The math
The measure is the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted (BLS series CUUR0000SA0). The index was 240.849 in August 2016 and 334.980 in August 2026.
Buying power of $1,000,000 from 2016 = $1,000,000 x 240.849 / 334.980 = about $718,995. Prices rose 39.1% over the ten years (334.980 / 240.849 - 1). To keep the same buying power you need $1,000,000 x 334.980 / 240.849 = about $1,390,830.
One million dollars, other starting years
| Starting month | CPI-U | What $1M buys today | Needed today to match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2006 | 203.900 | $608,693 | $1,642,864 |
| Aug 2011 | 226.545 | $676,294 | $1,478,647 |
| Aug 2016 | 240.849 | $718,995 | $1,390,830 |
| Aug 2021 | 273.567 | $816,667 | $1,224,490 |
All rows compare with August 2026 (334.980). Each number is a national average, so your own costs may differ.
Worked example
Say you had $1,000,000 in cash in August 2016 and held it untouched until August 2026. The balance is still $1,000,000. At the 2016 price level it now buys what about $719,000 bought then. You lost no dollars. You lost about $281,000 of buying power.* To get back to where you started, the balance would have needed to reach about $1,390,830.
This assumes no interest, no taxes and no spending. Interest earned, investment returns or withdrawals would change the result. The example is made up.
What this shows, and what it does not
It shows what national prices did between two dates. It does not show what happened to your own costs, which may have risen faster or slower than the average. It does not say whether a million dollars is "enough" for you, and it does not forecast future prices.
Common questions
Is a million dollars still a lot? It is the same number of dollars. This page only measures what it buys compared with 2016. Whether it is enough depends on your costs, age and plans, which this page does not cover.
Why use August 2016? It is ten years before the latest published month, August 2026, so the comparison covers one full decade.
Is the 28% exact? It is 28.1% by CPI-U all items, rounded. A different index or month would give a different figure. Recent months can be revised.
Is this financial advice? No. It explains a calculation.
Asterisk note
*Buying power is measured by the national CPI-U average, not by your own spending. Educational only, not a forecast and not financial advice.
Related tool
Price Increase vs Inflation Calculator lets you test any price over any two dates.
Sources
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: CPI-U all items, series CUUR0000SA0. August values retrieved from the BLS public data API on October 9, 2026 (2006: 203.900, 2011: 226.545, 2016: 240.849; 2021 and 2026 from the same series).
FRED (St. Louis Fed): CPI-U, series CPIAUCSL (seasonally adjusted, so its values differ slightly from the figures above).
Limits
Educational explanation, not tax, legal or investment advice. Examples are labelled. Nothing here promises a result.