U.S. inflation · 1990–1993

Value of $100 in 1990, adjusted to 1993

$100 in 1990 has the same buying power as

$111

in 1993

$100$105$11119901993$100 · 1990$111 · 1993
Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change10.6%
Average inflation rate3.40% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)$111
Price difference ($100 base)$10.56
CPI in 1990130.7
CPI in 1993144.5
Inflation in 19905.40%
Inflation in 19932.99%
$100 in 19901993$111
$100 in 19931990$90.45

What happened to prices between 1990 and 1993

Between 1990 and 1993, the Consumer Price Index went from 130.7 to 144.5. Cumulatively, prices increased 10.6%, which works out to an average of 3.40% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1990 bought what $0.90 buys in 1993.

In 1990, the median U.S. household earned about $29,900, gas averaged $1.15 a gallon, and mailing a letter cost a quarter. Inflation ran hot at 5.4% for the year, its highest rate since 1982, pushed up by an oil shock after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, and the economy tipped into recession that summer. It was the last gasp of elevated inflation before the long calm of the 1990s.

More about inflation in 1990 →

Common amounts: 1990 dollars in 1993

Amount in 1990Value in 1993
$1.00$1.11
$5.00$5.53
$10.00$11.06
$20.00$22.11
$50.00$55.28
$100$111
$500$553
$1,000$1,106
$5,000$5,528
$10,000$11,056
$100,000$110,559
$1,000,000$1,105,585

Inflation by spending category, 1990–1993

The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1990 spending costs in 1993, by category:

Category Avg. yearly inflation $100 in 1990 →
All items (CPI-U) 3.40% $111
Medical care 7.35% $124
Core (all items less food & energy) 3.95% $112
Housing 3.19% $110
Transportation 2.67% $108
Apparel 2.51% $108
Food 2.10% $106
Energy 0.68% $102

Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1990: recreation (1993–), education & communication (1993–).

Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 1990

Year CPI Inflation rate $100 from 1990
1990 130.7 5.4% $100
1991 136.2 4.2% $104
1992 140.3 3.0% $107
1993 144.5 3.0% $111

Cite this page

MLA: “Inflation from 1990 to 1993: $100 is worth $111 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1990-to-1993/

APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1990 to 1993. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1990-to-1993/

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages (series CUUR0000SA0; category indexes listed on the data sources page). See how these numbers are calculated.