Inflation Record$100 in 1955 → 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)
$2,237.44
+2137.4% cumulative inflation · 1955–2026
Your $100 in 1955 would have the purchasing power of $2,237.44 in Australia today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1955 had the same average buying power as $2,237.44 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 2137.4% across this 71-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar changed by -95.5%.
- 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 1955 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $22.37 |
| $5 | $111.87 |
| $10 | $223.74 |
| $20 | $447.49 |
| $50 | $1,118.72 |
| $100 | $2,237.44 |
| $500 | $11,187.22 |
| $1,000 | $22,374.43 |
| $10,000 | $223,744.33 |
| $100,000 | $2,237,443.30 |
Key facts about 1955
- Consumer prices rose 1.5% in 1955 — the 67th-largest annual increase in the 1949–2026 record.
- 1955 is in the quarterly-CPI era: its annual average is the mean of the year's four quarterly indexes.
- In the decade after 1955, prices rose 26.5% in total.
$100 in 1955, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | $126.52 | +26.5% |
| 1975 | $241.67 | +141.7% |
| 1985 | $594.32 | +494.3% |
| 1995 | $984.85 | +884.8% |
| 2005 | $1,257.20 | +1157.2% |
| 2015 | $1,631.44 | +1531.4% |
| 2025 | $2,160.88 | +2060.9% |
| 2026 | $2,237.44 | +2137.4% |
Quarterly CPI in 1955
| Period | Index | Change vs same period, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 6.5 | 0.0% |
| Q2 | 6.6 | 1.5% |
| Q3 | 6.6 | 1.5% |
| Q4 | 6.7 | 3.1% |
Annual average for 1955: 6.600
Verify this calculation
Series: All groups CPI, weighted average of eight capital cities (6401.0); base 2011-12=100; not seasonally adjusted.
Index (1955 annual average): 6.600 · Index (2026 annual average): 147.671 · Ratio: 22.3744
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics.