Inflation calculatorInflation calculator: estimate future cost and buying power
Compare the future cost of a purchase with the future purchasing power of a fixed cash amount. At an assumed 3% annual inflation rate, a basket costing $10,000 today would cost $13,439.16 after 10 years. A fixed $10,000 then would buy what $7,440.94 buys today. The rate is your scenario input. This is not a historical CPI lookup or an inflation forecast. The table shows the same constant-rate calculation at each year, with a final partial year when applicable.
Purchasing power — in today’s money
$7,441
after 10 years at 3% inflation
Future cost
$13,439
Value lost to inflation
$2,559
How to use
- 1
Enter an amount in today's money — a salary, a price, a savings balance.
- 2
Set the annual inflation rate (3% is a common long-run assumption).
- 3
Choose how many years ahead to look.
- 4
Read both directions: what it will cost then, and what today's money buys.
- 5
Raise the rate to stress-test against high-inflation decades.
Benefits
Future prices, today
See what today's $100,000 salary needs to be in 20 years just to stand still.
Both directions
Future cost and eroded purchasing power side by side — the full picture.
Retirement reality check
Pairs with the retirement calculator: nominal millions mean little without this.
Deflation handled too
Negative rates work mathematically — rare, but the tool doesn't break.
How it works
- P
- Amount today — the starting figure in current dollars
- i
- Annual inflation rate, as a decimal (3% = 0.03)
- t
- Years into the future (fractions allowed)
Future cost = amount * (1 + i)^years. Purchasing power in today's money = amount / (1 + i)^years, where i is the annual inflation rate as a decimal. Real inflation varies, and your household costs can differ from a price index. Compare several rates rather than relying on one assumption.
Worked example
$10,000 at 3% inflation for 10 years costs $13,439.16 in future prices — but its purchasing power is only $7,440.94 in today’s money. You lose $2,559.06 of buying power without spending a cent.
Understanding your results
The future-cost figure applies your assumed constant annual inflation rate to the amount and period entered. The purchasing-power figure expresses a future amount in current dollars. This is a scenario calculation, not a historical CPI lookup or inflation forecast.
Sources and methodology
These resources explain related concepts. They do not certify or endorse this calculator. See the assumptions and worked example above.
- Consumer Price Index — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ↗
Official U.S. price-index information. Our calculator uses your assumed rate, not this live dataset.
Frequently asked questions
In future prices it grows to $13,439.16, but its purchasing power — what it actually buys — falls to $7,440.94. You lose $2,559.06 of buying power, about a quarter of the value, over the decade. That is why idle cash is a losing position whenever inflation outruns your savings rate.
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Open calculatorFigures are estimates for education only — not financial advice. Results depend on the assumptions you enter. Read the full disclaimer.