See how inflation erodes your money over time
Inflation Inputs
How much will today's amount cost in the future at a given inflation rate?
Future Equivalent Cost
In 10 years, $1,000.00 will only buy $744.09 worth of goods in today's money.
Formula
Future Value = Amount × (1 + r)n = $1,000.00 × (1 + 0.0300)10 = $1,343.92
r = 3% annual inflation rate, n = 10 years
Year-by-Year Breakdown
Expand to see the inflation-adjusted value for each year over the 10-year period.
Note: This calculator assumes a constant annual inflation rate using the standard compound inflation formula. Real-world inflation varies each year. For historical adjustments use your country's official CPI data (e.g. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Results are for informational purposes only.
The inflation calculator helps you understand how rising prices affect your money's purchasing power. Enter any dollar amount, an expected annual inflation rate, and a number of years to instantly see the future equivalent cost — or work backward to find what today's money was worth in the past. Essential for retirement planning, salary negotiations, and historical price comparisons.
It uses the standard compound inflation formula: Future Value = Amount × (1 + r)^n, where r is the annual inflation rate and n is the number of years. To find a past equivalent, it divides instead of multiplies. This mirrors how the Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures price changes over time.
The U.S. long-run average is roughly 3% per year. For conservative retirement planning, many advisors suggest 3–4%. For recent years, you may want to use a higher figure (5–7%). The quick-rate presets on this tool cover the most common scenarios.
Purchasing power is the real quantity of goods and services a given amount of money can buy. Inflation erodes it — $1,000 today buys less in 10 years if prices rise. This calculator shows exactly how much buying power is lost so you can plan savings, investments, and price adjustments accordingly.
Yes — switch to 'Backward' mode and enter a current amount plus the years elapsed. The result shows the equivalent value in past dollars. For precise historical comparisons, also check the official CPI data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov), as actual inflation varied each year.