$100 in 1996 has a different purchasing power than $100 today. Over the 30 years since 1996, 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 1996, and a year-by-year chart of how the figure grew.
Compare nearby years: $100 in 1993 · $100 in 1994 · $100 in 1995 · $100 in 1997 · $100 in 1998 · $100 in 1999.
To check a salary instead of a single amount, use the raise calculator.
Updated July 2026