See what your money will be worth in the future — or what it was worth in the past.
“Future value” asks what today's money will cost or be worth later. “Past value” asks what a sum from the past is worth in today's money — or what today's sum was worth that many years ago.
future value
How to use this tool
Type the amount of money you want to adjust.
Enter the annual inflation rate you expect, or your country's recent average.
Choose how many years forward or back to look.
Pick “Future value” or “Past value” and read the result plus the purchasing-power figure.
Formula & worked example
$1,000 at 3% annual inflation for 10 years has a future value of $1,343.92 — that is what today's $1,000 basket will cost then. In the other direction, $1,000 in 10 years' time is worth only $744.09 in today's money, keeping 74.4% of its purchasing power.
Limitations — read this before you rely on it
Inflation is assumed constant, but real inflation varies year to year and differs by what you buy — housing, food and healthcare inflate at different rates. This calculator adjusts a single sum; it does not model wages, interest or investment returns alongside inflation.
Frequently asked questions
Enter the amount, the annual inflation rate and the number of years. “Future value” shows what today's money will cost later; “Past value” shows what a sum is worth in today's money.
Future value = amount × (1 + rate)^years. Past (today's-money) value = amount ÷ (1 + rate)^years. The rate is assumed constant, which is a simplification.
Purchasing power is what your money actually buys. At 3% inflation for 10 years, $1,000 keeps only 74.4% of its purchasing power — prices rise even if your bank balance does not.
Use your country's average long-run rate as a starting point — often around 2–3% for developed economies — but check your central bank's target and recent actual inflation.
Yes. Set the direction to “Past value” and enter the years: the calculator shows what that sum is worth in today's money.