$100 in 1979 is worth $456 today
What US dollars from 1979 are worth in 2026 money, adjusted for inflation with the official price index from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
1979 money in 2026 money
- Prices since
- +355.7%
- Per year
- +3.28% compounded
- Multiplier
- ×4.557
| In 1979 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $4.56 |
| $5 | $22.78 |
| $10 | $45.57 |
| $20 | $91.14 |
| $50 | $228 |
| $100 | $456 |
| $1,000 | $4,557 |
| $10,000 | $45,570 |
US Bureau of Labor Statistics — CPI-U, US city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted, 1982-84 = 100. Retrieved 2026-08-06. 2026 figures are the January–June average so far and will shift slightly as the year completes. Open in the calculator to compare any two years.
Inflation in 1979
Prices in the US rose 11.3% during 1979, the 7th highest rate in all 112 years this series covers. Across the 1970s, prices rose an average of 7.1% a year, peaking at 11.3% in 1979.
| Year | Rate | Bar |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | +5.8% | |
| 1971 | +4.3% | |
| 1972 | +3.3% | |
| 1973 | +6.2% | |
| 1974 | +11.1% | |
| 1975 | +9.1% | |
| 1976 | +5.7% | |
| 1977 | +6.5% | |
| 1978 | +7.6% | |
| 1979 | +11.3% |
How far the US dollar has fallen since 1979
An US dollar in 2026 buys about 21.9% of what one bought in 1979, a loss of 78.1% of its buying power. Prices had doubled from their 1979 level by 1994, 15 years later. Read the other way, here is what today's money would have been in 1979:
| In 2026 | Same as, in 1979 |
|---|---|
| $10 | $2.19 |
| $20 | $4.39 |
| $50 | $10.97 |
| $100 | $21.94 |
| $1,000 | $219 |
| $10,000 | $2,194 |
What these numbers can and cannot tell you
The figures compare the price index in 1979 with 2026: the cost of the same broad basket of goods and services, averaged across each year. That is the right measure for "what would this amount be in today's money" — a wage, a price, an inheritance. It is not a measure of what any particular thing cost: housing, education, and healthcare have mostly risen faster than the average, while electronics and clothing have risen far slower or fallen. And it says nothing about exchange rates, so it cannot turn 1979 US dollars into another currency.
Common questions
How much is $100 from 1979 worth today?
$100 in 1979 is worth about $456 in 2026 money, adjusted with the official price index published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Prices have risen 355.7% over that span, an average of 3.28% a year compounded. 2026 figures are the January–June average so far and will shift slightly as the year completes.
What was the inflation rate in 1979?
Prices in the US rose 11.3% during 1979, the 7th highest rate in all 112 years this series covers. That is the change in the annual average of the index from 1978 to 1979, which is the basis statistics agencies use for long-run comparison; a news headline quoting a twelve-month change at a particular point in 1979 may differ.
How much buying power has the US dollar lost since 1979?
About 78.1%. Put the other way round, $100 in 2026 would have bought what $21.94 bought in 1979. Prices had doubled from their 1979 level by 1994, 15 years later.
1979 in other countries: United Kingdom , Canada , Australia , New Zealand .