$1 in 2006 is worth $1.69 today
A dollar in January 2006 had the same buying power as $1.69 in Aug 2026. Prices have risen 69% since then. Change the amount or the months below.
US CPI data through Aug 2026, updated monthly. How we calculate$1 in Jan 2006 is worth, in Aug 2026
Prices rose 68.9% in total, about 2.58% a year. Cash kept under the mattress since Jan 2006 now buys only 59% 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 2006 is worth now
Prices in the US have risen 69% since 2006, so it takes $1.69 today to buy what $1 bought then. Put the other way, $1 kept in cash since 2006 now buys only 59% of what it did.
That is an average of 2.6% a year over 21 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 2006, with dividends reinvested, would be worth about $8.76 today, 5.2× what inflation alone requires. Cash loses buying power; invested money has historically outgrown it.
| Year | Same buying power |
|---|---|
| 2006 | $1.00 |
| 2010 | $1.09 |
| 2020 | $1.30 |
| Aug 2026 | $1.69 |
CPI in January of each year; the last row uses the latest month.
Other years
Common questions
How much is $1 from 2006 worth today?
About $1.69 in Aug 2026 dollars, based on the US Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from January 2006.
How much have prices gone up since 2006?
69% in total, or about 2.6% a year on average.
What would $1 in 2006 buy today?
It buys about 59% of what it bought in 2006. You would need $1.69 to buy the same things.
How is this calculated?
Today's value = $1 × (latest CPI ÷ CPI in January 2006). 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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