MARKET TOOLS

Inflation-Adjusted Price History

Calculate what historical gold or oil prices equal in today's dollars using CPI data.

Historical Price

Base Year

Price in Base Year ($)

Using CPI Data From

Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED)

Today's Equivalent

Enter values to calculate...

About Inflation Adjustment

This calculator uses the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to adjust historical prices for inflation. The CPI measures the average change in prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services.

How It Works

The calculator compares the CPI index value from your selected base year to the most recent CPI value. The ratio between these two values determines how much prices have risen due to inflation, allowing us to express historical prices in current dollars.

Use Cases

Compare historical gold or oil prices to current prices on an apples-to-apples basis
Understand whether assets have kept pace with inflation over time
Evaluate real (inflation-adjusted) returns on long-term holdings
Put historical price records (like 1980 gold peak) in modern context

Data Source

CPI-U data from FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data), series CPIAUCSL. The BLS publishes new CPI data monthly, typically mid-month for the previous month.

Source: FRED CPIAUCSL