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Inflation calculator: what money buys over time.

Pick an amount, an inflation rate and a number of years. See what the same things will cost and what the money will buy.

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Cost of the same things in 20 years₹3.21 L
What ₹1.00 L buys then, in today’s rupees₹31,180
Purchasing power lost68.8%
Prices double every11.9 years
₹0₹1.25 L₹2.50 L₹3.75 L₹5 LY0Y4Y8Y12Y16Y20
  • Cost of the same basket
  • Purchasing power
Future cost = amount x (1 + inflation)^years; purchasing power = amount / (1 + inflation)^years.

01How it works

In plain words.

Prices compound like returns do. The future cost of a basket is today’s cost grown at the inflation rate; the purchasing power of a fixed amount is the same amount shrunk by it.

The formula

Future cost = amount x (1 + inflation)^yearsPurchasing power = amount / (1 + inflation)^years

02Worked example

The default numbers, by hand.

Rs 1 lakh at 6% for 20 years: the same things cost about Rs 3.21 lakh, and Rs 1 lakh buys what about Rs 31,200 buys today, a 69% loss of purchasing power.

InputValue
Amount today₹1,00,000
Inflation a year6%
Years20 years
ResultValue
Cost of the same things in 20 years₹3.21 L
What ₹1.00 L buys then, in today’s rupees₹31,180
Purchasing power lost68.8%
Prices double every11.9 years

03Key concepts

What to know before you use it.

How India measures inflation

Headline retail inflation is the Consumer Price Index (Combined) published by MOSPI. The RBI targets 4% within a band of 2% to 6%.

Your inflation is personal

Food, rent, school fees and medical costs carry different weights in each household, and some rise faster than the headline figure.

Good to know

  • Money in a savings account earning less than inflation loses purchasing power each year.
  • The real return calculator shows what an investment earns above inflation.

04Assumptions

What the calculator assumes.

  • One constant inflation rate.

Sources, checked 12 Oct 2026

  1. RBI, monetary policy framework: CPI inflation target of 4% within a band of 2% to 6%, renewed for 1 Apr 2026 to 31 Mar 2031
  2. data.gov.in, CPI (Combined) retail inflation FY 2017-18 to 2022-23 (Rajya Sabha answer, MOSPI data): 3.41% in 2018-19 to 6.75% in 2022-23

05Questions

Asked about the Inflation calculator.

What is the inflation rate in India?

Retail inflation is measured by CPI (Combined), published monthly by MOSPI. The RBI’s target is 4% within a band of 2% to 6%.

How much will Rs 1 lakh be worth in 20 years?

At 6% inflation it buys what about Rs 31,200 buys today.

06Keep going

Learn the idea, see it applied.

Module 7.3Inflation: Types, Measurement, and Investment Impact10 min read, Path 07Module 7.1How to Read the Indian Economy: Key Indicators15 min read, Path 07The matching indexNifty 50 Equal WeightAll 50 Nifty names, equal weight. The simplest card on the lineup.CAGR16.4%Sharpe1.13Max DD−15.7%Model, back tested, as of 27 Apr 2026. Not client returns, not a promise. Risk band: Moderate.

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Education only, not investment advice. RupeeCase is a technology platform operated by QC Alpha Technologies Pvt Ltd; it is not a fund, a PMS or a SEBI registered investment adviser. Model returns are back tested and not a promise of future returns. Figures carry the date they were checked.