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Inflation Calculator

What is $100 from 1990 worth today?

Enter an amount and a year and see what it is worth in today's dollars, with the official data behind it.

One Click Answers · Inflation Calculator
oneclickanswers.com/inflation-calculator · Printed
About this tool & how to use it

What it does

Find what an amount from a past year is worth today from official U.S. consumer price data, or what money will cost at an inflation rate you choose, with a year-by-year breakdown.

How to use it

  1. Choose "Official U.S. history" or "A yearly inflation rate I choose".
  2. For history, enter the amount, the year it is from and the year to compare with. For a rate, enter the amount, the rate and the years.
  3. Read the adjusted amount and the change in buying power.
  4. Press "Get a detailed answer" for the full working: tables, charts and what-if comparisons.

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Assumptions

  • Annual averages: results are for whole years, not months.
  • The index is an average. Your own prices (housing, health care, tuition) may have risen faster or slower.
  • The data covers 1913 to 2025. The current year is not included until the full-year average is published.
  • Everything you enter is worked out in your browser and is never sent anywhere.

Printed from oneclickanswers.com. Results are estimates based on what was entered; see the assumptions above.

How we calculated this

The Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) follows the average cost of a typical basket of goods and services bought by urban U.S. consumers.

Adjusted amount = amount x (index in the later year / index in the earlier year). For $100 from 1990: 100 x 321.943 / 130.7 = $246.32.

Historical figures use annual averages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, shown on the page with the date they were taken. A year that is not in the data is refused, never estimated.

The "rate I choose" mode is a hypothetical: amount x (1 + rate)^years. It is never presented as history or a forecast.

Formulas and details
  • Adjusted amount = amount x CPI(to year) / CPI(from year).
  • Average yearly inflation = (CPI(to) / CPI(from))^(1 / years) - 1.
  • Assumed-rate projection = amount x (1 + rate)^years.

Assumptions

  • Annual averages: results are for whole years, not months.
  • The index is an average. Your own prices (housing, health care, tuition) may have risen faster or slower.
  • The data covers 1913 to 2025. The current year is not included until the full-year average is published.
  • Everything you enter is worked out in your browser and is never sent anywhere.

Example

Input: $100 from 1990, in 2025 dollars

Result: $100.00 in 1990 has the buying power of about $246.32 in 2025. Prices changed +146.3%, so a 1990 dollar buys what 40.6 cents buys in 2025.

Questions

Where does the data come from?

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), annual averages. The source and date taken are shown on the page and in the detailed answer.

Can it predict future inflation?

No. The rate mode only shows what a rate you choose would do. Future inflation is unknown.

Why does 1990 to 2025 say +146%?

Because the index went from 130.7 to 321.9, a rise of 146.3%. The average is about 2.6% a year.

Last reviewed 2026-10-08. Report an incorrect result

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