The price and the dates
Old price
New price
Compare the same item and the same size. If the package size changed, check it first with the Shrinkflation Checker. The example is made up.
Educational tool only. It compares one price with a national average of consumer prices. A price above the average is not proof of overcharging, and a price below it is not proof of a good deal. Not financial advice.
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How this is calculated
Prices come from the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted (BLS series CUUR0000SA0, base 1982-84 = 100). Average price change = index at the new month / index at the old month - 1. Actual price change = new price / old price - 1. New price if it had only tracked CPI = old price x index at the new month / index at the old month. Actual vs that = new price / CPI-equivalent price - 1. That last number is a relative difference, not the gap in percentage points between the two changes. CPI is a broad national average of many goods and services. One item can move more or less than the average for ordinary reasons, such as ingredient costs, a change in the product, or a different store.
Data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U all items, series CUUR0000SA0, from the BLS time-series file. Months from January 1950 through August 2026 are included. Retrieved October 2, 2026. October 2025 has no published value (BLS: data unavailable due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations), so it is not offered. Later months are not included until this page is updated.
Common questions
Has this price risen faster than inflation?
Compare the price change with the change in the Consumer Price Index over the same months. If the price rose by a larger percentage than the index, it rose faster than average inflation. Enter the old and new price and their months above to see the exact comparison.
How do I compare a price increase with inflation?
Multiply the old price by the CPI at the new date divided by the CPI at the old date. That is what the price would be if it had only moved with average prices. Then compare it with the actual new price.
What does it mean if a price rose faster than CPI?
Only that it rose by more than the average of many prices. It does not show profiteering, a rule being broken or that you were overcharged. Costs for one product can differ from the average for many reasons.
What inflation measure does this use?
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted, from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is the same series behind the BLS inflation calculator.
Why do I get a different answer for my coffee, rent or groceries?
CPI-U all items is a basket of many things. Specific items, such as coffee, rent, eggs or insurance, have their own price histories and can move differently from the all-items average. This tool compares your price with the all-items average only.
What if the package size changed?
Then the comparison is not like for like. A smaller package at the same price is a unit price rise. Check the size change first with the Shrinkflation Checker, then compare the price per unit with inflation.
Does this work for bills, subscriptions and rent?
Yes, if you enter the same service at the same level. If you added features or moved to a different plan, the change in price is partly a change in what you get.
Why can I not pick the latest month?
It only offers months with published CPI data. The data on this page runs through the month shown in the source note. A month appears only after the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes it, and October 2025 has no published value.