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$100 in 1979 is worth $490 today

$100 in January 1979 had the same buying power as $490 in Aug 2026. Prices have risen 390% since then. Change the amount or the months below.

US CPI data through Aug 2026, updated monthly. How we calculate
From
To

$100 in Jan 1979 is worth, in Aug 2026

$490.45

Prices rose 390.5% in total, about 3.40% a year. Cash kept under the mattress since Jan 1979 now buys only 20% of what it used to.

390.5%Total inflation
3.40%Average per year
20%Buying power left in cash
$0$200$400$600Jan 1979Sep 1985May 1992Jan 1999Sep 2005May 2012Jan 2019Sep 2025
Cost of what $100 bought in Jan 1979

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 $100 from 1979 is worth now

$490Same buying power today
390%Price rise since 1979
3.4%Average inflation a year
20%Buying power left in cash

Prices in the US have risen 390% since 1979, so it takes $490 today to buy what $100 bought then. Put the other way, $100 kept in cash since 1979 now buys only 20% of what it did.

That is an average of 3.4% a year over 48 years. This period includes the high inflation of the 1970s and early 1980s, when prices rose over 10% in some years.

For contrast, $100 put into the S&P 500 in January 1979, with dividends reinvested, would be worth about $25,118 today, 51× what inflation alone requires. Cash loses buying power; invested money has historically outgrown it.

$100 from 1979 in later years
YearSame buying power
1979$100
1980$114
1990$187
2000$247
2010$317
2020$378
Aug 2026$490

CPI in January of each year; the last row uses the latest month.

Other years

$1 in 1979$100 in 1979
$100 in 1920$100 in 1930$100 in 1940$100 in 1950$100 in 1960$100 in 1970$100 in 1975$100 in 1976$100 in 1977$100 in 1978$100 in 1980$100 in 1981$100 in 1982$100 in 1983$100 in 1990$100 in 2000$100 in 2010$100 in 2020

Common questions

How much is $100 from 1979 worth today?

About $490 in Aug 2026 dollars, based on the US Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from January 1979.

How much have prices gone up since 1979?

390% in total, or about 3.4% a year on average.

What would $100 in 1979 buy today?

It buys about 20% of what it bought in 1979. You would need $490 to buy the same things.

How is this calculated?

Today's value = $100 × (latest CPI ÷ CPI in January 1979). 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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