Inflation Record$100 in 1968 → 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)
$1,613.89
+1513.9% cumulative inflation · 1968–2026
Your $100 in 1968 would have the purchasing power of $1,613.89 in Australia today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1968 had the same average buying power as $1,613.89 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 1513.9% across this 58-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar changed by -93.8%.
- 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 1968 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $16.14 |
| $5 | $80.69 |
| $10 | $161.39 |
| $20 | $322.78 |
| $50 | $806.95 |
| $100 | $1,613.89 |
| $500 | $8,069.47 |
| $1,000 | $16,138.94 |
| $10,000 | $161,389.35 |
| $100,000 | $1,613,893.53 |
Key facts about 1968
- Consumer prices rose 2.5% in 1968 — the 52nd-largest annual increase in the 1949–2026 record.
- 1968 is in the quarterly-CPI era: its annual average is the mean of the year's four quarterly indexes.
- In the decade after 1968, prices rose 139.6% in total.
$100 in 1968, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | $239.62 | +139.6% |
| 1988 | $543.99 | +444.0% |
| 1998 | $736.89 | +636.9% |
| 2008 | $1,002.73 | +902.7% |
| 2018 | $1,238.25 | +1138.3% |
| 2026 | $1,613.89 | +1513.9% |
Quarterly CPI in 1968
| Period | Index | Change vs same period, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 9.1 | 3.4% |
| Q2 | 9.1 | 2.2% |
| Q3 | 9.2 | 2.2% |
| Q4 | 9.2 | 2.2% |
Annual average for 1968: 9.150
Verify this calculation
Series: All groups CPI, weighted average of eight capital cities (6401.0); base 2011-12=100; not seasonally adjusted.
Index (1968 annual average): 9.150 · Index (2026 annual average): 147.671 · Ratio: 16.1389
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics.