What Did $100 Buy the Year You Were Born?
Pick a year from 1913 to today. See what the money was worth, the total inflation since, and what a stamp, a gallon of gas, a movie ticket, the minimum wage and a Big Mac cost that year compared with now.
Last updated: November 2026 · Sources: BLS CPI-U, USPS, EIA, National Association of Theatre Owners, US Department of Labor, The Economist Big Mac index
Try your parents' salary, the price of their first car, or your first pay cheque.
| Everyday price | In 1990 | In 2026 | Change | vs CPI (2.53x) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-class stamp (USPS) | $0.25 | $0.78 | 3.12x | rose faster |
| Gallon of regular gas (EIA annual average) | $1.15 | $3.10 | 2.70x | rose faster |
| Movie ticket (NATO average) | $4.23 | $11.80 | 2.79x | rose faster |
| Federal minimum wage (hour) (US Dept of Labor) | $3.80 | $7.25 | 1.91x | rose slower |
| Big Mac (The Economist) | $2.20 | $5.85 | 2.66x | rose faster |
Stamp and minimum wage: value in force at the start of the year. Gas, movie and Big Mac: annual averages, interpolated between published years. Items not yet sold or tracked in 1990 are left out.
What the multiplier means, and why the stamp disagrees with it
The headline number is the Consumer Price Index ratio: the average price of the basket an urban household buys, this year divided by your birth year. It is the official definition of "how much a dollar is worth". But nobody buys the average basket, which is why the table shows five real prices. Some rose faster than the index (movie tickets and the stamp have outrun the CPI since 1990), some slower (gas, over most 20-year windows, and the minimum wage, which has lost about a third of its buying power since 2009 because it has not moved while prices have). The gap between the multiplier and the item is the story of that item.
| Born in | $100 then is worth now | Total inflation | Per year | Stamp then | Gas then |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | $1,373 | 1273% | 3.5% | $0.03 | $0.27 |
| 1960 | $1,118 | 1018% | 3.7% | $0.04 | $0.31 |
| 1970 | $853 | 753% | 3.9% | $0.06 | $0.36 |
| 1980 | $402 | 302% | 3.1% | $0.15 | $1.19 |
| 1990 | $253 | 153% | 2.6% | $0.25 | $1.15 |
| 2000 | $192 | 92% | 2.5% | $0.33 | $1.51 |
| 2010 | $152 | 52% | 2.6% | $0.44 | $2.79 |
| 2020 | $128 | 28% | 4.2% | $0.55 | $2.17 |
Worked example
Born in 1988. The CPI annual average was 118.3 that year and is an estimated 330.9 in 2026, so the multiplier is 2.80: $100 in 1988 buys what $280 buys today, and prices have risen 180% over 38 years, 2.7% a year compounded. A stamp was 25 cents and is 78 cents (3.1x, faster than the index). Regular gas averaged about $0.90 and is about $3.10 (3.4x). A movie ticket was about $4.11 and is about $11.80 (2.9x). The federal minimum wage was $3.35 and is $7.25 (2.2x, slower than the index, so a minimum-wage hour buys less than it did in 1988). The 1988 median household income of $27,225 would be $76,150 in today's money; the actual 2024 median was about $83,700, so the typical household is ahead of 1988 by roughly a tenth after inflation.
Why the per-year rate matters more than the total
"Prices have tripled since I was born" sounds dramatic until it is spread over 40 years at 2.8% a year, which is close to the long-run average. The dramatic decades are visible in the per-year column: anyone born in the early 1970s lived through 1973 to 1981, when prices doubled in eight years, and their lifetime average is pulled up by it. Anyone born after 1990 grew up with 2 to 3% a year and 2021 to 2023 (about 18% in three years) was the first inflation they noticed. The rate is also the number to use for planning: money kept in cash loses that much buying power every year, and the compound interest calculator on this site shows what it takes to stay ahead of it.
Where the numbers come from
CPI-U annual averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1913 to 2024 final, 2025 and 2026 estimated at 2.7% a year until the final figures are published (the 2026 estimate is revised when the BLS releases it in January 2027). Stamp prices from the USPS rate history, value in force at the start of each year. Minimum wage from the Department of Labor's history of the federal rate; many states are higher. Gas from the EIA's annual average for regular grade, interpolated between anchor years before 2000. Movie tickets from the National Association of Theatre Owners annual average. Big Mac from The Economist's index, US price, tracked from 1986. Every figure is in nominal dollars of its own year, which is the point.
Frequently asked questions
How is "what $100 is worth today" calculated?+
By the US Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, all items, annual average) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The amount is multiplied by this year's CPI divided by the birth year's CPI. 2025 and 2026 use estimated annual averages of 322.2 and 330.9 (about 2.7% a year) until the BLS publishes the final figures.
Why does the stamp or minimum wage not change every year?+
They are set by law or by the Postal Service and only move when changed. The table shows the value in force at the start of the year you picked. Gas, movie tickets and the Big Mac are annual averages, interpolated between published years.
Which year had the worst inflation since 1913?+
1917 to 1920, when prices roughly doubled in four years, and 1946 to 1948 after wartime controls ended. The post-war peak most people remember is 1980, at 13.5% for the year; 2022, at 8.0%, was the highest since 1981.
Is this calculator US only?+
Yes. The price index and the everyday items are American. Inflation in the UK, euro area, Canada and Australia over the same decades was broadly similar in direction but not in size; the general inflation calculator on this site has other countries.
What was the average annual inflation rate over my lifetime?+
The calculator shows it. For someone born in 1990 it is about 2.6% a year; for 1975, about 3.6%; for 2000, about 2.5%. The long-run US average since 1913 is about 3.2%.