$1 in 2005 is worth $1.76 today
A dollar in January 2005 had the same buying power as $1.76 in Aug 2026. Prices have risen 76% since then. Change the amount or the months below.
US CPI data through Aug 2026, updated monthly. How we calculate$1 in Jan 2005 is worth, in Aug 2026
Prices rose 75.7% in total, about 2.64% a year. Cash kept under the mattress since Jan 2005 now buys only 57% 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 2005 is worth now
Prices in the US have risen 76% since 2005, so it takes $1.76 today to buy what $1 bought then. Put the other way, $1 kept in cash since 2005 now buys only 57% of what it did.
That is an average of 2.6% a year over 22 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 2005, with dividends reinvested, would be worth about $9.65 today, 5.5× what inflation alone requires. Cash loses buying power; invested money has historically outgrown it.
| Year | Same buying power |
|---|---|
| 2005 | $1.00 |
| 2010 | $1.14 |
| 2020 | $1.35 |
| Aug 2026 | $1.76 |
CPI in January of each year; the last row uses the latest month.
Other years
Common questions
How much is $1 from 2005 worth today?
About $1.76 in Aug 2026 dollars, based on the US Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from January 2005.
How much have prices gone up since 2005?
76% in total, or about 2.6% a year on average.
What would $1 in 2005 buy today?
It buys about 57% of what it bought in 2005. You would need $1.76 to buy the same things.
How is this calculated?
Today's value = $1 × (latest CPI ÷ CPI in January 2005). 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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