Inflation calculator
You type the annual rate. The page does not download a consumer-price index and it does not predict next year’s inflation.
Two questions use the same rate. Purchasing power is what today’s money will buy after several years of that rate. Future cost is what a basket that costs the amount today would cost then.
Calculator
Required fields are marked with *.
Use a comma or a dot for the decimal, as in 12.5 or 12,5. Type thousands as 1000 or 1 000. A single comma or dot is the decimal mark, so 1,000 means 1.
Results
The result will appear here.
How to use this calculator
- Enter an amount in whatever currency you are thinking in.
- Enter the annual rate, in percent, and the number of years.
- Read both results. They move in opposite directions.
Formula
future cost = amount × (1 + rate / 100)^years
purchasing power = amount / (1 + rate / 100)^years
A negative rate is deflation, down to just above −100 percent. The rate is constant. Real inflation is not.
Worked example
1,000 at 3 percent for 10 years
1.03 to the 10th power is about 1.3439.
The same basket costs about 1,343.92. The 1,000 buys about 744.09 of today’s basket.
Future cost about 1,343.92. Purchasing power about 744.09.
Questions
Where do I get the rate?
From a statistics office or from a rate you want to test. This page will not fetch one.
Is purchasing power the same as a savings balance?
No. A savings balance can earn interest. This page only applies the inflation rate you typed.
Why are the two results different?
Future cost grows with inflation. Purchasing power shrinks. They are reciprocals of the same factor.
Sources
Last reviewed November 12, 2026