$100 in 2021 is worth $128 today
$100 in January 2021 had the same buying power as $128 in Aug 2026. Prices have risen 28% since then. Change the amount or the months below.
US CPI data through Aug 2026, updated monthly. How we calculate$100 in Jan 2021 is worth, in Aug 2026
Prices rose 28.1% in total, about 4.53% a year. Cash kept under the mattress since Jan 2021 now buys only 78% 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 $100 from 2021 is worth now
Prices in the US have risen 28% since 2021, so it takes $128 today to buy what $100 bought then. Put the other way, $100 kept in cash since 2021 now buys only 78% of what it did.
That is an average of 4.5% a year over 6 years. This period includes the 2021–2023 jump in prices, the fastest in about 40 years.
For contrast, $100 put into the S&P 500 in January 2021, with dividends reinvested, would be worth about $218 today, 1.7× what inflation alone requires. Cash loses buying power; invested money has historically outgrown it.
Other years
Common questions
How much is $100 from 2021 worth today?
About $128 in Aug 2026 dollars, based on the US Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from January 2021.
How much have prices gone up since 2021?
28% in total, or about 4.5% a year on average.
What would $100 in 2021 buy today?
It buys about 78% of what it bought in 2021. You would need $128 to buy the same things.
How is this calculated?
Today's value = $100 × (latest CPI ÷ CPI in January 2021). 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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