Inflation Record$100 in 1998 → 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)
$219.02
+119.0% cumulative inflation · 1998–2026
Your $100 in 1998 would have the purchasing power of $219.02 in Australia today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1998 had the same average buying power as $219.02 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 119.0% across this 28-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar changed by -54.3%.
- 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 1998 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $2.19 |
| $5 | $10.95 |
| $10 | $21.90 |
| $20 | $43.80 |
| $50 | $109.51 |
| $100 | $219.02 |
| $500 | $1,095.08 |
| $1,000 | $2,190.16 |
| $10,000 | $21,901.56 |
| $100,000 | $219,015.58 |
Key facts about 1998
- Consumer prices rose 0.9% in 1998 — the 72nd-largest annual increase in the 1949–2026 record.
- 1998 is in the quarterly-CPI era: its annual average is the mean of the year's four quarterly indexes.
- In the decade after 1998, prices rose 36.1% in total.
$100 in 1998, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | $136.08 | +36.1% |
| 2018 | $168.04 | +68.0% |
| 2026 | $219.02 | +119.0% |
Quarterly CPI in 1998
| Period | Index | Change vs same period, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 67.0 | -0.1% |
| Q2 | 67.4 | 0.7% |
| Q3 | 67.5 | 1.4% |
| Q4 | 67.8 | 1.5% |
Annual average for 1998: 67.425
Verify this calculation
Series: All groups CPI, weighted average of eight capital cities (6401.0); base 2011-12=100; not seasonally adjusted.
Index (1998 annual average): 67.425 · Index (2026 annual average): 147.671 · Ratio: 2.1902
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics.