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Purchasing Power

What Is $100 Worth Today vs. the Past?

$100 in April 2026 is equivalent to about $96 from a year ago. Inflation has added $4 to this amount over the past year.

Data: BLS CPI-U All Items · Latest: April 2026

1 Year Ago (April 2025)

$96

was equivalent to $100 today

+3.8% cumulative inflation

2 Years Ago (April 2024)

$94

was equivalent to $100 today

+6.2% cumulative inflation

3 Years Ago (April 2023)

$91

was equivalent to $100 today

+9.8% cumulative inflation

What This Means in Plain Terms

If you spent $100 on something today — rent, groceries, a car payment, household expenses — you would have only needed to spend $96 on the same goods and services a year ago. The difference is inflation — prices have risen across the board.

Looking back three years to April 2023, $100 today had the same buying power as just $91. That means $9 of every $100 you spend today goes purely toward higher prices compared to three years ago.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Period Equivalent Cost Then Today's Cost Added by Inflation
1 Year Ago (April 2025) $96 $100 +$4
2 Years Ago (April 2024) $94 $100 +$6
3 Years Ago (April 2023) $91 $100 +$9

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Use the full calculator to enter any dollar amount — a monthly rent, a grocery bill, a salary — and see the inflation impact across multiple time periods.

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Related Dollar Amounts

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U · bls.gov · Price Inflation Report