Inflation Record$100 in 1952 → Today (Australia)
Official data verified · CPI (ABS) · Annual average · Not seasonally adjusted · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · All groups CPI, weighted average of eight capital cities (6401.0)
$2,410.96
+2311.0% cumulative inflation · 1952–2026
Your $100 in 1952 would have the purchasing power of $2,410.96 in Australia today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1952 had the same average buying power as $2,410.96 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 2311.0% across this 74-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar changed by -95.9%.
- This measures the broad basket of consumer goods and services (CPI (ABS)). Individual expenses moved at different rates.
What this means in other amounts
| In 1952 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $24.11 |
| $5 | $120.55 |
| $10 | $241.10 |
| $20 | $482.19 |
| $50 | $1,205.48 |
| $100 | $2,410.96 |
| $500 | $12,054.80 |
| $1,000 | $24,109.59 |
| $10,000 | $241,095.93 |
| $100,000 | $2,410,959.31 |
Key facts about 1952
- Consumer prices rose 17.2% in 1952 — the 2nd-largest annual increase in the 1949–2026 record.
- 1952 is in the quarterly-CPI era: its annual average is the mean of the year's four quarterly indexes.
- In the decade after 1952, prices rose 27.3% in total.
$100 in 1952, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | $127.35 | +27.3% |
| 1972 | $179.59 | +79.6% |
| 1982 | $524.49 | +424.5% |
| 1992 | $977.55 | +877.6% |
| 2002 | $1,254.69 | +1154.7% |
| 2012 | $1,649.39 | +1549.4% |
| 2022 | $2,078.37 | +1978.4% |
| 2026 | $2,410.96 | +2311.0% |
Quarterly CPI in 1952
| Period | Index | Change vs same period, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 5.9 | 22.9% |
| Q2 | 6.1 | 19.6% |
| Q3 | 6.2 | 17.0% |
| Q4 | 6.3 | 10.5% |
Annual average for 1952: 6.125
Verify this calculation
Series: All groups CPI, weighted average of eight capital cities (6401.0); base 2011-12=100; not seasonally adjusted.
Index (1952 annual average): 6.125 · Index (2026 annual average): 147.671 · Ratio: 24.1096
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics.