Inflation Record$100 in 2021 → Today
Official data verified · U.S. CPI-U · Annual average · NSA · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Series CUUR0000SA0
+22.6% cumulative inflation · 2021–2026
Your $100 in 2021 would have the purchasing power of $122.61 today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 2021 had the same average buying power as $122.61 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 22.6% across this 5-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar fell by 18.4%.
- 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 2021 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $1.23 |
| $5 | $6.13 |
| $10 | $12.26 |
| $20 | $24.52 |
| $50 | $61.31 |
| $100 | $122.61 |
| $500 | $613.06 |
| $1,000 | $1,226.12 |
| $10,000 | $12,261.24 |
| $100,000 | $122,612.42 |
Key facts about 2021
- Consumer prices rose 4.7% in 2021 — the 28th-largest annual increase in the 1913–2026 record.
- Among the major categories tracked since 2021, Rent of primary residence rose the most: 14.2% cumulatively to 2025.
- A gallon of regular gasoline averaged $3.05 in 2021 — about $3.74 in 2026 dollars.
- A dozen large eggs averaged $1.67 in 2021 — about $2.05 in 2026 dollars.
$100 in 2021, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $122.61 | +22.6% |
Monthly CPI in 2021
| Month | CPI-U index | Change vs same month, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 261.582 | 1.4% |
| February | 263.014 | 1.7% |
| March | 264.877 | 2.6% |
| April | 267.054 | 4.2% |
| May | 269.195 | 5.0% |
| June | 271.696 | 5.4% |
| July | 273.003 | 5.4% |
| August | 273.567 | 5.3% |
| September | 274.310 | 5.4% |
| October | 276.589 | 6.2% |
| November | 277.948 | 6.8% |
| December | 278.802 | 7.0% |
Annual average CPI-U for 2021: 270.970.
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 (2021 annual average): 270.970 · Index (2026 annual average): 332.243 · Ratio: 1.2261
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
← $100 in 2020 · All years · $100 in 2022 →
The same year elsewhere: Canada · Australia · United Kingdom