Between 1992 and 2022, the Consumer Price Index went from 140.3 to 292.655.
Cumulatively, prices increased 108.6%, which works out to an average of
2.48% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1992 bought what
$0.48 buys in 2022.
Common amounts: 1992 dollars in 2022
Amount in 1992
Value in 2022
$1.00
$2.09
$5.00
$10.43
$10.00
$20.86
$20.00
$41.72
$50.00
$104
$100
$209
$500
$1,043
$1,000
$2,086
$5,000
$10,430
$10,000
$20,859
$100,000
$208,592
$1,000,000
$2,085,923
Inflation by spending category, 1992–2022
The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this
period. Here is what $100 of 1992 spending costs in 2022, by category:
Category
Avg. yearly inflation
$100 in 1992 →
All items (CPI-U)
2.48%
$209
Energy
3.61%
$290
Medical care
3.58%
$288
Food
2.69%
$221
Housing
2.64%
$219
Transportation
2.51%
$211
Core (all items less food & energy)
2.33%
$200
Apparel
-0.12%
$96.35
Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1992: recreation (1993–), education & communication (1993–).
2022 was the year inflation returned. Consumer prices rose 8.0% on average,
the worst since 1981, driven by pandemic-era supply chains, stimulus-fueled
demand, and an energy shock from the war in Ukraine. Gas briefly topped $5 a
gallon nationally for the first time ever, and “inflation” became the
top-ranked economic concern in nearly every poll of American households.
MLA: “Inflation from 1992 to 2022: $100 is worth $209 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1992-to-2022/
APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1992 to 2022. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1992-to-2022/