UK Inflation Calculator

Our UK inflation calculator adjusts the value of money using official ONS index data — CPI (Consumer Prices Index), CPIH (CPI including owner occupiers' housing costs), or RPI (Retail Prices Index). The formula is simple: adjusted amount = original amount × (index in the target period ÷ index in the original period). For example, £1,000 in 1990 is worth approximately £2,549 in June 2026 prices using CPI, because the price level has risen about 155% over that period.

CPI is the UK's headline inflation measure and the basis of the Bank of England's 2% target. CPIH extends CPI by including owner occupiers' housing costs and council tax, making it broader. RPI is the oldest measure — our series goes back to 1901 — and tends to run above CPI because of its different formula; it still drives index-linked gilts, student loan interest and thresholds, and some contracts.

Coverage here: CPI from 1988 to the June 2026 monthly index, CPIH from 1988 to the 2025 calendar-year average, RPI from 1901 to the 2025 calendar-year average. For most purposes, CPI is recommended.

CPI rose 2.6% in the 12 months to June 2026, down from 2.8% in May 2026 (ONS, published 22 July 2026). Over the same 12 months CPIH was 2.8%, core CPI (excluding energy, food, alcohol and tobacco) 2.6% and RPI 3.0%.

The Bank of England's target is 2% and Bank Rate is 3.75%, held at the June 2026 meeting. After peaking at 11.1% in October 2022, inflation has fallen a long way, though it is still above target. July 2026 CPI has not been published yet, so June 2026 is the most recent month this calculator can price in.

Enter your day rate from an earlier year and leave the target period on Jun 2026. For example, a £400/day rate in 2019 would need to be about £529/day in June 2026 prices to hold the same purchasing power (using CPI). That is the number to take into a rate negotiation: if your rate has not moved since 2019, you are roughly 24% worse off in real terms.

CPI has averaged about 2.8% a year between 1988 and June 2026. The average hides a lot: the early 1990s ran above 7%, the 2000s averaged 2.1%, the 2010s about 2%, and 2022 hit 9.1% — the highest in over 40 years. Calendar-year CPI averaged 2.5% in 2024 and 3.4% in 2025. On RPI back to 1901, the long-run average is about 4.2% a year.

It uses official ONS index data: series D7BT for CPI, L522 for CPIH and CDKO for RPI. Index levels are calendar-year averages, except CPI for 2026, which is the June 2026 monthly index of 142.5 (2015=100) from the release of 22 July 2026.

Because the 2026 figure is a single month rather than a full year, the 2026 row of the year-by-year table shows the ONS 12-month rate to June 2026 (2.6%) rather than the change from the 2025 annual average. All results are estimates — inflation is measured on a basket of goods and your own experience may differ. This is not financial advice.

The Bank of England uses a composite index that stitches together different historical price series going back to medieval times. This calculator uses the official ONS series only: CPI and CPIH from 1988, when they begin, and RPI from 1901. For comparing salaries, day rates and prices, the ONS data from 1988 onwards is the most relevant.