Personal inflation calculator: what rising prices cost you
The BLS says 3.4% over a year. For a household that fills up every week, that number means little: gasoline alone is up 27.4%. Your inflation depends on what you buy, and it takes two minutes to work out.
Mr Deal's calculator
Your personal inflation rate, and what it costs you
Replace the example amounts with what you spend in a typical month; leave a line at zero if it does not apply. Each line uses the price change the BLS measured over the twelve months to August 2026.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, 12-month change not seasonally adjusted, August 2026, released September 11, 2026. All items: +3.4%.
Why your inflation is not the BLS's
The Consumer Price Index tracks an average basket, weighted by what all urban consumers spend together. Nobody buys exactly that basket. A commuter who drives 40 miles a day and heats with gas does not live the same inflation as a city renter who takes the bus: over the year to August 2026, the first saw gasoline rise 27.4% and utility gas 4.4%, the second saw rent rise 2.7%.
Price changes over twelve months, line by line
Twelve-month changes measured by the BLS for August 2026, not seasonally adjusted, released September 11, 2026:
| Category | Over 12 months |
|---|---|
| Gasoline (all types) | +27.4% |
| Tobacco and smoking products | +6.3% |
| Coffee | +6.1% |
| Car maintenance and repair | +5.2% |
| Water, sewer and trash | +4.8% |
| Natural gas (utility) | +4.4% |
| Electricity | +3.8% |
| Clothing | +3.6% |
| Food away from home | +3.4% |
| Cell phone plans | +3.2% |
| Rent of primary residence | +2.7% |
| Medical care services | +2.5% |
| Food at home | +2.2% |
| Internet | +1.5% |
| Used cars and trucks | −2.3% |
| Car insurance | −5.1% |
| All items | +3.4% |
Chart
What rose most over the year
Twelve-month change, August 2026. The national rate hides very different lines.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U
How the calculation works
$200 of gas today, on a line up 27.4% in a year, was worth about $157 a year ago: 200 divided by 1.274. The $43 difference is what inflation costs you on that line each month. The calculator does it for every line, adds up the differences and divides by what you spent a year ago. It is the BLS method, with a fixed basket: it assumes you buy the same things as a year ago.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my personal inflation rate?
List what you spend each month, line by line, and apply to each line the price change the Bureau of Labor Statistics measured over twelve months. $200 of gas today, with gasoline up 27.4%, was about $157 a year ago. Add up the differences, divide by what you spent a year ago, and you have your own rate. The calculator on this page does it for thirteen lines.
What is the inflation rate in the US right now?
According to the BLS, consumer prices rose 3.4% over the twelve months to August 2026, not seasonally adjusted, in the release published September 11, 2026. Excluding food and energy, the core rate was 2.4%. Gasoline was the outlier, up 27.4%.
Why is my inflation higher than the official rate?
Because the official rate is an average weighted by what all urban households spend together. A household that drives a lot, with gasoline up 27.4%, lives with a far higher rate than 3.4%. A household that spends mostly on rent and groceries, both up less than 3%, can sit below it.
Which prices are rising the most in 2026?
Over the year to August 2026, the BLS measured gasoline up 27.4%, tobacco up 6.3%, coffee up 6.1% and car maintenance and repair up 5.2%. On the other side, car insurance fell 5.1% and used cars and trucks 2.3%.
What should I do when my inflation is above average?
Start with the line pushing it. If it is gas, compare your state's price and check your tire pressure, which costs nothing. If it is electricity, measure what each appliance really draws before replacing anything. If it is groceries, look at what goes in the trash before switching stores. Each of these has its own calculator on this site.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index, August 2026, released September 11, 2026.