$100 in 2008 has the buying power of $156.50 in September 2026. Prices are 56.5% higher, an average of 2.49% a year, by the official Consumer Price Index (CPI-U): 2008's average index was 215.303 and September 2026's is 336.940. Put the other way, $100 in September 2026 buys what $63.90 did in 2008.
Inflation in 2008 was 3.8% (the change in the year's average CPI from 2007; December to December, 0.1%), the 35th highest of the 112 years since 1914.
| Year | Average CPI-U | Inflation | $100 then is worth today |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 184.0 | +2.3% | $183.12 |
| 2004 | 188.9 | +2.7% | $178.37 |
| 2005 | 195.3 | +3.4% | $172.52 |
| 2006 | 201.6 | +3.2% | $167.13 |
| 2007 | 207.342 | +2.8% | $162.50 |
| 2008 | 215.303 | +3.8% | $156.50 |
| 2009 | 214.537 | −0.4% | $157.05 |
| 2010 | 218.056 | +1.6% | $154.52 |
| 2011 | 224.939 | +3.2% | $149.79 |
| 2012 | 229.594 | +2.1% | $146.75 |
| 2013 | 232.957 | +1.5% | $144.64 |
| Item | 2008 average | Latest | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| dozen large grade-A eggs | $1.99 | $2.27 (September 2026) | +14.3% |
| pound of ground beef | $2.34 | $6.79 (September 2026) | +189.9% |
| kilowatt-hour of electricity | $0.123 | $0.196 (September 2026) | +59.3% |
| gallon of whole milk | $3.80 | $4.11 (September 2026) | +8.2% |
| pound of white bread | $1.37 | $1.83 (September 2026) | +34.0% |
| pound of sliced bacon | $3.66 | $6.76 (September 2026) | +84.6% |
| pound of whole chicken | $1.21 | $2.06 (September 2026) | +71.0% |
| pound of cheddar cheese | $4.73 | $6.13 (September 2026) | +29.8% |
| pound of all-purpose flour | $0.507 | $0.545 (September 2026) | +7.5% |
| pound of long-grain white rice | $0.733 | $1.12 (September 2026) | +52.5% |
| pound of white potatoes | $0.631 | $0.989 (September 2026) | +56.7% |
| pound of field-grown tomatoes | $1.74 | $1.99 (September 2026) | +14.2% |
| pound of bananas | $0.609 | $0.656 (September 2026) | +7.7% |
| pound of navel oranges | $1.12 | $1.72 (September 2026) | +54.4% |
| pound of chocolate chip cookies | $2.88 | $5.15 (September 2026) | +78.6% |
BLS average prices, U.S. city average; a year's figure is the average of its monthly prices.
2.49% a year, compounded from the middle of 2008 to September 2026: prices are 56.5% higher in all, so a dollar from 2008 is worth $1.56 today.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), all items, U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted, which runs back to January 1913. A year's figure is the average of its monthly indexes, as BLS computes annual averages; today's figure is the latest month, September 2026, so the answer moves each month when BLS publishes a new CPI.
2007 · Inflation calculator, any month since 1913 · 2009
Source: BLS CPI-U, all items, U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted (FRED CPIAUCNS); through 2006, BLS's official annual averages. The answer moves each month, when BLS publishes a new CPI.