Office for National Statistics, RPI All Items Index (series CDKO) · 1800–2025
The value of money since 1800
What £100 in any year since 1800 would be worth today, using the Office for National Statistics long-run price index — the standard measure of UK consumer prices, published annually for over two centuries.
Look carefully at the first two figures. £100 in 1800 is worth less today than £100 in 1900 — which means money became more valuable across the nineteenth century, not less. Sustained inflation is a twentieth-century phenomenon, and mostly a post-1945 one.
| Year | £100 is worth | £1 is worth | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | £137 | £1.37 | 1.4× |
| 2010 | £180 | £1.80 | 1.8× |
| 2000 | £236 | £2.36 | 2.4× |
| 1990 | £319 | £3.19 | 3.2× |
| 1980 | £602 | £6.02 | 6.0× |
| 1970 | £2,173 | £21.73 | 21.7× |
| 1960 | £3,235 | £32.35 | 32.4× |
| 1950 | £4,814 | £48.14 | 48.1× |
| 1940 | £7,864 | £78.64 | 78.6× |
| 1930 | £9,183 | £91.83 | 91.8× |
| 1920 | £6,279 | £62.79 | 62.8× |
| 1910 | £16,548 | £165.48 | 165.5× |
| 1900 | £17,267 | £172.67 | 172.7× |
| 1890 | £18,052 | £180.52 | 180.5× |
| 1880 | £16,900 | £169.00 | 169.0× |
| 1870 | £16,722 | £167.22 | 167.2× |
| 1860 | £17,082 | £170.82 | 170.8× |
| 1850 | £18,912 | £189.12 | 189.1× |
| 1840 | £14,312 | £143.12 | 143.1× |
| 1830 | £16,046 | £160.46 | 160.5× |
| 1820 | £13,578 | £135.78 | 135.8× |
| 1810 | £11,032 | £110.32 | 110.3× |
| 1800 | £11,767 | £117.67 | 117.7× |
The century when money got stronger
Between 1800 and 1900 British prices fell overall. Industrialisation drove down the cost of manufactured goods, imported food arrived more cheaply, and the currency was tied to gold for most of the period. Someone saving a sovereign in 1850 could reasonably expect it to buy more, not less, a decade later.
That reversed decisively in the twentieth century, and most sharply in the 1970s, when inflation peaked above 20% a year. The practical effect is that intuitions about money formed after 1945 do not transfer to earlier periods at all.
This or the inflation calculator?
Two different tools, and it is worth knowing which you want.
Our inflation calculator uses the Consumer Prices Index and works best for recent decades — enter any amount and any pair of years and it does the arithmetic for you. Reach for it for “what is my 2005 salary worth now”.
This page uses the long-run composite price index, which reaches back to 1800 — far further than CPI, which only begins in 1988. It is a reference table rather than a calculator, and it is what you want for historical amounts, old contracts, family history, or anything before the war.
What the index does and doesn't tell you
A price index tracks a representative basket of goods, so it describes general spending power rather than the price of any particular thing. Individual items diverge enormously: over the last century, food and clothing have risen far less than the average, while housing and services have risen far more.
It also says nothing about wages. Earnings rose faster than prices for much of the twentieth century, so goods becoming more expensive in cash terms does not mean they became harder to afford. For that comparison see pay versus house prices.
For pre-decimal amounts — shillings, florins, guineas — our old money converter handles pounds, shillings and pence directly, using the same index.
Using this data
Suggested citation: Sunny Avenue, “The value of money since 1800”, derived from the Office for National Statistics, RPI All Items Index (series CDKO). Updated 2026-07-29.
Frequently asked questions
What is £100 in 1900 worth today?
£100 in 1900 has the spending power of roughly £17,267 in 2025, using the ONS long-run price index. That is a guide to a broad basket of goods rather than the price of any single item.
What is £1 in 1970 worth today?
£1 in 1970 is worth about £22 today. The 1970s were the sharpest inflationary decade in modern British history, so money lost value fastest in the years immediately after.
Did prices always rise?
No, and this is the most surprising thing in the data. Prices fell across much of the nineteenth century: £100 in 1800 is worth £11,767 today, while £100 in 1900 — a century later — is worth £17,267. Money became more valuable over those hundred years, not less.
Where does this data come from?
The ONS composite price index, series CDKO, published annually back to 1800. It is the standard long-run measure of UK consumer prices and is available under the Open Government Licence.
Source: Office for National Statistics, RPI All Items Index (series CDKO). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Updated 2026-07-29.