Salary Inflation Calculator

Enter your salary from a few years ago and the time elapsed. If your current salary is less than the 'Future Cost' result, your real wages have declined — you're effectively earning less than before in purchasing power.

A cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is a salary increase designed to match inflation. If inflation is 3%, a 3% raise merely maintains your purchasing power — it's not a 'real' raise. You need above-inflation raises to actually get ahead.

Calculate what your starting salary would be worth today after inflation. If your current pay is below that number, you have a data-driven case for a raise that simply restores your original purchasing power.