$100 today won't be $100 in 10 years. See how inflation erodes your savings using official CPI projections. Track your money's real value, year by year.
Future Value = Present Value × (1 + i)^n | Real Value = Future Value / (1 + i)^nInflation erodes purchasing power over time. The future value formula shows what an amount today will nominally become after n years of inflation at rate i. Conversely, the real value formula shows what a future amount is worth in today's dollars.
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Present Value | The current amount of money |
| Future Value | The nominal amount after inflation |
| i | Annual inflation rate (decimal, e.g., 3.5% = 0.035) |
| n | Number of years |
| Real Value | Purchasing power expressed in today's dollars |
Our calculations are based on established financial and scientific formulas. The following sources inform the default values and methodology used in this calculator:
At a 3% annual inflation rate, $100 today will be worth only about $74 in 10 years — a 26% loss in purchasing power. This is why financial planners recommend investing in assets that outpace inflation rather than keeping large sums in cash. The long-term average inflation rate in the US is 3.2% (1913-2024), but it has fluctuated significantly, peaking at 23.7% in 1920 and reaching recent highs of 9.1% in June 2022.
| Years | At 2% Inflation | At 3% Inflation | At 5% Inflation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 years | $9,057 | $8,626 | $7,835 |
| 10 years | $8,203 | $7,441 | $6,139 |
| 15 years | $7,430 | $6,419 | $4,810 |
| 20 years | $6,730 | $5,537 | $3,769 |
| 30 years | $5,521 | $4,119 | $2,314 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Data (1913-2024). Historical average inflation rate calculated from consumer price index records.
Inflation is one of the biggest silent threats to long-term savings. Even at a mild 2% rate, purchasing power is cut roughly in half over 30 years. Always evaluate returns in real (inflation-adjusted) terms, and use this inflation calculator to see how rising prices erode your savings over time.
The most common way people use an inflation calculator is the reverse question: what did money used to be worth? The table below shows the approximate today-value of $100 from selected years, based on the U.S. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U, BLS annual averages, rounded). Two patterns stand out: the 1970s erased nearly two-thirds of the dollar's value in a single decade, and post-2000 inflation has been comparatively gentle — though the 2021-2023 spike was the sharpest three-year stretch since the early 1980s.
| $100 in… | Approx. Value Today | Cumulative Inflation |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | ~$810 | ~710% |
| 1975 | ~$590 | ~490% |
| 1980 | ~$390 | ~290% |
| 1985 | ~$295 | ~195% |
| 1990 | ~$245 | ~145% |
| 1995 | ~$210 | ~110% |
| 2000 | ~$185 | ~85% |
| 2010 | ~$147 | ~47% |
| 2020 | ~$123 | ~23% |
These are national averages for a basket of goods — your personal inflation differs. Healthcare and college tuition have outrun CPI for decades, while televisions and clothing have often gotten cheaper in quality-adjusted terms. For amounts other than $100, scale linearly: $12,000 from 1975 is roughly 120 times the $100 figure. The calculator above uses the same CPI methodology, so any year pair can be computed precisely rather than estimated from this table.
What's 15% of 200? What percent is 45 of 300? What's the percentage increase from 50 to 75? Three common questions, one tool. Step-by-step answers for everyday math.
Exactly how old are you — down to the day, hour, and minute? Calculate your chronological age, the difference between any two dates, or how many days until your next birthday.
Dinner's over and the check arrives — time to do math. Or just use this. Enter the total, pick a tip percentage, and split among friends. Done.
Add tax to a purchase, strip it from a total, or look up any US state's combined rate. Updated for 2026 with state and local rates. No more guessing at the register.
What are the odds? Calculate single-event probability, the chance of at least one success in multiple tries, and expected value. From coin flips to real-world decisions.
Rates verified 2026-10-09 · Sourced from official seller fee schedules