Nonprescription drugs price history from 2018 through 2020

Nonprescription Drugs Inflation Calculator

Prices for Nonprescription Drugs, 2018-2020 ($10)

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for nonprescription drugs were 0.70% lower in 2020 versus 2018 (a $0.07 difference in value).

Between 2018 and 2020: Nonprescription drugs experienced an average inflation rate of -0.35% per year. In other words, nonprescription drugs costing $10 in the year 2018 would cost $9.93 in 2020 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 1.46% during this same period, inflation for nonprescription drugs was lower.

Price Inflation for Nonprescription drugs since 2018

Consumer Price Index, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Years with the largest changes in pricing: 2020 (-1.07%), and 2019 (0.38%).

Raw Consumer Price Index data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for Nonprescription drugs:

Year	2018	2019	2020
CPI	96.923	97.287	96.249

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Buying power of $10 since 2018

Below are calculations of equivalent buying power for Nonprescription drugs, over time, for $10 beginning in 2018. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:

Year	USD Value	Inflation Rate
2018	$10.00	-
2019	$10.04	0.38%
2020	$9.93	-1.07%*

* Not final. See inflation summary for latest details.

How to calculate the inflation rate for nonprescription drugs, 2018-2020

Start with the inflation rate formula:

CPI in 2020 / CPI in 2018 * 2018 USD value = 2020 USD value

Then plug in historical CPI values from above. The CPI for Nonprescription drugs was 96.923 in the year 2018 and 96.249 in 2020:

96.249 / 96.923 * $10 = $9.93

Therefore, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, $10 in 2018 has the same "purchasing power" as $9.93 in 2020 (in the CPI category of Nonprescription drugs).

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the Consumer Price Index for Nonprescription drugs in 2018. In addition to nonprescription drugs, the index produces monthly data on changes in prices paid by urban consumers for a variety of goods and services.