Inflation Record$100 in 1974 → 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)
$1,066.22
+966.2% cumulative inflation · 1974–2026
Your $100 in 1974 would have the purchasing power of $1,066.22 in Australia today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1974 had the same average buying power as $1,066.22 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 966.2% across this 52-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar changed by -90.6%.
- 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 1974 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $10.66 |
| $5 | $53.31 |
| $10 | $106.62 |
| $20 | $213.24 |
| $50 | $533.11 |
| $100 | $1,066.22 |
| $500 | $5,331.09 |
| $1,000 | $10,662.18 |
| $10,000 | $106,621.85 |
| $100,000 | $1,066,218.47 |
Key facts about 1974
- Consumer prices rose 15.4% in 1974 — the 3rd-largest annual increase in the 1949–2026 record.
- 1974 is in the quarterly-CPI era: its annual average is the mean of the year's four quarterly indexes.
- In the decade after 1974, prices rose 165.3% in total.
$100 in 1974, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | $265.34 | +165.3% |
| 1994 | $448.56 | +348.6% |
| 2004 | $583.39 | +483.4% |
| 2014 | $765.88 | +665.9% |
| 2024 | $1,001.26 | +901.3% |
| 2026 | $1,066.22 | +966.2% |
Quarterly CPI in 1974
| Period | Index | Change vs same period, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 13.0 | 14.0% |
| Q2 | 13.5 | 14.4% |
| Q3 | 14.2 | 16.4% |
| Q4 | 14.7 | 16.7% |
Annual average for 1974: 13.850
Verify this calculation
Series: All groups CPI, weighted average of eight capital cities (6401.0); base 2011-12=100; not seasonally adjusted.
Index (1974 annual average): 13.850 · Index (2026 annual average): 147.671 · Ratio: 10.6622
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics.