If you invested $100 in gold at the beginning of January 1979, you would have about $1,776.96 by August 2026. This is a return on investment of 1,676.96%, or 6.23% per year.
This investment beats inflation during this period for an inflation-adjusted return of about 262.31% cumulatively, or 2.74% per year.
The graph below shows the performance of $100 invested in gold over time.
The nominal return on investment of $100 is $1,676.96, or 1,676.96%. This means by August 2026 you would have $1,776.96 worth of gold.
However, it's important to take into account the effect of inflation when considering an investment. Gold is often considered a hedge against inflation, so let's see how it actually performed.
The CPI in January 1979 was 68.300 and the CPI in August 2026 was 334.980.
Adjusted for inflation, the $1,776.96 nominal end value would have a real return of roughly $262.31 in 1979 dollars. This means the inflation-adjusted return is 262.31% as opposed to the original 1,676.96%.
For more information on inflation, see our U.S. inflation calculator for 1979.
The table below shows the full dataset pertaining to a $100 gold investment over the 572-month period between 1979 and 2026.
Wondering how gold compares to the stock market? Use our S&P 500 calculator to compare returns over the same period.
Gold prices since August 2000 are CME Group gold futures (GC) via Yahoo Finance. Earlier prices are World Bank monthly averages from 1960, and the official U.S. price of gold before that. Inflation data is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly CPI logs.
in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.
|
Start Price
January 1979 | $227.00 |
|
End Price
August 2026 | $4,033.70 |
| Nominal return |
+1,676.96%
+6.23% / yr |
| Inflation-adjusted return |
+262.31%
+2.74% / yr |
|
Final amount, nominal ($100 base) | $1,776.96 |
|
Final amount, inflation-adjusted ($100 base) | $362.31 |