Inflation Record$100 in 1987 → 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)
$318.09
+218.1% cumulative inflation · 1987–2026
Your $100 in 1987 would have the purchasing power of $318.09 in Australia today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1987 had the same average buying power as $318.09 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 218.1% across this 39-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar changed by -68.6%.
- 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 1987 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $3.18 |
| $5 | $15.90 |
| $10 | $31.81 |
| $20 | $63.62 |
| $50 | $159.04 |
| $100 | $318.09 |
| $500 | $1,590.43 |
| $1,000 | $3,180.86 |
| $10,000 | $31,808.56 |
| $100,000 | $318,085.64 |
Key facts about 1987
- Consumer prices rose 8.5% in 1987 — the 15th-largest annual increase in the 1949–2026 record.
- 1987 is in the quarterly-CPI era: its annual average is the mean of the year's four quarterly indexes.
- In the decade after 1987, prices rose 44.0% in total.
$100 in 1987, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | $144.00 | +44.0% |
| 2007 | $189.39 | +89.4% |
| 2017 | $239.47 | +139.5% |
| 2026 | $318.09 | +218.1% |
Quarterly CPI in 1987
| Period | Index | Change vs same period, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 45.3 | 9.4% |
| Q2 | 46.0 | 9.3% |
| Q3 | 46.8 | 8.3% |
| Q4 | 47.6 | 7.2% |
Annual average for 1987: 46.425
Verify this calculation
Series: All groups CPI, weighted average of eight capital cities (6401.0); base 2011-12=100; not seasonally adjusted.
Index (1987 annual average): 46.425 · Index (2026 annual average): 147.671 · Ratio: 3.1809
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics.