Inflation calculator
Estimate the dollar amount in a later month that corresponds to the same CPI-U basket value in an earlier month. This calculator uses the unadjusted U.S. all-items consumer price index.
The calculation
Equivalent amount = starting amount × ending price index ÷ starting price index. Both indexes come from BLS series CUUR0000SA0, CPI-U all items, U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted, with 1982–1984 equal to 100. The base year does not change a ratio when both inputs use the same index basis.
For example, an index that moves from 100 to 110 implies a 10% increase in the basket’s price level. A starting amount of $50 corresponds to $55 at the ending index. This arithmetic scales a representative basket; it does not say that every household’s costs moved by exactly 10%. You can also select an earlier ending month to calculate an equivalent in earlier dollars.
What this estimate means
The result describes purchasing power relative to this consumer price index. It is an educational estimate based on monthly average observations. It does not measure the price of a particular house, business input, tuition bill or personal shopping basket. Monthly values are not prices on a specific day.
CPI-U concerns urban consumers. Individual households buy different goods and services, face different local prices and may experience different changes. This national calculation does not supply city-level inflation or compare living costs across regions. For spatial price differences, consult the appropriate regional price-parity data instead of comparing CPI index levels.
Periods and provenance
Available inputs run from January 1947 through August 2026 in the September 30, 2026 snapshot. Both inputs use unadjusted values; a seasonally adjusted numerator is never mixed with an unadjusted denominator. Zero or unavailable index values cannot be used as denominators, and negative starting amounts are rejected.
Inspect every index value and source code, read about inflation and price levels or check the BLS CPI documentation. Inputs are calculated in your browser. The result contains no projection of future prices.