Inflation Calculator

I use this handy app on a regular basis to understand if price increases for goods and services I'm interested in, are reasonable. I have checked the numbers against the federal CPI, and they are correct. I really appreciate that the developer continues to update this app, especially at no cost. The developer is providing a very useful service, especially since inflation has been a lot more prominent post-Covid. If the developer wanted to include nonintrusive ads or charge a reasonable app fee in order to compensate for time involved with updating (which must be pretty significant), I would totally support that.

When anyone brings up how expensive things are getting it is nice to be able to compare the true value of the money. For example last year I sold a vacation home that I bought in 1986. I sold it (in today’s $’s for nearly twice what I paid for it. If you use this app to see the buying power comparison then vs now I actually lost money. It is a shame the IRS doesn’t let you use this tool when paying capital gains tax (although it is much better now that the new tax cuts have been implemented). I sold a year too soon!

I have used several different websites for the same calculations while reading books and articles that reference historical costs and spending. This app is by far the easiest-to-use. I will point out that it lacks complexity necessary for understanding the shifts in some historical currencies if you are going way, far back. For that, there is your imagination and knowledge of the times--how much did a loaf of bread or a horse cost, for instance? But for quick fact checking, this is THE BEST!