$1 in 1988 is worth $2.90 today
A dollar in January 1988 had the same buying power as $2.90 in Aug 2026. Prices have risen 190% since then. Change the amount or the months below.
US CPI data through Aug 2026, updated monthly. How we calculate$1 in Jan 1988 is worth, in Aug 2026
Prices rose 189.5% in total, about 2.79% a year. Cash kept under the mattress since Jan 1988 now buys only 35% of what it used to.
US Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, all items, not seasonally adjusted), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data through Aug 2026. Oct 2025 was not published and is estimated from the months around it.
What $1 from 1988 is worth now
Prices in the US have risen 190% since 1988, so it takes $2.90 today to buy what $1 bought then. Put the other way, $1 kept in cash since 1988 now buys only 35% of what it did.
That is an average of 2.8% a year over 39 years. Inflation was mostly moderate, around 2% to 3% a year, until the jump of 2021 and 2022.
For contrast, $1 put into the S&P 500 in January 1988, with dividends reinvested, would be worth about $66.81 today, 23× what inflation alone requires. Cash loses buying power; invested money has historically outgrown it.
| Year | Same buying power |
|---|---|
| 1988 | $1.00 |
| 1990 | $1.10 |
| 2000 | $1.46 |
| 2010 | $1.87 |
| 2020 | $2.23 |
| Aug 2026 | $2.90 |
CPI in January of each year; the last row uses the latest month.
Other years
Common questions
How much is $1 from 1988 worth today?
About $2.90 in Aug 2026 dollars, based on the US Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from January 1988.
How much have prices gone up since 1988?
190% in total, or about 2.8% a year on average.
What would $1 in 1988 buy today?
It buys about 35% of what it bought in 1988. You would need $2.90 to buy the same things.
How is this calculated?
Today's value = $1 × (latest CPI ÷ CPI in January 1988). CPI is the Bureau of Labor Statistics measure of the prices US households pay.
Based on the US Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), all items, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Individual prices, such as homes, college or healthcare, rose faster or slower than the average.
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