$100 in 1981 has a different purchasing power than $100 today. Over the 45 years since 1981, 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 1981, and a year-by-year chart of how the figure grew.
Compare nearby years: $100 in 1978 · $100 in 1979 · $100 in 1980 · $100 in 1982 · $100 in 1983 · $100 in 1984.
To check a salary instead of a single amount, use the raise calculator.
Updated July 2026