Inflation Calculator: Convert Dollars from 19xx to Now

Last updated Sept. 2020

Convert Dollars From One Year to  Equivalent Dollars in Another Year
Calculate Inflation Rates Between Two Years

This calculator is especially useful for converting salaries and asset values.

The brown/tan cells are input fields. For example, enter the start and end years and immediately see the inflation rate between the two years. Enter a price and convert between the start year price and end year price (e.g., from 1900 to 2019 dollars -- or vice versa).



Notes: On some phones you may need to double click to enter data. On some computers, you may have to enter some fields more than once for it to "take." Please leave a comment if you are having problems.

In the example above, we see that as of January 1900 the CPI was 7.9, and inflation for the year was -2.4% (deflation), whereas in 2019 the CPI had risen to 251.7 and yearly inflation was 2.5%. The inflation rate between the two dates is shown as averaging 3.0%.

Using the projected price feature, we see that we would expect that something that cost $0.05 in 1900 would cost $1.59 in 2019. Or, if we had entered $1.59 in the 2019 column we would have found that something that cost $1.59 in 2019 would have cost approximately $0.05 in 1900. Note these are just theoretical, average numbers and do not apply to any specific goods or services. 

Finally, the purchasing power feature shows that $100 in purchasing power in 1900 gets reduced to $3.14 by 2019, a 96.9% decrease in purchasing power.

Please leave your comments in the comment section at the bottom of the post if you have problems. Include hardware, operating system and browser if possible.

Related Posts

What Will $1 be Worth in the Future? (calculator) Like this calculator but converts from now to future.
The Observations Inflation Calculator/Spreadsheet  The original post -- includes descriptions of all of the fields, plus some additional capabilities beyond those in the calculator.

What Would $10,000 in 19xx be Equivalent to Today?  The graph version. Very handy for looking at the big picture, and for a fuller discussion.
The Decrease in Purchasing Power of the U.S. Dollar Since 1900 graph comparing 1900 dollars to now. Again, handy for seeing the big picture, and a discussion.
What Will $10,000 be Worth in 10-20 Years? The flipside. The impact of inflation going forward.
How Much Will Your Bond/CD be Worth in N Years? (calculator) Similar to this calculator. 

For lists of other posts, by category, see the drop down list (mobile viewers) or tabs (computer viewers) just below the blog header at the top of the page. There are additional links in the sidebar if your device supports sidebars.

Data Sources
Pre-1913: Robert Shiller "Irrational Exuberance" data
1913 forward: Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items (CPI-U) from the U.S. Department of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Copyright © 2013                  Last modified: 8/28/2020

Appendix: (below is just an image, not a calculator)

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