Inflation Record$100 in 1973 → 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)
$1,230.59
+1130.6% cumulative inflation · 1973–2026
Your $100 in 1973 would have the purchasing power of $1,230.59 in Australia today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1973 had the same average buying power as $1,230.59 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 1130.6% across this 53-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar changed by -91.9%.
- 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 1973 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $12.31 |
| $5 | $61.53 |
| $10 | $123.06 |
| $20 | $246.12 |
| $50 | $615.30 |
| $100 | $1,230.59 |
| $500 | $6,152.97 |
| $1,000 | $12,305.94 |
| $10,000 | $123,059.38 |
| $100,000 | $1,230,593.81 |
Key facts about 1973
- Consumer prices rose 9.1% in 1973 — the 12th-largest annual increase in the 1949–2026 record.
- 1973 is in the quarterly-CPI era: its annual average is the mean of the year's four quarterly indexes.
- In the decade after 1973, prices rose 194.6% in total.
$100 in 1973, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | $294.58 | +194.6% |
| 1993 | $507.71 | +407.7% |
| 2003 | $657.92 | +557.9% |
| 2013 | $862.50 | +762.5% |
| 2023 | $1,120.21 | +1020.2% |
| 2026 | $1,230.59 | +1130.6% |
Quarterly CPI in 1973
| Period | Index | Change vs same period, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 11.4 | 5.6% |
| Q2 | 11.8 | 8.3% |
| Q3 | 12.2 | 9.9% |
| Q4 | 12.6 | 12.5% |
Annual average for 1973: 12.000
Verify this calculation
Series: All groups CPI, weighted average of eight capital cities (6401.0); base 2011-12=100; not seasonally adjusted.
Index (1973 annual average): 12.000 · Index (2026 annual average): 147.671 · Ratio: 12.3059
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics.