$100 in 2004 has a different purchasing power than $100 today. Over the 22 years since 2004, 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 2004, and a year-by-year chart of how the figure grew.
Compare nearby years: $100 in 2001 · $100 in 2002 · $100 in 2003 · $100 in 2005 · $100 in 2006 · $100 in 2007.
To check a salary instead of a single amount, use the raise calculator.
Updated July 2026