Compare how prices and purchasing power changed in the US, UK and euro area.
Money through time
What would the same basket cost?
Imagine buying the same basket of goods in two different years. Watch prices rise—and see what that means for money kept as cash.
Three local baskets: US dollars in the United States, pounds in the United Kingdom, and euros in the euro area. This is a comparison of domestic price changes, not an exchange-rate conversion.
United States
Same basket in 2024
US$182.17
A basket costing US$100.00 in 2000.
Prices changed by 82.2%.
Unchanged cash buys 54.9% of the starting basket.
United Kingdom
Same basket in 2024
£180.94
A basket costing £100.00 in 2000.
Prices changed by 80.9%.
Unchanged cash buys 55.3% of the starting basket.
Euro area
Same basket in 2024
€165.77
A basket costing €100.00 in 2000.
Prices changed by 65.8%.
Unchanged cash buys 60.3% of the starting basket.
Price levels · 2000 = 100
━ United States
┄ United Kingdom
··· Euro area
Indices are rebased to the selected starting year. Use the year controls for a readable comparison. The table below contains the figures shown on the graph.See annual figures
Annual price levels relative to the selected starting year
Year
United States
United Kingdom
Euro area
2000
100.00
100.00
100.00
2001
102.83
101.53
102.34
2002
104.46
103.08
104.65
2003
106.83
104.49
106.82
2004
109.69
105.95
109.11
2005
113.41
108.16
111.49
2006
117.07
110.82
113.93
2007
120.41
113.46
116.36
2008
125.03
117.46
120.17
2009
124.59
119.76
120.52
2010
126.63
122.75
122.47
2011
130.63
127.48
125.79
2012
133.33
130.76
128.94
2013
135.28
133.76
130.68
2014
137.48
135.70
131.24
2015
137.64
136.20
131.50
2016
139.38
137.57
131.80
2017
142.35
141.09
133.83
2018
145.82
144.32
136.18
2019
148.47
146.83
137.81
2020
150.30
148.29
138.16
2021
157.36
152.02
141.73
2022
169.95
164.06
153.61
2023
176.95
175.21
161.94
2024
182.17
180.94
165.77
A smaller number can still mean higher prices
Inflation falling from 8% to 3% means prices are still rising, just more slowly. Prices falling is called deflation. A price index tracks a representative basket; your own shopping basket may change differently.
For this tool, “what cash buys” assumes the money earns no interest and receives no extra deposits. It does not model wages, investments or a personal household budget.
Data, coverage and method
Bundled annual observations cover 2000–2024, with 1999 retained to calculate inflation for 2000. This is the latest common complete window in this snapshot, not live 2026 prices. Reviewed . No missing years are estimated.
Euro area: ECB/Eurostat HICP, changing composition. Original base: 2015 = 100. Time Playground calculates the arithmetic mean of all 12 monthly observations for each year.
Basket cost = starting amount × target index ÷ starting index. Cash’s remaining basket share = starting index ÷ target index. Annual inflation compares annual-average indices, not December-to-December prices. Rebased indices describe relative change; CPI and HICP use different coverage and methods, and euro-area membership changes over this period.
The euro launched in 1999; euro notes and coins arrived in 2002. Earlier euro amounts here are price-basket comparisons expressed in euros, not a claim that euro cash was already circulating. ECB: the euro’s introduction.