The approximate value of 400,000 sesterces in U.S. Dollars is calculated based on the silver content of a sesterce.
One sesterce contained about 0.09 ounces of silver. Using a silver price of $31.69 per ounce, one sesterce would be about $2.83 in today’s money.
So, 400,000 sesterces × $2.83 ≈ $1.13M, which was the exact amount needed for a man to run for senator in Ancient Rome.