$100 in 1991 has a different purchasing power than $100 today. Over the 35 years since 1991, 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 1991, and a year-by-year chart of how the figure grew.
Compare nearby years: $100 in 1988 · $100 in 1989 · $100 in 1990 · $100 in 1992 · $100 in 1993 · $100 in 1994.
To check a salary instead of a single amount, use the raise calculator.
Updated July 2026