Inflation tracker
Purchasing power of the dollar
What $100 held as cash from January 1971 buys over time, in January 1971 dollars.
Years 1971 to 2026
19472026
Buying power left (Sep 2026)
$11.86
Needed to match
$843
Purchasing power lost
88.1%
Avg. inflation / yr
3.91%
Cash (purchasing power)Halvings (est. = estimated)
How it is calculated
- Purchasing power in month m = amount × CPI(start month) ÷ CPI(m). Data: FRED CPIAUCSL, index 1982–1984 = 100, seasonally adjusted, retrieved Oct 15, 2026.
- The optional BTC line converts the amount to bitcoin at the start month's average price from Blockchain.com, values it each month, then deflates by CPI so both lines are in start-month dollars. Bitcoin prices only exist from 2010, and the chart switches to a log scale because the ranges differ by orders of magnitude.
- Halving markers use block timestamps from mempool.space; the schedule itself is set in Bitcoin Core.
Limits
CPI measures an average basket of urban consumer prices; your own costs may rise faster or slower. Bitcoin's price is volatile, and past moves say nothing about future ones. This page is education, not investment advice.
Related
- Inflation calculator (single amount, any month)
- Bitcoin's supply schedule
- The power-law model
- Debt economy vs Bitcoin