What is $1 from 2003 worth today?
$1 in 2003 is worth $1.83 in September 2026, based on the official Consumer Price Index. Prices have risen 83% since 2003, an average of 2.64% a year over 23 years. In other words, prices have doubled about 0.9 times, and a dollar today buys 54.6% of what it bought in 2003.
The same ratio applies to any amount: $20 from 2003 is worth $36.62, $100 is worth $183.12 and $1,000 is worth $1,831 in today's dollars.
Inflation in 2003
The CPI-U averaged 184 in 2003, up 2.3% from 179.9 in 2002. From December 2002 to December 2003, prices rose 1.9%. Ranked by annual inflation, 2003 is number 63 of the 112 years from 1914 to 2025.
In the 2000s, annual inflation averaged 2.6% a year. The highest rate was 3.8% in 2008 and the lowest -0.4% in 2009.
2003 prices in today's money, and today's prices in 2003 money
If something cost $5 in 2003, the same buying power today is $9.16. Going the other way, $100 in September 2026 would have bought what $54.61 bought in 2003, and a $60,000 salary today has the buying power of a $32,765 salary in 2003.
If your pay in 2003 was, say, $1,000 a month, you would need about $1,831 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 2003 inflation figure is calculated
The calculation divides the latest CPI-U (336.94 for September 2026) by the 2003 annual average (184): 336.94 ÷ 184 = 1.8312. Multiply any 2003 amount by 1.8312 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 2003 or a different end date. See also $1 in 2002 and $1 in 2004. All years are on the main US inflation calculator page.