Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Buying power in today's dollars
$55,368
Amount needed to match today
$180,611
Purchasing power lost
$44,632
Percent lost
44.6
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One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter amount today ($).
- 2Enter inflation rate (%).
- 3Enter years.
- 4Read your buying power in today's dollars on the right — it updates as you type.
- 5Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Inflation quietly shrinks cash. At 3%, a dollar loses about a quarter of its buying power in ten years — which is why sitting in cash is not neutral.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Amount today: 100000 $
- Inflation rate: 3 %
- Years: 20
Results
- Buying power in today's dollars: $55,368
- Amount needed to match today: $180,611
- Purchasing power lost: $44,632
- Percent lost: 44.6
What each field means
Inputs
- Amount today ($)
- The amount today used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 100000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Inflation rate (%)
- The inflation rate used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 3 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–25 %.
- Years
- The years used in the calculation. Starts at 20 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–60.
Results
- Buying power in today's dollars
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Amount needed to match today
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Purchasing power lost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Percent lost
- Returned as a decimal number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
How does the inflation purchasing power calculator work?
Inflation quietly shrinks cash. At 3%, a dollar loses about a quarter of its buying power in ten years — which is why sitting in cash is not neutral. The underlying maths is: Future value of purchasing power = amount ÷ (1 + i)^years
What do I need to enter?
3 values: amount today, inflation rate, and years. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move.
What does the buying power in today's dollars result mean?
It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds.
Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?
Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser.
How accurate is the result?
It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
Who is this tool for?
It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Inflation Impact Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/inflation-impact
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/inflation-impact" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Inflation Impact Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Inflation Impact Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/inflation-impact) (2026).