$100 in 1960 has a different purchasing power than $100 today. Over the 66 years since 1960, U.S. consumer prices have risen substantially, so it takes more dollars now to buy the same goods. RaiseGauge computes the exact figure from the BLS CPI-U index.
This is the same inflation adjustment used to compare wages, prices, and budgets across decades: the honest way to ask what something “cost back then” is to convert it into today's dollars, because otherwise you are comparing dollars of different sizes. The page shows the equivalent value today, the total inflation since 1960, and a year-by-year chart of how the figure grew.
Compare nearby years: $100 in 1961 · $100 in 1962 · $100 in 1963.
To check a salary instead of a single amount, use the raise calculator.
Updated July 2026