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Money Time Machine

See how prices and borrowing costs have changed over decades. Every figure comes from an official series, with the source and date shown on the page.

What is old money worth today?

Pick an amount and a year since 1950 and see its buying power today, with total inflation and the yearly average.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, consumer price index

Weekly averages from the 1981 peak to the 2021 low, and the monthly payment on the same $300,000 loan at each era’s rate.

Source: Freddie Mac, Primary Mortgage Market Survey

For today's numbers, see Today's Money. These pages are educational illustrations of past data, not forecasts or financial advice.