$1 in 2008 had the same buying power as $1.56 in September 2026. Prices are 56% higher than in 2008, an average of 2.5% a year, based on the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A dollar in September 2026 buys what 64 cents bought in 2008.
Convert any amount from 2008 in the Inflation Calculator
2008 dollars in today's money
| In 2008 | In September 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1.00 | $1.56 |
| $5.00 | $7.82 |
| $10.00 | $15.65 |
| $20.00 | $31.30 |
| $50.00 | $78.25 |
| $100.00 | $156 |
| $500.00 | $782 |
| $1,000 | $1,565 |
| $10,000 | $15,650 |
What $100 from 2008 cost in the years since
Annual averages of CPI-U; 2026 uses September 2026. Source: BLS via FRED.
Inflation in 2008
Prices rose 3.8% in 2008, comparing its average CPI-U with 2007's. That ranks 35th of the 112 years since 1914, from the highest inflation to the lowest.
| Year | Inflation |
|---|---|
| 2006 | 3.2% |
| 2007 | 2.9% |
| 2008 | 3.8% |
| 2009 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 1.6% |
Wages in 2008 and today
- The federal minimum wage rose from $5.85 to $6.55 an hour in July 2008. $6.55 then is worth $10.25 in today's dollars; the federal minimum has been $7.25 since July 2009.
- Production and nonsupervisory workers earned an average of $18.06 an hour in 2008, or $28.26 in today's dollars. In September 2026 they averaged $32.54, so their pay buys 15.1% more than in 2008.
Prices in 2008 and today
U.S. average retail prices from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Adjusted for inflation, 4 of these 6 items cost less today than they did in 2008, and the last column shows how long an average worker had to work to buy each one.
| Item | 2008 | In today's dollars | September 2026 | Minutes of work, then → now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eggs, grade A large (per dozen) | $1.99 | $3.11 | $2.27 | 6.6 → 4.2 |
| White bread (per pound) | $1.37 | $2.14 | $1.83 | 4.5 → 3.4 |
| Whole milk (per gallon) | $3.80 | $5.94 | $4.11 | 13 → 7.6 |
| Ground beef (per pound) | $2.34 | $3.67 | $6.79 | 7.8 → 13 |
| Regular gasoline (per gallon) | $3.27 | $5.11 | $4.48 | 11 → 8.3 |
| Electricity (per kWh) | $0.123 | $0.192 | $0.196 | 0.4 → 0.4 |
What $100 from 2008 was worth over the years
| Year | $100 from 2008 is worth |
|---|---|
| 2018 | $117 |
| 2025 | $150 |
| September 2026 | $156 |
How this is calculated
Divide today's price index by the index for 2008, then multiply by the amount:
$100 × (336.94 ÷ 215.303) = $156.50
2008's index is the average of its monthly CPI-U values; today's is the latest month, September 2026. Other calculators can differ slightly if they use a different month or index. More in our methodology.
Data: CPI-U through September 2026. Next BLS release: November 10, 2026. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, via FRED; prices and wages from BLS average price data and Current Employment Statistics; minimum wage from the U.S. Department of Labor.