What is $1 from 1936 worth today?
$1 in 1936 is worth $24.24 in September 2026, based on the official Consumer Price Index. Prices have risen 2324% since 1936, an average of 3.60% a year over 90 years. In other words, prices have doubled about 4.6 times, and a dollar today buys 4.1% of what it bought in 1936.
The same ratio applies to any amount: $20 from 1936 is worth $484.81, $100 is worth $2,424 and $1,000 is worth $24,240 in today's dollars.
Inflation in 1936
The CPI-U averaged 13.9 in 1936, up 1.5% from 13.7 in 1935. From December 1935 to December 1936, prices rose 1.4%. Ranked by annual inflation, 1936 is number 82 of the 112 years from 1914 to 2025.
In the 1930s, annual inflation averaged -2.1% a year. The highest rate was 3.6% in 1937 and the lowest -9.9% in 1932.
1936 prices in today's money, and today's prices in 1936 money
If something cost $5 in 1936, the same buying power today is $121.20. Going the other way, $100 in September 2026 would have bought what $4.13 bought in 1936, and a $60,000 salary today has the buying power of a $2,475 salary in 1936.
If your pay in 1936 was, say, $1,000 a month, you would need about $24,240 a month in September 2026 to afford the same basket of goods and services. Remember that this is an average across consumer spending: some prices, such as housing, health care and tuition, have risen faster than the CPI, while others have risen more slowly.
How this 1936 inflation figure is calculated
The calculation divides the latest CPI-U (336.94 for September 2026) by the 1936 annual average (13.9): 336.94 ÷ 13.9 = 24.2403. Multiply any 1936 amount by 24.2403 to convert it to September 2026 dollars. The data is the CPI for All Urban Consumers, U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted (BLS series CUUR0000SA0), published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Use the calculator above to pick a specific month in 1936 or a different end date. See also $1 in 1935 and $1 in 1937. All years are on the main US inflation calculator page.