How is the answer worked out?

Each round takes a documented historical price and multiplies it by today's Consumer Price Index divided by the CPI of the price's year · the standard way economists convert old money into today's money. The game shows you the multiplier.

Are the old prices real?

Yes · they are widely-cited average US prices for their year (a loaf of bread, a movie ticket, a gallon of gas, a new car, and so on), and the CPI figures come from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Why is a 1950 dollar worth so much more now?

Because prices have risen almost every year since, and the increases compound. The US CPI has multiplied roughly thirteen-fold since 1950, so a 1950 dollar buys about what thirteen dollars buy today.

Is this in US dollars?

Yes · the prices and the CPI are American, so the figures are in US dollars. The underlying idea · that inflation makes old money worth more in today's terms · is the same everywhere.

Does it work offline?

Yes. PlayMemorize is a Progressive Web App, so Inflation keeps working without a connection once the page has loaded.

Inflation

1950년 빵 한 덩이는 12센트 · 실제 CPI로 옛날 물가가 오늘 돈으로 얼마인지 맞혀 보세요

예전에는 돈의 가치가 훨씬 컸습니다. 매 라운드마다 실제 미국 물가의 수십 년 추이를 그래프로 보여줍니다 · 추세를 읽고 오늘날 돈으로 얼마인지 계산해 보세요.

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1950년에 빵 한 덩이은(는) $0.12였습니다. 그 금액이 오늘날의 가치로 얼마일까요?

2000년까지의 기록된 가격 · 추세를 오늘까지 연장해 보세요

역사적 물가와 소비자 물가 지수는 미국 노동통계국에서 가져왔습니다. 출처 보기

팁: 한 세기의 인플레이션은 빠르게 누적됩니다 · 1950년의 1달러는 오늘날 10달러 이상의 가치가 있습니다.

FAQ

About Inflation

Inflation is a quick, slightly startling lesson in how much money has changed. Each round shows a real, documented US price from decades ago · a loaf of bread for 12 cents in 1950, a gallon of gas for 36 cents in 1970 · and asks what that price is worth in today's money. Four choices; pick the closest.

The answer is real maths, not a guess. When you choose, the game shows the true figure, worked out from the actual US Consumer Price Index: the old price multiplied by today's CPI divided by the CPI of that year. So a 1950 dollar really is worth more than ten of today's dollars, and you can see exactly why.

Build a streak. Each correct answer grows your streak and your best is kept. Over a run you develop a feel for just how steep a century of inflation really is · and why your grandparents' prices sound impossible.

Prices and the CPI come from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Part of the PlayMemorize family · runs entirely in your browser and works offline as a Progressive Web App.

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FAQ

How is the answer worked out?

Each round takes a documented historical price and multiplies it by today's Consumer Price Index divided by the CPI of the price's year · the standard way economists convert old money into today's money. The game shows you the multiplier.
Are the old prices real?

Yes · they are widely-cited average US prices for their year (a loaf of bread, a movie ticket, a gallon of gas, a new car, and so on), and the CPI figures come from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Why is a 1950 dollar worth so much more now?

Because prices have risen almost every year since, and the increases compound. The US CPI has multiplied roughly thirteen-fold since 1950, so a 1950 dollar buys about what thirteen dollars buy today.
Is this in US dollars?

Yes · the prices and the CPI are American, so the figures are in US dollars. The underlying idea · that inflation makes old money worth more in today's terms · is the same everywhere.
Does it work offline?

Yes. PlayMemorize is a Progressive Web App, so Inflation keeps working without a connection once the page has loaded.