Inflation Calculator
See how inflation erodes the value of money over time, or what a past amount is worth today.
Direction
Amount and inflation
Calculated in your browser as you type. Nothing is uploaded.
Assumes a constant annual rate applied evenly across every year. Real inflation varies.
| Year | Equivalent value | Value kept | Power lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,030.00 | 970.87 | 29.13 |
| 2 | 1,060.90 | 942.60 | 57.40 |
| 3 | 1,092.73 | 915.14 | 84.86 |
| 4 | 1,125.51 | 888.49 | 111.51 |
| 5 | 1,159.27 | 862.61 | 137.39 |
| 6 | 1,194.05 | 837.48 | 162.52 |
| 7 | 1,229.87 | 813.09 | 186.91 |
| 8 | 1,266.77 | 789.41 | 210.59 |
| 9 | 1,304.77 | 766.42 | 233.58 |
| 10 | 1,343.92 | 744.09 | 255.91 |
How to calculate the effect of inflation
Enter your amount
Type the amount of money you want to check, in any currency.
Set the rate and years
Enter an average annual inflation rate and the number of years to project across.
Choose a direction
Pick whether you are looking forward in time or valuing an older amount in today money.
Read the result
The equivalent value, purchasing power lost, and cumulative inflation appear instantly as stat cards.
Why use this tool
Forward and reverse
Project today money into the future, or value a past amount in today money, with a single toggle.
Purchasing power at a glance
See exactly how much value inflation erodes, shown both as an amount and as a percentage.
Cumulative inflation
The total price rise across the whole period is shown alongside the per year rate you entered.
Year by year breakdown
A table lists the equivalent value and remaining purchasing power for every year in the range.
Deflation supported
Enter a negative rate to model deflation, where prices fall and money gains buying power over time.
Runs entirely in your browser
Everything is calculated on your device as you type; nothing is uploaded.
About this tool
Inflation is the slow rise in prices that makes each unit of money buy a little less over time. This calculator takes an amount, an average annual inflation rate, and a number of years, then shows two things: the future equivalent value, meaning how much money you would need later to buy what your amount buys now, and the loss of purchasing power, meaning how much real value that same amount quietly gives up if it just sits as cash.
Switch the direction to work backward and the tool answers a different question: what is an older amount worth in today money? A salary or price from years ago is inflated forward to a present day equivalent, which is the honest way to compare figures across time. At a steady 3% a year, 1,000 becomes about 1,344 after ten years, a cumulative rise of roughly 34%, and cash left untouched over that span keeps only about 744 of its original buying power.
Real inflation is never a single fixed number: it varies year to year and differs by country and by what you buy, so treat the output as a clean projection for comparing scenarios rather than a precise forecast. The rate you enter is applied evenly across every year in the range, and the year by year table shows the compounding at each step. For growth in the other direction, the compound interest calculator projects how savings build up, and the percentage calculator handles one off percentage changes. Everything runs in your browser, and nothing is uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
- What does an inflation calculator do?
- It shows how the value of money changes with inflation. Given an amount, an annual rate, and a number of years, it computes the future equivalent value, how much purchasing power is lost, and the cumulative price rise over the period.
- What is the difference between the future and past directions?
- The future direction starts with money you have now and projects forward: it shows what the same goods will cost later and how much buying power your cash loses. The past direction starts with an older amount and inflates it up to a present day equivalent, so you can compare old prices or salaries with today.
- What inflation rate should I use?
- Use an average annual rate for the period you care about. Many economies target somewhere around 2% to 3% a year, but published historical averages differ by country and era. You can enter any rate, and a negative rate models deflation, where prices fall.
- Which currency does it use?
- None. The calculator works in plain numbers, so the result is in whatever currency you typed. Formatting adds thousands separators and two decimals but no symbol.
- How accurate is the result?
- It applies one constant annual rate evenly across every year, so it is a projection, not a forecast. Real inflation varies year to year and by what you buy, so use the output to compare scenarios rather than to predict an exact future price.
- Is my data uploaded anywhere?
- No. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is sent to a server.
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