# Real Inflation Data

> Free US inflation tracker built from actual prices of everyday items (rent, groceries, gas, electricity, health care, subscriptions), compared with the official CPI. Updated weekly. Data licensed CC BY 4.0 (credit Real Inflation Data, https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/).

Latest (Sep 2026): Real Inflation +5.5% year over year vs CPI-U +3.7% (core CPI +2.6%). Since Jan 2018: Real Inflation +47.7% vs CPI-U +35.1%.

Not official statistics; not financial advice. Method: chained, weighted geometric mean of monthly price changes for a fixed list of items (Jan 2019 = 100). Sources: BLS average prices and CPI (via FRED), EIA, Zillow ZORI, KFF, NAIC, The Economist Big Mac Index, College Board, and dated official price changes.

## Key pages
- [Real Inflation index vs CPI](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/): headline numbers, charts, weights, methodology
- [Real inflation calculator](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/calculator/): what money from any month costs today, by Real Inflation and by CPI-U
- [Latest CPI](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/cpi/): latest CPI-U and core CPI vs Real Inflation, plus the BLS release schedule
- [All tracked prices](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/)

## Data (CSV, CC BY 4.0)
- [prices_by_date.csv](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/data/prices_by_date.csv): one row per date, one column per item
- [prices_long.csv](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/data/prices_long.csv): date, item_id, item_name, unit, value, source
- [index_monthly.csv](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/data/index_monthly.csv): monthly Real Inflation and CPI index values and YoY rates
- [site.json](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/data/site.json): everything the site renders

## Price history pages
- [US Rent Prices: Typical Monthly Rent History 2015–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/rent/): $1,932 per month in Sep 2026, +2.7% YoY
- [Bread Prices: US White Bread Price History 1980–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/bread/): $1.830 per pound in Sep 2026, -2.0% YoY
- [Chicken Breast Prices: US Price per Pound, 2006–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/chicken-breast/): $4.203 per pound in Sep 2026, +0.7% YoY
- [Whole Chicken Prices: US Price per Pound, 1980–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/whole-chicken/): $2.064 per pound in Sep 2026, +0.1% YoY
- [Egg Prices: Monthly US Price History 1980–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/eggs/): $2.272 per dozen in Sep 2026, -34.9% YoY
- [Ground Beef Prices: US Price per Pound, 1984–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/ground-beef/): $6.792 per pound in Sep 2026, +7.4% YoY
- [Milk Prices: US Price per Gallon, 1995–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/milk/): $4.106 per gallon in Sep 2026, -0.6% YoY
- [Banana Prices: US Price per Pound, 1980–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/bananas/): $0.656 per pound in Sep 2026, -2.1% YoY
- [Cheddar Cheese Prices: US Price per Pound, 1984–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/cheese/): $6.133 per pound in Sep 2026, +1.4% YoY
- [Coffee Prices: US Ground Coffee Price History 1980–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/coffee/): $9.332 per pound in Sep 2026, +2.1% YoY
- [Potato Prices: US Price per Pound, 1986–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/potatoes/): $0.989 per pound in Sep 2026, -2.5% YoY
- [Electricity Prices: US Average Cost per kWh, 1978–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/electricity/): $0.196 per kWh in Sep 2026, +4.3% YoY
- [Gas Prices: US Regular Gasoline Weekly History 1990–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/gas/): $4.284 per gallon in the week of Oct 19, 2026, +41.9% YoY
- [Natural Gas Prices: US Utility Gas Cost per Therm, 1978–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/natural-gas/): $1.700 per therm in Sep 2026, +5.4% YoY
- [Diesel Prices: US Weekly Price History 1994–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/diesel/): $6.276 per gallon in the week of Oct 19, 2026, +73.4% YoY
- [Heating Oil Prices: US Price per Gallon, 1978–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/heating-oil/): $5.922 per gallon in Sep 2026, +64.9% YoY
- [Doctor Visit Copay History: Average Primary Care Copay](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/doctor-visit-copay/): $27 per visit as of Oct 2026, 0.0% YoY
- [Generic Prescription Copay History (Employer Plans)](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/generic-prescription-copay/): $12 per prescription as of Oct 2026, 0.0% YoY
- [Average Health Insurance Deductible History, 2015–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/health-insurance-deductible/): $1,955 per year as of Oct 2026, +3.7% YoY
- [Family Health Insurance Premium History (KFF), 2015–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/health-insurance-premium/): $28,303 per year as of Oct 2026, +4.9% YoY
- [Car Insurance Cost History: US Average per Vehicle](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/car-insurance/): $1,431.63 per year as of Oct 2026, 0.0% YoY
- [Medicare Part B Premium History, 2016–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/medicare-part-b/): $202.90 per month as of Oct 2026, +9.7% YoY
- [Amazon Prime Price History (US Annual Membership)](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/amazon-prime/): $139 per year as of Oct 2026, 0.0% YoY
- [Costco Membership Price History (Gold Star, US)](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/costco-membership/): $65 per year as of Oct 2026, 0.0% YoY
- [Microsoft 365 Personal Price History (US)](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/microsoft-365/): $99.99 per year as of Oct 2026, 0.0% YoY
- [Planet Fitness Price History (Classic Membership)](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/planet-fitness/): $15 per month as of Oct 2026, 0.0% YoY
- [Forever Stamp Price History: USPS Stamp Prices 2016–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/forever-stamp/): $0.82 as of Oct 2026, +5.1% YoY
- [Netflix Price History (Standard Plan, US)](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/netflix/): $19.99 per month as of Oct 2026, +11.1% YoY
- [Spotify Premium Price History (US Individual Plan)](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/spotify/): $12.99 per month as of Oct 2026, +8.3% YoY
- [PlayStation Plus Price History (12-Month, US)](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/playstation-plus/): $79.99 per year as of Oct 2026, 0.0% YoY
- [iPhone Price History: Base Model US Starting Price](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/iphone/): $899 as of Oct 2026, +12.5% YoY
- [Public College Tuition History: In-State 4-Year, 2014–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/college-tuition/): $11,950 per year as of Oct 2026, 0.0% YoY
- [Big Mac Price History: US Average Price, 2015–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/big-mac/): $6.22 as of Oct 2026, +3.5% YoY
- [Beer Prices: US Average Price per 16 oz, 1995–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/beer/): $1.875 per 16 oz in Sep 2026, +2.2% YoY
- [NYC Water and Sewer Rate History, 2014–2026](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/nyc-water-rates/): $13.86 per 100 cubic feet (748 gallons) as of Oct 2026, +6.0% YoY
- [Movie and Concert Ticket Prices: CPI Admissions Index](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/movie-concert-tickets/): 238.4 in Sep 2026, +2.5% YoY
- [Restaurant Prices: CPI Food Away From Home History](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/eating-out/): 398.8 in Sep 2026, +3.5% YoY
- [CPI Rent Index: US Rent Inflation History](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/cpi-rent/): 450.4 in Sep 2026, +2.8% YoY
- [Used Car Prices: CPI Used Cars and Trucks Index History](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/used-car-prices/): 182.2 in Sep 2026, -1.5% YoY
- [Core CPI Index History (All Items Less Food and Energy)](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/core-cpi-index/): 338.9 in Sep 2026, +2.6% YoY
- [CPI-U Index History: All Items, Seasonally Adjusted](https://real-inflation-data.vercel.app/prices/cpi-u-index/): 336.3 in Sep 2026, +3.7% YoY