What is your money worth over time?

How it works

Inflation is the rate at which the general price level rises, which means a pound buys a little less each year. To compare money across time you need a price index: a single number that tracks the cost of a representative basket of goods and services. This calculator uses the ONS Consumer Price Index, the all-items CPI, taken as annual averages back to 1988 and current to 2025.

The maths is simple. The equivalent value is the original amount multiplied by the later year's index and divided by the earlier year's index. The total price change and the average annual rate shown beneath the result come from the same two index points.

CPI is the headline figure most people mean by inflation. RPI is an older measure that usually runs higher and is no longer an official national statistic. CPIH is CPI extended to include owner-occupier housing costs. We use CPI for comparability with the rate quoted in the news.

One clarification, because the names collide. This is the official ONS Consumer Price Index. It is not Briefed's CPIx, which is a separate proprietary index measuring consumer financial stress rather than price levels. See the ONS source series.