About the Inflation Time Machine
Inflation is the most boring way to lose money — which is exactly why most people ignore it. This tool makes it visceral: pick any year since 1913 and any amount, and see what that money equals in today's dollars, what it could have bought back then (houses for $3,900, gas for 10 cents), and how much purchasing power evaporated while the bills sat still.
All math uses official U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U annual averages — the same index used to adjust Social Security and tax brackets. A dollar from 1913 needs about $32 of today's money to match its buying power. The melting never stops; it just compounds quietly at a few percent a year.
FAQ
How is the inflation calculation done?
We use the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U annual averages from 1913 to today. Your amount is multiplied by the ratio of today's index to the index of your chosen year — the standard method economists use to compare dollar values across time.
What was $100 in 1980 worth today?
Roughly $390 in today's dollars. Put differently: cash kept under the mattress since 1980 has lost about 74% of its purchasing power.
Which decade had the worst inflation?
The 1970s. From 1970 to 1980 the CPI more than doubled (38.8 to 82.4) — an average of 7.8% per year, peaking above 13% in 1979-1980. The 2021-2022 surge was the worst since then.
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