Phone service priced at $50 in 2025 $49.97 in 2026

Phone Service Inflation Calculator

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Prices for Phone Service, 2025-2026 ($50)

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for telephone services are 0.07% lower in 2026 versus 2025 (a $0.03 difference in value).

Between 2025 and 2026: Phone service experienced an average inflation rate of -0.07% per year. In other words, phone service costing $50 in the year 2025 would cost $49.97 in 2026 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 0.66% during this same period, inflation for phone service was lower.

In the year 2025: Pricing changed by -0.55%, which is below the average yearly change for phone service during the 2025-2026 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 2025 (2.65%), inflation for phone service was much lower.

Price Inflation for Telephone services since 1997

Consumer Price Index, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Years with the largest changes in pricing: 2017 (-7.18%), 2020 (3.18%), and 2007 (2.60%).

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Buying power of $50.00 since 2025

Below are calculations of equivalent buying power for Phone service, over time, for $50 beginning in 2025. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:

YearUSD ValueInflation Rate
2025$50.00-0.55%
2026$49.97-0.07%*

* Not final. See inflation summary for latest details.
** Extended periods of 0% inflation usually indicate incomplete underlying data. This can manifest as a sharp increase in inflation later on.


Raw Consumer Price Index data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for Telephone services:

Year199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
CPI100.000100.667100.05098.48399.26799.68398.30895.76794.85095.75898.247100.451102.392102.379101.209101.685101.559101.13199.31098.84691.75090.37589.35892.19594.42994.78595.33394.63094.11194.048

Adjust phone service prices for inflation

Start with the inflation rate formula:

CPI in 2026 / CPI in 2025 * 2025 USD value = 2026 USD value

Then plug in historical CPI values from above. The CPI for Telephone services was 94.111 in the year 2025 and 94.048 in 2026:

94.048 / 94.111 * $50 = $49.97

Therefore, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, $50 in 2025 has the same "purchasing power" as $49.97 in 2026 (in the CPI category of Telephone services).


Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the Consumer Price Index for Telephone services in 1997. In addition to phone service, the index produces monthly data on changes in prices paid by urban consumers for a variety of goods and services.

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