What is $1 from 1996 worth today?
$1 in 1996 is worth $2.15 in September 2026, based on the official Consumer Price Index. Prices have risen 115% since 1996, an average of 2.56% a year over 30 years. In other words, prices have doubled about 1.1 times, and a dollar today buys 46.6% of what it bought in 1996.
The same ratio applies to any amount: $20 from 1996 is worth $42.95, $100 is worth $214.75 and $1,000 is worth $2,147 in today's dollars.
Inflation in 1996
The CPI-U averaged 156.9 in 1996, up 3.0% from 152.4 in 1995. From December 1995 to December 1996, prices rose 3.3%. Ranked by annual inflation, 1996 is number 50 of the 112 years from 1914 to 2025.
In the 1990s, annual inflation averaged 3.0% a year. The highest rate was 5.4% in 1990 and the lowest 1.6% in 1998.
1996 prices in today's money, and today's prices in 1996 money
If something cost $5 in 1996, the same buying power today is $10.74. Going the other way, $100 in September 2026 would have bought what $46.57 bought in 1996, and a $60,000 salary today has the buying power of a $27,940 salary in 1996.
If your pay in 1996 was, say, $1,000 a month, you would need about $2,147 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 1996 inflation figure is calculated
The calculation divides the latest CPI-U (336.94 for September 2026) by the 1996 annual average (156.9): 336.94 ÷ 156.9 = 2.1475. Multiply any 1996 amount by 2.1475 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 1996 or a different end date. See also $1 in 1995 and $1 in 1997. All years are on the main US inflation calculator page.