How much has the cost of living risen since the euro?
Between 2002 and 2025 consumer prices in the euro area rose by about 67%, 2.2% a year on average, according to published annual inflation.
Historical inflation
Historical inflation calculator: what old euros are worth today
Choose an amount, in euros or in pesetas, marks or guilders, and two years between 1960 and 2025 to see its equivalent with the actual inflation of the euro area, Spain, Germany or the Netherlands.
Currency
2025€1,669.01€1,000.00 in 2002 is equivalent to €1,669.01 in 2025
Cumulative inflation66.9%
Annual average2.25%
Formula
€1,000.00 × (1 + 66.9%) = €1,669.01
Data: World Bank via FRED, average annual CPI up to 2025.
How it is calculated
It chains the average inflation of each year between the start and end year, so it compares the average price level of one year with another. €1,000 in 2002, when euro notes arrived, is equivalent to about €1,669 in 2025 across the euro area: prices rose 67%, 2.2% a year on average. €1,000 in 1999 is about €1,814 in 2025.
Pesetas, marks and guilders
Amounts in old currencies are converted to euros at the fixed, irrevocable rate of 1 January 1999: €1 = 166.386 Spanish pesetas = 1.95583 Deutsche Marks = 2.20371 Dutch guilders. That rate applies to any year; inflation is applied afterwards.
What to keep in mind
These are annual averages of the overall consumer price index, which measures an average basket: your personal inflation depends on what you spend on, and housing or food may have risen much more. The data come from the World Bank via FRED and can differ by a few tenths from national statistics offices because of base changes. To index a rent, use the official index set in the contract, not this calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What is 1,000 Deutsche Marks worth today?
At the fixed rate it is €511, but with German inflation 1,000 marks from 1990 are equivalent to about €1,044 in 2025.
Why doesn't it match the national statistics office exactly?
Because it uses annual averages rather than specific months, and the international series can differ by a few tenths from national ones because of base changes or rounding.
Can I use it to index a rent or a pension?
No. Those updates follow a specific index and period set by contract or law. This calculator is for understanding how purchasing power has changed.
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