Beforeview

$100 in 2005 → $121.35 in 2015

US inflation from 2005 to 2015 — total 21.4%.

Value in 2015
$121.35
Total change
+21.4%
Annual (CAGR)
1.95%
Years
10

Step-by-step

  • 2005 CPI-U: 195.3
  • 2010 CPI-U: 218.1 ($112)
  • 2015 CPI-U: 237.0
  • Formula: $100 × (237.0 / 195.3) = $121.35

What $100 actually bought

Inflation as an abstract number is hard to grasp. Concrete price anchors for 2005 vs 2015 make the change tangible.

In 2005, $100 would have bought:
  • ~0.06% of a median US home ($167,500)
  • ~0.36% of a new car ($28,100)
  • ~43 gallons of gas (at $2.3/gal)
  • ~31 gallons of milk (at $3.2/gal)
  • ~270 first-class postage stamps (at 37¢ each)
  • ~0.2% of one year of median household income ($46,330)

Housing bubble inflating.

Price anchor changes (2005 → 2015)

Item20052015Changevs CPI
Median home$167,500$223,900+34%+12%
New car$28,100$33,500+19%-2%
Gallon of gas$2.30$2.43+6%-16%
Gallon of milk$3.20$3.20+0%-21%
First-class stamp37¢49¢+32%+11%
Median HH income$46,330$55,780+20%-1%

“vs CPI” shows how each category outpaced or trailed general inflation. Categories that beat CPI (homes, healthcare, college) felt more expensive than the headline number suggested. Categories that lagged (electronics, postage adjusted) felt cheaper.

Related

$100 in 2005 → today →$1,000 in 2005 → today →1995 → 2015 →2005 → 2025 →

Common questions

What is $100 in 2005 worth in 2015?
About $121, an increase of 21.4% over 10 years (roughly 1.95% per year). Calculation uses the BLS Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U, series CUUR0000SA0), annual averages.
Why does CPI-U sometimes feel lower than my actual cost of living?
CPI-U is a national average across a fixed basket. Personal inflation can run higher if rent, healthcare or college tuition dominate your spending — those categories have risen faster than the headline index. CPI-U is the official benchmark used for Social Security COLAs and federal tax bracket adjustments.
What does the CAGR figure mean?
Compound annual growth rate: the smoothed yearly rate that turns $100 in 2005 into $121 in 2015 if inflation were constant. Useful for comparing decades that had very different inflation patterns (e.g., 1970s vs 2010s).

Full data sources and formulas: /sources.

Method: total change = (CPI2015 − CPI2005) ÷ CPI2005. CAGR = (CPI2015/CPI2005)1/years − 1. Source: BLS CPI-U (CUUR0000SA0), annual averages. Real-world price anchors: Census/HUD (homes), BEA + manufacturer archives (cars), EIA (gas), USPS (stamps), USDA NASS (milk), Census ACS (median income). Full methodology →