Money & Finance
Inflation calculator
Prices rise a little every year. Enter an amount, an inflation rate and a time to see the future cost of the same things and the buying power your money keeps.
- Free, no sign-up
- Runs in your browser
- Nothing uploaded
Inflation
Only changes the symbol and number format. No exchange rates are used.
Use your country's recent average, for example 2 to 4% in many economies.
Result
Year by year
How to use this tool
- Enter an amount in today's money and pick a currency.
- Enter the yearly inflation rate you expect or the recent average.
- Choose how many years ahead you want to look.
- Read the future cost of the same goods and the buying power of your money, then copy or download the table.
How it works
Inflation compounds. If prices rise 3% a year, something that costs 1,000 today costs 1,000 × 1.03 raised to the number of years. The buying power of your money moves the other way: 1,000 kept as cash will buy only 1,000 divided by that same factor.
Future cost = amount × (1 + rate)years
Buying power = amount ÷ (1 + rate)years
Good to know
Ten years at 3% raises prices by about 34%, so 1,000 buys what 744 buys today. At 6% the same decade pushes prices up by 79%. That is why long-term savings need a return above inflation to grow in real terms.
Use the tool to adjust a salary target, to check whether a fixed pension keeps up, or to convert an old price into today's money. For past years, enter the average rate for the period and the number of years. The calculator uses one steady rate, while real inflation varies by year and by what you buy. The currency selector changes only the symbol and the number format.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate the future cost of something?
Multiply the price by one plus the inflation rate, raised to the number of years. The calculator does it for you.
What is buying power?
It is how much you can buy with a fixed amount of money. As prices rise, the same money buys less.
Which inflation rate should I use?
Use the recent average in your country or the target of your central bank, often around 2 to 3 percent.
Is anything sent anywhere?
No. Everything is calculated in your browser.