Inflation Calculator
🔒 Runs in your browser — 100% private
Calculate the effect of inflation online for free — see the future amount needed to match today's value, and what today's amount will be worth later. Runs entirely in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded.
Inflation isn't perfectly steady year to year — this uses a flat average rate you choose, which is the standard way to project long-term purchasing power.
How to use inflation calculator
- Enter today's amount
The sum you want to project forward or check the value of.
- Enter an average inflation rate and horizon
A long-term average (e.g. 5-7% is a common assumption for India) and how many years ahead.
- Calculate
See both the amount you'd need in the future to match today's value, and what today's amount will be worth in future purchasing power.
Formula & methodology
Amount needed in the future = Amount today × (1 + rate)ⁿ. Future purchasing power = Amount today ÷ (1 + rate)ⁿ — where rate is the average annual inflation rate and n is the number of years.
Example: ₹1,00,000 today at 6% average inflation — in 10 years you'd need about ₹1,79,085 to buy what ₹1,00,000 buys now, and that same ₹1,00,000 (unchanged) would only be worth about ₹55,839 in today's terms.
Quick reference
| Amount today | 5 years @ 6% | 10 years @ 6% | 20 years @ 6% |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹1,00,000 needed later | ₹1,33,823 | ₹1,79,085 | ₹3,20,714 |
| ₹1,00,000 future value (today's terms) | ₹74,726 | ₹55,839 | ₹31,180 |
Features
Every rate and percentage is an input you can change, not a hidden constant — so the estimate matches your real numbers.
Calculates locally with no sign-up or server request.
Your salary and financial details are never uploaded.
Supported formats and limitations
Text and structured input supported by this tool.
Use cases include personal workflows, content preparation, and quick checks. Review output before relying on it for legal, financial, accessibility, or production decisions.
Frequently asked questions
What inflation rate should I use?
There's no single right answer — India's headline CPI inflation has typically run in the 4-7% range in recent years, but your personal inflation rate (driven by what you actually spend on) can differ. Use a rate you're comfortable defending, and try a couple of scenarios.
What's the difference between the two numbers shown?
'Amount needed in the future' is how much money you'd need then to buy what today's amount buys now. 'Future purchasing power' is the reverse — what today's amount, unchanged, would actually be able to buy after that many years of inflation eating into it.