Calculate how inflation erodes purchasing power over time. Enter any amount, years, and inflation rate to see real value year by year. No sign-up needed.
Added May 31, 2026
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Calculates what a given amount of money is worth in real (inflation-adjusted) terms across a chosen number of years. Uses compound inflation to show how purchasing power erodes or, in reverse, what today's dollars were worth historically.
Future equivalent = Amount ÷ (1 + r)^n | Past equivalent = Amount × (1 + r)^n
$10,000 today will only buy what $7,441 buys now after 10 years at 3% inflation — a real loss of $2,559.
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At 2% annual inflation, $50,000 in savings loses about $16,351 in purchasing power over 20 years.
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The US long-run average CPI inflation is around 3% per year. For conservative financial planning, 2–2.5% is common. For recent years (2021–2023 spike), actual CPI peaked above 8%. Use 3% as a baseline unless you have a specific period in mind.
Nominal value is the face value in today's dollars. Real value adjusts for inflation and reflects actual purchasing power. $10,000 nominal in 10 years is still $10,000 on paper — but it will buy less than $10,000 worth of goods at today's prices.
If your savings account earns less than inflation (e.g. 1% APY when inflation is 3%), your real return is negative — your savings shrink in purchasing power each year. To preserve value, your investment return must exceed inflation.
Cumulative inflation is the total percentage price increase over the entire period, not per year. At 3% annual inflation over 10 years, cumulative inflation is (1.03^10 − 1) × 100 ≈ 34.4% — meaning a basket of goods that cost $100 now costs $134.40.