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What $100 in 2000 Is Worth Today

By the Money Years editors · October 28, 2026

If you had $100 in your pocket in 2000, you would need about $196 today to buy the same things. In other words, prices have nearly doubled in a little over a quarter of a century. That figure comes from the Consumer Price Index, the government’s main measure of inflation, and it explains why a salary or savings balance that looked solid in 2000 may feel much smaller now.

$100 from different years in 2026 dollars

Using the yearly average CPI for each past year and the latest available figure for 2026 (September), here is what $100 from each year is worth today:

The inflation calculator works for any amount and any pair of years from 1913 to 2026.

Why prices nearly doubled since 2000

For most of the 2000s and 2010s, US inflation stayed close to the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, with a brief spike in 2008, a slight fall in prices in 2009 and almost no inflation in 2015. Over twenty years, even 2% a year adds up: compounded, it raises prices by nearly half.

Then came the jump of 2021 to 2023, when supply chain problems, energy prices and strong demand after the pandemic pushed inflation to its highest level in four decades, peaking above 9% a year in mid-2022. Prices from 2020 to 2026 rose by about 30% in total, which is why $100 from 2020 now feels like $77.

Not everything rose at the same speed. Over the period since 2000, the prices of college tuition, health care and housing climbed much faster than the overall index, while TVs, computers and many other electronics became far cheaper. Your own inflation depends on what you spend money on.

How the calculation works

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the CPI every month. It tracks the cost of a large basket of goods and services bought by urban consumers. To convert money between two years, multiply the amount by the ratio of the two index values. The yearly average CPI was 172.2 in 2000 and the September 2026 index was 336.9, so $100 × 336.9 ÷ 172.2 is about $196.

One note on the data: the BLS did not collect or publish a CPI figure for October 2025 because of the federal government shutdown, so the 2025 average uses the eleven months that were published.

What $100 would have become if invested

Holding cash is not the only option, and comparing it with investing shows why inflation matters so much for long-term savings. Put $100 into an S&P 500 index fund at the start of 2000, reinvest the dividends, and by the end of 2025 it would have grown to about $738, an average return of about 8% a year. That is despite a rough start: the dot-com crash and the 2008 financial crisis both fell inside the period, and by the end of 2002 the $100 was worth only about $63.

After adjusting for inflation, the $738 is worth about $395 in 2000 dollars, so the investment roughly quadrupled its real buying power. The same $100 in 10-year US Treasury bonds would have grown to about $265, or about $142 in 2000 dollars, a smaller but still positive real gain. Cash kept under the mattress, by contrast, would still be $100 and buy only about half as much as it did. The S&P 500 since any year calculator runs this comparison for any start year and amount.

The rule of 72 for prices

A quick way to think about inflation is the rule of 72. Divide 72 by the yearly inflation rate and you get roughly the number of years it takes for prices to double. At 2%, the Federal Reserve’s target, prices double about every 36 years. At 3% they double every 24 years, and at 4% every 18 years.

That is why the period from 2000 to 2026, with average inflation of about 2.6%, almost exactly doubled prices. It also gives a useful planning rule. If you are 35 today and plan to retire at 65, assume that prices will be close to double by then, and set your savings goal with that in mind. The rule of 72 calculator works for growth as well as inflation.

Keeping savings ahead of inflation

Different kinds of savings need different protection. Money you may need within a year or two, such as an emergency fund, is best kept safe and easy to reach, so the aim there is simply to lose as little as possible. High-yield savings accounts, money market funds and short-term Treasury bills have often paid rates close to inflation in recent years, though not always above it.

Money for goals five or more years away has more room to grow, and over long periods a diversified mix of stocks and bonds has beaten inflation by a wide margin, with the trade-off of large swings along the way. US savers also have two government products designed for inflation: Series I savings bonds, whose rate adjusts with the CPI, and Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS), whose principal rises with inflation. Each has its own rules and limits, so check the current terms at TreasuryDirect before buying.

Inflation and your pay over time

The same index can be used to check whether your income has kept up. Take the salary you earned in an earlier year, convert it to today’s dollars with the inflation calculator, and compare the result with what you earn now. If your current pay is higher, your buying power has grown. If it is lower, you have had a real pay cut, even if every year brought a small raise.

This check is especially useful after the inflation of 2021 to 2023, when prices rose faster than many raises. A salary of $60,000 in 2020 would need to be about $78,000 in 2026 to buy the same things. Knowing that number gives you a clear, factual basis for a pay conversation, and it is a better measure of progress than the raw figure on your payslip.

Common questions

What is $1 from 2000 worth today? About $1.96 in 2026 dollars, based on the September 2026 CPI.

What is $1,000 from 2000 worth today? About $1,957.

What was the inflation rate in 2000? Consumer prices rose about 3.4% during 2000, a little above the average for that decade.

What this means for your money

Inflation is a slow tax on cash. Money in a checking account paying nothing lost almost half its buying power between 2000 and today. That is why long-term savings usually belong in investments that have historically outpaced inflation, such as a diversified stock index fund, while short-term savings can sit in high-yield accounts or Treasury bills that pay closer to the inflation rate.

It also matters for pay. A salary that rose from $50,000 in 2000 to $90,000 today sounds like a big raise, but in buying power it is about $46,000 in 2000 dollars, a small real cut. The raise calculator shows whether a raise beats inflation, and the million in future dollars calculator shows what a long-term goal will be worth by the time you reach it.

The bottom line

$100 from 2000 is worth about $196 in 2026, based on official CPI data. Over long periods, inflation of even 2% to 3% a year makes a big difference, which is why savings goals and salaries need to grow just to stand still.

This guide is general information for planning, not personal financial advice. Figures were checked on the date shown and can change.