Home / Compare / Bitcoin vs the US dollar
Bitcoin vs the US dollar
Inflation quietly reduces what money buys. This page shows by how much.
Inflation versus volatility
Holding cash gives certainty about the number, but not about what it buys. US consumer prices rose by roughly half between January 2011 and September 2026, so $100 from 2011 buys about two thirds of what it did.
Bitcoin's supply is capped at 21 million, which is why it is often discussed as a hedge against inflation. Its price has also fallen by more than half several times, so the experience has been very different from holding cash.
$100 invested, by year
| Invested in | Bitcoin | US dollar (purchasing power) |
|---|---|---|
| January 2011 | $28,284,367 | $65.36 |
| January 2012 | $1,607,066 | $67.27 |
| January 2013 | $637,993 | $68.34 |
| January 2014 | $11,250 | $69.42 |
| January 2015 | $27,002 | $69.36 |
| January 2016 | $19,537 | $70.32 |
| January 2017 | $8,500 | $72.07 |
| January 2018 | $621 | $73.57 |
| January 2019 | $2,208 | $74.70 |
| January 2020 | $1,178 | $76.56 |
| January 2021 | $289 | $77.63 |
| January 2022 | $178 | $83.44 |
| January 2023 | $510 | $88.79 |
| January 2024 | $192 | $91.54 |
| January 2025 | $89.87 | $94.28 |
How this is calculated: each figure is the value today of $100 invested in January of the year shown. Bitcoin uses the first-of-month price on this site (latest: October 2026). The S&P 500 uses monthly average closes (multpl.com, latest 30 Oct 2026). Gold uses the LBMA PM price at the end of the previous year (latest 15 Oct 2026). US dollar purchasing power uses CPI-U, not seasonally adjusted (Bureau of Labor Statistics, January values; latest September 2026). Prices exclude dividends, taxes and fees. Past performance does not predict future results; this is not financial advice.
Bitcoin vs gold → · Bitcoin vs the S&P 500 → · All comparisons → · Bitcoin calculator → · Monthly prices →
BitcoinYears.com is for sale
A short, memorable domain for Bitcoin news, history, data and media. Serious inquiries welcome.