🎈 Inflation Calculator
See how inflation changes future prices and the buying power of your money — for any country and any rate.
Year-by-year table
| Year | Future cost | Buying power |
|---|
How the Inflation Calculator Works
Inflation is the general rise in prices over time, which means the same amount of money buys less in the future. Enter an amount, an average annual inflation rate, and a number of years. The calculator shows two things:
- Future cost — what something that costs that amount today would cost after the given years if prices rise at that rate.
- Future buying power — what today's money would be worth in today's terms after the same period, if it is not invested or earning interest.
Because it uses a rate you choose rather than one country's official price index, it works for any country and any scenario — enter your central bank's target, a long-run historical average, or a what-if rate. A year-by-year table shows how the effect builds up.
Formula
Future cost = amount × (1 + i)^n Future buying power = amount ÷ (1 + i)^n Cumulative inflation = ((1 + i)^n − 1) × 100% i = annual inflation rate as a decimal, n = number of years
How to Use It
- Enter an amount of money.
- Enter the average annual inflation rate you expect (or want to test).
- Enter the number of years.
- Read the future cost, the future buying power, and the year-by-year table.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does inflation affect my money?
With 3% annual inflation, prices roughly double in about 24 years, so the same amount of cash buys about half as much. Money that earns less than the inflation rate loses buying power in real terms.
What inflation rate should I use?
Many central banks target around 2% per year, but actual inflation varies by country and period. For long-term planning, people often use their country's long-run average; for a stress test, try a higher rate.
What is the difference between nominal and real value?
Nominal value is the number of currency units; real value adjusts for inflation to show what that money can actually buy. This calculator converts between the two using the rate you enter.
Related Calculators
- 📈 Compound Interest Calculator — See how your money grows with compound interest and regular monthly contributions.
- ⏳ Rule of 72 Calculator — A quick shortcut for estimating how fast your money doubles.
- 🔥 FIRE Number Calculator — Financial Independence, Retire Early — find your number and timeline.
- 💹 Simple Interest Calculator — Interest and total amount for any principal, rate, and time — any currency.
Formula and content last reviewed: September 2026. All calculations run in your browser — nothing you enter is sent to or stored on our servers.
Guide: understanding your result
- Inflation reduces what a fixed amount of money can buy over time.
- In the U.S. it is most commonly measured with the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U), published monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- A raise smaller than inflation is a cut in real terms.
Worked example
At an average 3% inflation rate, $1,000 today buys what about $744 buys in 10 years — and a price of $1,000 today becomes about $1,344.
Purchasing power of $1,000 in the future
| After | 2% inflation | 3% inflation | 4% inflation | 5% inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 years | $906 | $863 | $822 | $784 |
| 10 years | $820 | $744 | $676 | $614 |
| 20 years | $673 | $554 | $456 | $377 |
| 30 years | $552 | $412 | $308 | $231 |
Common mistakes to avoid
- Comparing salaries or prices from different years without adjusting for inflation.
- Assuming one year's inflation rate will persist for decades.
Official sources
Examples are calculated live from the same data the calculator uses and are for education only — they are not financial, tax or investment advice.
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See all →✔ Reviewed by GelirLab Editöryal Ekibi · Last reviewed: September 2026 · How we check our calculators