Inflation Record$100 in 1958 → 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)
$2,043.89
+1943.9% cumulative inflation · 1958–2026
Your $100 in 1958 would have the purchasing power of $2,043.89 in Australia today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1958 had the same average buying power as $2,043.89 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 1943.9% across this 68-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar changed by -95.1%.
- 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 1958 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $20.44 |
| $5 | $102.19 |
| $10 | $204.39 |
| $20 | $408.78 |
| $50 | $1,021.95 |
| $100 | $2,043.89 |
| $500 | $10,219.46 |
| $1,000 | $20,438.93 |
| $10,000 | $204,389.28 |
| $100,000 | $2,043,892.84 |
Key facts about 1958
- Consumer prices rose 0.7% in 1958 — the 74th-largest annual increase in the 1949–2026 record.
- 1958 is in the quarterly-CPI era: its annual average is the mean of the year's four quarterly indexes.
- In the decade after 1958, prices rose 26.6% in total.
$100 in 1958, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | $126.64 | +26.6% |
| 1978 | $303.46 | +203.5% |
| 1988 | $688.93 | +588.9% |
| 1998 | $933.22 | +833.2% |
| 2008 | $1,269.90 | +1169.9% |
| 2018 | $1,568.17 | +1468.2% |
| 2026 | $2,043.89 | +1943.9% |
Quarterly CPI in 1958
| Period | Index | Change vs same period, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 7.2 | 1.4% |
| Q2 | 7.2 | 0.0% |
| Q3 | 7.2 | 0.0% |
| Q4 | 7.3 | 1.4% |
Annual average for 1958: 7.225
Verify this calculation
Series: All groups CPI, weighted average of eight capital cities (6401.0); base 2011-12=100; not seasonally adjusted.
Index (1958 annual average): 7.225 · Index (2026 annual average): 147.671 · Ratio: 20.4389
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics.