What is $1 from 1958 worth today?
$1 in 1958 is worth $11.66 in September 2026, based on the official Consumer Price Index. Prices have risen 1066% since 1958, an average of 3.67% a year over 68 years. In other words, prices have doubled about 3.5 times, and a dollar today buys 8.6% of what it bought in 1958.
The same ratio applies to any amount: $20 from 1958 is worth $233.18, $100 is worth $1,166 and $1,000 is worth $11,659 in today's dollars.
Inflation in 1958
The CPI-U averaged 28.9 in 1958, up 2.8% from 28.1 in 1957. From December 1957 to December 1958, prices rose 1.8%. Ranked by annual inflation, 1958 is number 54 of the 112 years from 1914 to 2025.
In the 1950s, annual inflation averaged 2.0% a year. The highest rate was 7.9% in 1951 and the lowest -0.4% in 1955.
1958 prices in today's money, and today's prices in 1958 money
If something cost $5 in 1958, the same buying power today is $58.29. Going the other way, $100 in September 2026 would have bought what $8.58 bought in 1958, and a $60,000 salary today has the buying power of a $5,146 salary in 1958.
If your pay in 1958 was, say, $1,000 a month, you would need about $11,659 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 1958 inflation figure is calculated
The calculation divides the latest CPI-U (336.94 for September 2026) by the 1958 annual average (28.9): 336.94 ÷ 28.9 = 11.6588. Multiply any 1958 amount by 11.6588 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 1958 or a different end date. See also $1 in 1957 and $1 in 1959. All years are on the main US inflation calculator page.