$1 in 1990 is worth $2.63 today
A dollar in January 1990 had the same buying power as $2.63 in Aug 2026. Prices have risen 163% since then. Change the amount or the months below.
US CPI data through Aug 2026, updated monthly. How we calculate$1 in Jan 1990 is worth, in Aug 2026
Prices rose 162.9% in total, about 2.68% a year. Cash kept under the mattress since Jan 1990 now buys only 38% 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 1990 is worth now
Prices in the US have risen 163% since 1990, so it takes $2.63 today to buy what $1 bought then. Put the other way, $1 kept in cash since 1990 now buys only 38% of what it did.
That is an average of 2.7% a year over 37 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 1990, with dividends reinvested, would be worth about $46.05 today, 18× what inflation alone requires. Cash loses buying power; invested money has historically outgrown it.
| Year | Same buying power |
|---|---|
| 1990 | $1.00 |
| 2000 | $1.32 |
| 2010 | $1.70 |
| 2020 | $2.02 |
| Aug 2026 | $2.63 |
CPI in January of each year; the last row uses the latest month.
Other years
Common questions
How much is $1 from 1990 worth today?
About $2.63 in Aug 2026 dollars, based on the US Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from January 1990.
How much have prices gone up since 1990?
163% in total, or about 2.7% a year on average.
What would $1 in 1990 buy today?
It buys about 38% of what it bought in 1990. You would need $2.63 to buy the same things.
How is this calculated?
Today's value = $1 × (latest CPI ÷ CPI in January 1990). 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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