Convert historical francs to today's money with inflation-adjusted purchasing power — covering 1950 to 2001, with full ancien-franc / nouveau-franc handling
Before 1960 France used the ancien franc — 100 AF became 1 NF on 1 Jan 1960. Amounts written in the 1950s (pay slips, prices, letters) are anciens francs.
Finds the franc amount from your selected year whose purchasing power matches this much money today.
Indicative market rates per 1 EUR — edit to match today and your numbers update everywhere. Your rates are saved on this device.
How this works: francs convert to euro at the legally fixed rate of 6.55957 F = €1 — . The "purchasing power" figure then scales that face value by French CPI (INSEE) between your selected year and today, and the other currencies apply the (editable) market rates above. Anciens francs are converted at exactly 100 AF = 1 NF first.
How French inflation eroded purchasing power between any two years — from the franc era into the euro era.
The nominal amount needed in each year to match your starting amount's purchasing power — in nouveau-franc equivalents throughout (pre-1960 values are shown in NF for a continuous line; multiply by 100 for anciens francs).
Compare the real value of the same franc amount across two years — useful for old salaries, prices and savings. Amounts here are nouveaux francs (so 100 F = 10,000 anciens francs before 1960).
The francs needed in each year between A and B to match Year A's amount. Year A and Year B bars are highlighted.
The French franc's history, drawn live from this tool's data. The first chart uses the amount and year set on the Converter tab.
How many francs one US dollar bought — annual averages, approximate, in nouveau-franc equivalents (100:1 before 1960). Fixed near 3.50 after the 1949 devaluation, devalued to 4.94 with the Pinay-Rueff plan (Dec 1958), floating from 1973: dollar peaks near 9 F in 1985 and 7+ F around 2000.
Total cumulative inflation within each decade. The 1950s (post-war catch-up and the 1958 devaluation) and the oil-shock 1970s were France's most inflationary stretches.
Found a stash of old francs? Enter what you have to see its face value at the fixed rate — and read the fine print below, because unlike the Deutsche Mark, the franc can no longer be exchanged.
How each coin and note contributes to the total.
No longer exchangeable: the Banque de France stopped exchanging franc coins on 17 February 2005 and franc banknotes on 17 February 2012. The face value above is what your stash would have converted to — today its monetary value is zero, though collectors pay for crisp notes and rarer coins (the 500 F Pierre & Marie Curie and commemorative pieces do best). An estimated €500+ million in francs was never redeemed.
Pick an amount and a year — the tiles show how many of each everyday item it bought, at typical French prices of that year. Prices anchor on averages around 2000 and are deflated with the same INSEE series used everywhere on this page. Illustrative, not exact records.
Pre-1960 amounts are anciens francs by default — 100 AF = 1 NF.
Actual prices varied between Paris and the provinces, corner shop and supermarket. Prices for pre-1960 years are shown in anciens francs.
Nominal franc price (NF equivalents; the 1955 baguette really cost ~32 anciens francs) next to its inflation-adjusted equivalent in today's euros. Bread got dearer in real terms too — the baguette outpaced general inflation.
The franc was born in 1360, when the gold franc à cheval was struck to pay King Jean II's ransom to the English — making it one of the oldest currency names in the world. The Revolution re-established it as France's decimal currency in 1795, and the franc germinal of 1803 fixed the modern standard: 5 grams of .900 silver, divided into 100 centimes. Two world wars and chronic post-war inflation later, de Gaulle's government redenominated on 1 January 1960: 100 anciens francs became 1 nouveau franc. That is why a 1955 payslip of "30,000 francs" and a 1995 baguette at "3.80 francs" live in different monetary universes. The euro replaced the franc electronically in 1999 and as cash in 2002.
No — the window has closed. Franc coins stopped being exchangeable on 17 February 2005, and franc banknotes on 17 February 2012 (ten years after the franc left circulation, as set by French law). The Banque de France no longer converts francs to euros in any amount. Leftover francs have collector value only — an estimated €500+ million was never redeemed and became French state revenue.
The 1960 reform, in one line: 100 anciens francs = 1 nouveau franc, exactly. Many French people kept counting in "anciens francs" for decades — grandparents quoting house prices "en millions" usually meant anciens francs (1 million AF = 10,000 NF ≈ €1,525 at face value). This tool handles both: pre-1960 inputs default to anciens francs, and every calculation normalises to nouveaux francs internally.
Coins: 5, 10 and 20 centimes (aluminium-bronze), ½, 1, 2 and 5 francs (nickel), the bimetallic 10 F (1988) and trimetallic 20 F (1992). A 1-centime piece existed but had almost vanished from daily use.
Banknotes: the final series painted by Roger Pfund's team — 50 F Saint-Exupéry (1993), 100 F Cézanne (1997), 200 F Eiffel (1996) and 500 F Pierre & Marie Curie (1994). The 20 F Debussy note (1980 design) circulated until the 20 F coin replaced it in 1997.
Reconstruction & devaluations1945–1959
Post-war inflation ran hot (16% in 1951, 15% in 1958). The Pinay-Rueff plan of December 1958 devalued the franc 17.5% and prepared the ground for the nouveau franc.
Trente Glorieuses1960–1973
The new franc era began with strong growth and moderate inflation. Wages rose faster than prices; the May 1968 Grenelle accords lifted the minimum wage by a third.
Oil shocks & double-digit inflation1974–1985
Two oil crises pushed inflation to 13.6% (1974 and 1980). Prices tripled in eleven years — the fastest erosion of the nouveau franc's life.
Franc fort1986–1998
The 1983 "tournant de la rigueur" anchored the franc to the Deutsche Mark. Inflation fell below 2% and stayed there; the franc survived the 1992–93 EMS crisis intact.
Euro transition1999–2002
The conversion rate was irrevocably fixed on 31 December 1998 (EU Regulation 2866/98) at €1 = 6.55957 F. Euro cash arrived on 1 January 2002; the franc ceased to be legal tender on 17 February 2002.
1 F = €0.152449 · 1 EUR = 6.55957 F · 1 nouveau franc = 100 anciens francs
The euro rate is fixed by EU law and never changes — but since 2012 it can no longer be exercised at the Banque de France.