Eternexa

Inflation Calculator

See what today’s money will cost — and what it will still buy — years from now, at any assumed inflation rate.

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Today's money

Step 1 of 2
₹1.00 Lakh

Which way?

What today’s expenses will cost after inflation does its work.

10 years
What ₹1.00 Lakh of today's expenses will cost in 10 years
₹1,79,085+₹79,085 more for the same things

Prices become 1.79× today's at 6% inflation

56%of today’s buying power survives
Price multiple
1.79×
Same money then buys
₹55,839
Buying power lost
44.2%
  • What it still buys
  • Buying power lost
What it grows toWhat you investYr 0Yr 3Yr 5Yr 8Yr 10
Cost of the same lifestyleToday’s amount

10 years of 6% inflation

The same money, and the same basket, seen from both ends.

Today
₹1,00,000100% buying power
Cost of the same in 10 years
₹1,79,0851.79× today's prices
What the same money then buys
₹55,83944.2% of its power gone

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How this estimate works

Compounds the inflation rate you choose to estimate future costs or purchasing power. The default is an illustration, not a government target or a live CPI feed.

Results are estimates for general information, not financial, investment, tax or legal advice. Verify the applicable period, eligibility and official rules before acting.

All official sources & calculator methods →

The quietest tax you pay

Inflation never sends a bill, yet it charges everyone: the ₹60 thali that becomes ₹192 in twenty years, the school fee that doubles between two children. This calculator runs that arithmetic in both directions — what today’s money will cost in the future, and what money left idle will still buy.

The formula (both ways)

One factor drives both answers:

Future cost = Amount × (1 + i)ⁿ  ·  Purchasing power = Amount ÷ (1 + i)ⁿ

Worked example: at 6% inflation, ₹1,00,000 of today’s monthly expenses will cost ₹1,79,085 in 10 years — while ₹1,00,000 left in a drawer will buy only ₹55,839 worth of the same things. Same coin, two faces: prices grew 1.79×, so your idle money shrank to 1⁄1.79 of itself. Compounding works exactly like it does in an interest calculation — just against you.

What rate should you assume?

The displayed default is an illustrative planning assumption, not a live CPI reading, a government inflation target or a forecast. Your own mix of rent, school fees, healthcare and other costs can rise at a different rate. Compare several assumptions and review them when your circumstances change.

Beating it is the whole game

Every investment return you earn is really return minus inflation. The exact relation is real = (1 + return) ÷ (1 + inflation) − 1: a 7% FD against 6% inflation nets barely 0.94% real — before tax on the interest makes it negative for many slabs. That single line explains most Indian portfolio advice: guaranteed instruments (PPF, FDs) preserve money; growth assets via SIPs can produce returns that differ from inflation, but those returns are uncertain and losses are possible.

Use it to size goals, not just to worry

The practical loop: price the goal today → inflate it to the target date with this page → plan for the inflated number with the SIP goal mode. A ₹25 lakh (today) wedding fifteen years out is a ₹60 lakh target at 6% — plan for ₹25 lakh and the shortfall arrives dressed as a surprise. Retirement is the extreme case: forty years of expenses, every one of them inflating, which is why retirement math always starts with this multiplication.

Frequently asked questions

What inflation rate should I use for planning?
The default is an illustration, not an official target or forecast. Choose a rate suited to the expense you are planning and compare several scenarios. A higher assumption shows how sensitive your goal is to rising costs.
Does inflation really compound like interest?
Yes — each year’s price rise builds on already-risen prices, which is why 6% quietly triples costs in about 19 years. The same (1+i)ⁿ curve that grows a deposit shrinks a rupee; small-looking rates become enormous over decades.
Why can my expenses rise at a different rate from a published index?
Your spending mix and lifestyle can differ from an index basket. Track comparable expenses over time and use that experience to test your own assumption. This calculator does not retrieve CPI data.
How do I compare a deposit return with inflation?
Compare the return available to you after any applicable tax and charges with your inflation assumption. For example, a 7% return and 6% inflation imply about 0.94% real growth before tax and charges. Neither rate is a forecast or a product recommendation.
How does inflation change my retirement number?
It is the retirement number. Monthly expenses of ₹50,000 today become about ₹1.6 lakh in 20 years at 6% — and keep rising through retirement itself. Inflate your expenses to the retirement date, then plan a corpus whose withdrawals can keep pace; skipping that first multiplication is the most common retirement-planning error.

Related calculators

Retirement

Your real retirement number — expenses inflated to 60, the corpus that funds 25 years of them, and the SIP that builds it.

SIP

Project your mutual-fund SIP corpus with a year-by-year growth chart, step-up and goal planning.

Compound Interest

Compound and simple interest side by side — any rate, yearly to monthly compounding, with a year-by-year growth chart.

Disclaimer: Eternexa is an independent app. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, authorised by or representing the Government of India, any state government or any government entity. It does not provide official government services. Results are estimates for general information, not financial, investment, tax or legal advice. Verify the applicable period, eligibility and official rules before acting. Read the official references and calculation scope.