builder.

How to use the purchasing power calculator

Enter the starting amount in USD.
Choose average inflation rate or CPI indexes.
Enter a start year, then an end year or a number of years.
Enter the annual inflation rate (default 3%) or the start and end CPI values.
Read the equivalent buying power, percent change, and the plain-language summary.

Frequently asked questions

How does a purchasing power calculator work?

A purchasing power calculator takes a dollar amount in one year and restates it in another year. In rate mode it compounds an average annual inflation rate over the years between those dates. In CPI mode it multiplies by the ratio of two price indexes. You see the equivalent amount, the percent change in purchasing power, and a short summary.

What is purchasing power?

Purchasing power is how many goods and services a unit of money can buy. When prices rise, the same $100 buys less. This inflation purchasing power calculator shows that loss (or a gain if prices fall) so you can compare buying power across years.

How do you calculate purchasing power with an inflation rate?

Equivalent later-year dollars = starting amount × (1 + inflation rate)^years. The purchasing power of the same nominal amount is the starting amount divided by that multiplier. At 3% for 24 years, $100 in 2000 is about $203.28 in 2024, and those same $100 bills buy about $49.19 of 2000 goods.

How do I use CPI indexes in this buying power calculator?

Enter a start CPI and an end CPI from the same index (for example U.S. CPI-U). Equivalent amount = starting amount × (end CPI ÷ start CPI). People also search this as a buying power calculator or an inflation purchasing power calculator — the comparison is the same. There is no second URL for those aliases.

Can I compare future buying power of today's dollars?

Yes. Set the start year to today and the end year in the future, or enter a positive number of years. To see what past dollars equal today, put the earlier year first. A negative year span goes backward from the start year.

What inflation rate should I use?

Long-run U.S. consumer inflation is often rounded to about 2–3% a year, so this page defaults to 3%. Use a published average for the years you care about, or switch to CPI indexes if you have start and end index levels. The rate is an assumption, not a forecast.

Does this purchasing power calculator upload my numbers?

No. Amount, years, inflation rate, and CPI indexes are calculated in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server or stored on our side.

Is this purchasing power calculator financial advice?

No. Results are an educational estimate of buying power under a constant inflation rate or a CPI ratio you enter. Official indexes, taxes, and your own prices vary. Check a qualified advisor before you make money decisions.