$100 in 2018 has the buying power of $134.18 in September 2026. Prices are 34.2% higher, an average of 3.65% a year, by the official Consumer Price Index (CPI-U): 2018's average index was 251.107 and September 2026's is 336.940. Put the other way, $100 in September 2026 buys what $74.53 did in 2018.
Inflation in 2018 was 2.4% (the change in the year's average CPI from 2017; December to December, 1.9%), the 53rd lowest of the 112 years since 1914.
| Year | Average CPI-U | Inflation | $100 then is worth today |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 232.957 | +1.5% | $144.64 |
| 2014 | 236.736 | +1.6% | $142.33 |
| 2015 | 237.017 | +0.1% | $142.16 |
| 2016 | 240.007 | +1.3% | $140.39 |
| 2017 | 245.120 | +2.1% | $137.46 |
| 2018 | 251.107 | +2.4% | $134.18 |
| 2019 | 255.657 | +1.8% | $131.79 |
| 2020 | 258.811 | +1.2% | $130.19 |
| 2021 | 270.970 | +4.7% | $124.35 |
| 2022 | 292.655 | +8.0% | $115.13 |
| 2023 | 304.702 | +4.1% | $110.58 |
| Item | 2018 average | Latest | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| dozen large grade-A eggs | $1.74 | $2.27 (September 2026) | +30.4% |
| pound of ground beef | $3.72 | $6.79 (September 2026) | +82.8% |
| kilowatt-hour of electricity | $0.136 | $0.196 (September 2026) | +44.1% |
| gallon of whole milk | $2.90 | $4.11 (September 2026) | +41.8% |
| pound of white bread | $1.29 | $1.83 (September 2026) | +42.3% |
| pound of sliced bacon | $5.47 | $6.76 (September 2026) | +23.6% |
| pound of whole chicken | $1.50 | $2.06 (September 2026) | +37.9% |
| pound of butter | $4.07 | $3.96 (September 2026) | −2.8% |
| pound of cheddar cheese | $5.14 | $6.13 (September 2026) | +19.4% |
| pound of all-purpose flour | $0.462 | $0.545 (September 2026) | +18.0% |
| pound of long-grain white rice | $0.694 | $1.12 (September 2026) | +61.1% |
| pound of white potatoes | $0.740 | $0.989 (September 2026) | +33.6% |
| pound of field-grown tomatoes | $1.92 | $1.99 (September 2026) | +4.0% |
| pound of bananas | $0.574 | $0.656 (September 2026) | +14.3% |
| pound of navel oranges | $1.41 | $1.72 (September 2026) | +21.9% |
| pound of chocolate chip cookies | $3.50 | $5.15 (September 2026) | +47.2% |
BLS average prices, U.S. city average; a year's figure is the average of its monthly prices.
3.65% a year, compounded from the middle of 2018 to September 2026: prices are 34.2% higher in all, so a dollar from 2018 is worth $1.34 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.
2017 · Inflation calculator, any month since 1913 · 2019
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.