Inflation Record$100 in 1988 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
+180.9% cumulative inflation · 1988–2026
Your $100 in 1988 would have the purchasing power of $280.95 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1988 had the same average buying power as $280.95 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 180.9% across this 38-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar fell by 64.4%.
- This measures the broad basket of consumer goods and services (CPI-U). Individual expenses — housing, medical care, tuition — moved at different rates.
What this means in other amounts
| In 1988 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $2.81 |
| $5 | $14.05 |
| $10 | $28.09 |
| $20 | $56.19 |
| $50 | $140.47 |
| $100 | $280.95 |
| $500 | $1,404.73 |
| $1,000 | $2,809.46 |
| $10,000 | $28,094.64 |
| $100,000 | $280,946.42 |
Key facts about 1988
- Consumer prices rose 4.1% in 1988 — the 34th-largest annual increase in the 1913–2026 record.
- Among the major categories tracked since 1988, Medical care rose the most: 283.5% cumulatively to 2025.
- A gallon of regular gasoline averaged $0.95 in 1988 — about $2.66 in 2026 dollars.
- A dozen large eggs averaged $0.79 in 1988 — about $2.22 in 2026 dollars.
$100 in 1988, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | $137.84 | +37.8% |
| 2008 | $182.06 | +82.1% |
| 2018 | $212.34 | +112.3% |
| 2026 | $280.95 | +180.9% |
Monthly CPI in 1988
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 115.700 | 4.0% |
| February | 116.000 | 3.9% |
| March | 116.500 | 3.9% |
| April | 117.100 | 3.9% |
| May | 117.500 | 3.9% |
| June | 118.000 | 4.0% |
| July | 118.500 | 4.1% |
| August | 119.000 | 4.0% |
| September | 119.800 | 4.2% |
| October | 120.200 | 4.2% |
| November | 120.300 | 4.2% |
| December | 120.500 | 4.4% |
Annual average CPI-U for 1988: 118.258.
Verify this calculation
Series: CUUR0000SA0 (Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, All Items, U.S. City Average; Not seasonally adjusted (NSA); base 1982-84=100).
Index (1988 annual average): 118.258 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 2.8095
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: BLS data finder.
Cite this page
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