Inflation calculator
The 2026 figure is the average of the months published so far this year, not a full-year average. It will move as the remaining months are released.
Based on the CPI-U for all urban consumers, US city average, all items. It measures a national basket, so it will not match the price of any particular thing — housing, tuition and electronics have all moved very differently from the average.
Inflation is measured by comparing a price index between two years. Multiply the amount by the later index and divide by the earlier one. Using the US CPI-U, $100 in 1990 has the buying power of about $250 in 2026 — a total rise of roughly 150%, or an average of about 2.6% a year.
How to use this calculator
The average annual rate is a compound rate, not the total divided by the years. Over the 36 years from 1990, prices rose about 150% in total, which is 2.6% a year compounded — not 4.2%, which is what dividing would give. The compound figure is the one that lets you compare periods of different lengths.
Questions
CPI-U: the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, US city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted. It is the series the BLS publishes monthly and the one most commonly quoted.