What was €100 worth in 1918?
France Inflation & Purchasing Power Calculator
In 1918, €100 represented approximately 2.2 weeks of average wages — a reasonable sum.
War Inflation, Shortages, and the Birth of Central Banking
World War I (1914–1918) shattered the stable monetary world of the gold standard era. Governments printed enormous quantities of money to finance the war, causing rapid inflation across all major economies. In the United Kingdom, prices doubled between 1914 and 1920. The US Federal Reserve, established in 1913, began its role as the guardian of monetary policy. For ordinary families, the purchasing power of their savings was dramatically eroded — a pound or dollar saved in 1914 bought significantly less by 1918.
Germany's war spending was so extreme that by 1918 the German mark had lost over 50% of its pre-war purchasing power — a preview of the catastrophic hyperinflation coming in 1923.
€100 as a serious sum
€100 in 1918 was serious money for most households. This is past the weekly-budget range. A sum like this could fund a major purchase — furniture, a sewing machine, or months of rent. For a skilled worker it might represent a fifth of a year's earnings. Money people saved for rather than spent casually.
What €100 could buy in 1918 vs today
Life in France in 1918
The average annual wage in France in 1918 was approximately €2,400. This means €100 represented roughly 2.2 weeks of average earnings — a reasonable sum. A loaf of bread cost approximately €0.35 and monthly rent averaged around €25.
How €100 Lost Its Value Over Time
Frequently Asked Questions
What is €100 from 1918 worth in 2026?+
€100 in 1918 is equivalent to approximately €587 in 2026. This represents a 487% increase due to cumulative inflation in France between 1918 and 2026.
How much has the € lost in value since 1918?+
Since 1918, the France currency has lost approximately 83% of its purchasing power. In other words, what cost €100 in 1918 would cost €587 today — you need 5.9× more money to buy the same goods.
What was the average salary in France in 1918?+
Based on historical wage data, €100 in 1918 represented approximately 2.2 weeks of average wages in France. This helps illustrate not just the nominal price change, but what money actually meant in human terms — how long people had to work to earn it.
How accurate is this inflation calculation for 1918?+
This calculation uses official Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for France. For years before 1913 (USA) or equivalent periods for other countries, the calculation uses reconstructed price indices from academic sources including MeasuringWorth.com and the Bank of England's Millennium Dataset. Pre-industrial calculations carry a wider margin of uncertainty.
Why does purchasing power matter more than just inflation percentage?+
A simple inflation percentage tells you how prices changed, but purchasing power shows you what money could actually buy in human terms. €100 in 1918 bought a specific number of loaves of bread, weeks of rent, or months of wages — context that makes the number real and tangible, not just an abstract percentage.
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Want to flip the question? Instead of asking what €100 was worth in 1918, ask what your modern salary would have made you in that era. Our Rich-O-Meter takes any annual salary and shows where it would have ranked — working class, middle class, or wealthy elite — at any point in France's recorded history.
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See where you're rich today
Beyond history, there's geography. Our WealthMap compares your current salary to median income in around 90 countries today. A middle-class income in one country is wealthy-elite in another — and the gap between these places is often wider than the gap between eras.
Open the WealthMapThese calculations are estimates based on France's CPI data from INSEE (Institut National de la Statistique); Banque de France historical series; OECD. 1800–1960 uses French Franc values rescaled to Euro-equivalent purchasing power. Hyperinflation of WWI/WWII periods reflected. See our Methodology and Data Sources for full details. Not financial advice.