Inflation Table: The Shrinking Buying Power of $100
Inflation quietly erodes cash. This table shows what $100 held today would be worth, in today's buying power, after 5 to 50 years at steady inflation rates of 2% to 5%.
How to read this table
Find the number of years down the left and the inflation rate across the top. The value is what $100 of cash could still buy, expressed in today's dollars. For any amount, scale it — $1,000 is simply 10× the figure shown. It is why money left idle needs to earn at least the inflation rate to hold its value.
| Years | 2% inflation | 3% inflation | 4% inflation | 5% inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | $90.57 | $86.26 | $82.19 | $78.35 |
| 10 | $82.03 | $74.41 | $67.56 | $61.39 |
| 15 | $74.30 | $64.19 | $55.53 | $48.10 |
| 20 | $67.30 | $55.37 | $45.64 | $37.69 |
| 25 | $60.95 | $47.76 | $37.51 | $29.53 |
| 30 | $55.21 | $41.20 | $30.83 | $23.14 |
| 40 | $45.29 | $30.66 | $20.83 | $14.20 |
| 50 | $37.15 | $22.81 | $14.07 | $8.72 |
The flip side
The same math run forward shows prices rising: at 3% inflation, something costing $100 today will cost about $180.61 in 20 years. The inflation calculator works in both directions for any amount.
Methodology
Each value is $100 divided by (1 + rate) to the power of the years, using this site's unit-tested inflation function at a constant annual rate. Real inflation varies year to year. This is general information, not financial advice.
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