Inflation calculator
Explore how a constant annual inflation rate changes prices over time. Compare the future cost of a purchase with the purchasing power of an unchanged cash balance.
Edit any line below. Results update as you type. Use the same currency for all monetary amounts.
| @1 | amount = 10000 | |
| @2 | inflationRate = 3% | |
| @3 | years = 10 | |
| @4 | priceFactor = (1 + inflationRate) ^ years | |
| @5 | futureCost = amount * priceFactor | |
| @6 | purchasingPower = amount / priceFactor | |
| @7 | extraCost = futureCost - amount |
How inflation changes prices
Raise one plus the annual inflation rate to the number of years to get the price factor. Multiply today's price by that factor to estimate its future cost. Divide a fixed cash amount by the same factor to express its future purchasing power in today's money.
Assumptions and limits
The sample rate is hypothetical. This is a constant-rate projection, not a historical inflation lookup or a forecast. Prices for individual purchases can change differently. Use a rate greater than -100% and a nonnegative time horizon.
Why are future cost and purchasing power different?
Future cost shows the money needed later to buy what the starting amount buys today. Purchasing power shows how much an unchanged cash balance would buy later, measured at today's prices. One grows with inflation while the other falls.
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