Inflation means prices rise over time, so each dollar buys less. See what an amount from a past year equals today, what your money will buy in the future, and whether your raise kept up.
Compare two years
$
Results
Same buying power in 2026
Total price change
Average inflation per year
Extra dollars needed
To buy the same things in the later year.
As an hourly wage
If the amount is a yearly salary (2,080 work hours).
Uses the yearly average Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 2026 figure is the average of January to August 2026, because the year is not finished.
Today to the future
$
years
20 yrs
%
3.0%
Your guess for how fast prices will rise. Nobody knows the future rate.
Results
Buying power in 20 years (in today's dollars)
Needed to buy the same things
Buying power lost
Your pay, before and after
$
$
%
Average yearly rise in prices between the two salaries. The first tab shows past inflation.