Bitcoin vs inflation
Inflation shrinks what cash can buy: US consumer prices rose 3.7% in the year to September 2026. Enter an amount and a year to see what that cash buys today in that year's money, and what the same amount in bitcoin would be worth on the same terms.
- Cash kept since 2016, in 2016 money
- 70.67 USD
- Bitcoin bought in 2016, in 2016 money
- 15,693 USD
- Bitcoin bought then, in today's dollars
- 22,206 USD
- Rise in US consumer prices since then
- 41.5%
US consumer price index (FRED CPIAUCSL) to September 2026, and bitcoin's monthly close.
Worked example
US consumer prices have risen 41.5% since January 2016, so 100 USD kept as cash since then buys only what 70.67 USD bought at the start. The same 100 USD put into bitcoin then is worth 15,693 USD in 2016 money.
US inflation and bitcoin, year by year
The change in the US consumer price index and in bitcoin's price from each December to the next.
| Year | US consumer prices | Bitcoin price |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +3.1% | +1,390.0% |
| 2012 | +1.8% | +203.6% |
| 2013 | +1.5% | +5,327.4% |
| 2014 | +0.7% | -57.8% |
| 2015 | +0.6% | +37.7% |
| 2016 | +2.1% | +123.7% |
| 2017 | +2.1% | +1,216.4% |
| 2018 | +2.0% | -69.4% |
| 2019 | +2.3% | +86.8% |
| 2020 | +1.3% | +299.7% |
| 2021 | +7.2% | +63.3% |
| 2022 | +6.4% | -64.8% |
| 2023 | +3.3% | +153.9% |
| 2024 | +2.9% | +119.8% |
| 2025 | +2.7% | -4.6% |
Where inflation is highest
The twenty countries with a buying guide on this site that have the highest yearly consumer price inflation in the World Bank's latest figures, with the year each figure is for.
| Country | Latest yearly inflation |
|---|---|
| Argentina | +219.9% (2024) |
| Sudan | +138.8% (2022) |
| Zimbabwe | +104.7% (2022) |
| South Sudan | +91.4% (2024) |
| Iran | +42.2% (2025) |
| Turkey | +34.9% (2025) |
| Burundi | +34.1% (2025) |
| Haiti | +28.6% (2025) |
| Malawi | +28.4% (2025) |
| Nigeria | +23.0% (2025) |
| Angola | +20.2% (2025) |
| Bolivia | +19.5% (2025) |
| Lebanon | +14.6% (2025) |
| Ghana | +14.2% (2025) |
| Egypt | +14.1% (2025) |
| Zambia | +13.9% (2025) |
| Ethiopia | +13.2% (2025) |
| Ukraine | +12.7% (2025) |
| Gambia | +11.6% (2024) |
| Kazakhstan | +11.4% (2025) |
How it works
Value in start-year money = amount × the price index at the start ÷ the price index now, using the US consumer price index for all urban consumers (FRED's CPIAUCSL). Bitcoin in start-year money = amount × bitcoin's price now ÷ its price at the start, then scaled the same way. Bitcoin's price for a month is its last daily close.
What the comparison leaves out
Cash in a savings account would have earned interest, which this leaves out. The US index measures US prices; your own country's inflation may be very different, and the World Bank table is there for that reason. Bitcoin's price swings far more than any price index, so the start year changes the answer a great deal.
Frequently asked questions
Is bitcoin a hedge against inflation?
Over long periods its price has risen far faster than consumer prices, but over months and single years it has often fallen while prices rose. Compare the two columns of the yearly table to see both.
How much has inflation reduced the value of cash?
Enter an amount and a start year: the calculator shows what that cash buys today in the start year's money, and how much prices have risen since.
Does this use my country's inflation?
The calculator uses US consumer prices because bitcoin's price history is in US dollars. The table of countries gives each one's latest yearly inflation from the World Bank.
More bitcoin tools
- Fear and Greed IndexToday's market mood from 0 to 100, and any day's reading since 2018 beside bitcoin's price.
- Bitcoin dominanceBitcoin's share of the crypto market, and its price for any market size you enter.
- Wealth percentileWhat share of bitcoin addresses hold as much as you, by balance band.
- Bitcoin vs goldYearly growth over 1, 3, 5 and 10 years and how closely the two move.
- Bitcoin vs stocksBitcoin against the S&P 500 and Nasdaq: growth, correlation and any start year.
These tools are for information, not financial advice. An exchange quotes its own price, which includes its spread and fees.
Sources
- FRED CPIAUCSL: US Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers
- World Bank, Inflation, consumer prices (annual %), FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG
- mempool.space price API: bitcoin priced in USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, CHF, AUD and JPY
- Exchange Rate API: fiat exchange rates against the US dollar, updated daily
- Blockchain.com market price: one US dollar price per day since 2010
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