$100 in 1998 has a different purchasing power than $100 today. Over the 28 years since 1998, 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 1998, and a year-by-year chart of how the figure grew.
Compare nearby years: $100 in 1995 · $100 in 1996 · $100 in 1997 · $100 in 1999 · $100 in 2000 · $100 in 2001.
To check a salary instead of a single amount, use the raise calculator.
Updated July 2026