What’s the Value of a Dollar? A Fascinating Calculator (No, Really)

Remember the conversations with your parents or grandparents that began with, “When I was your age, I could buy a burger, a coke and a movie ticket for $5”?

And the typical response would go something like “I get it, Dad, (eye roll) things were cheaper back in the dark-ages.”

Bureau of Labor Statistics / U.S. Department of Labor

CPI Inflation Calculator

It all has to do with the value of the dollar and the changes in prices of all goods and services purchased.  Here’s a fun tool from the U.S. Department of Labor that lets you see just how far $5, $100, $1000 could go back in the dark-ages (all the way back to 1913).