Inflation Record$100 in 1996 → 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)
$221.40
+121.4% cumulative inflation · 1996–2026
Your $100 in 1996 would have the purchasing power of $221.40 in Australia today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1996 had the same average buying power as $221.40 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 121.4% across this 30-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar changed by -54.8%.
- 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 1996 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $2.21 |
| $5 | $11.07 |
| $10 | $22.14 |
| $20 | $44.28 |
| $50 | $110.70 |
| $100 | $221.40 |
| $500 | $1,106.98 |
| $1,000 | $2,213.96 |
| $10,000 | $22,139.62 |
| $100,000 | $221,396.19 |
Key facts about 1996
- Consumer prices rose 2.6% in 1996 — the 51st-largest annual increase in the 1949–2026 record.
- 1996 is in the quarterly-CPI era: its annual average is the mean of the year's four quarterly indexes.
- In the decade after 1996, prices rose 28.8% in total.
$100 in 1996, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | $128.82 | +28.8% |
| 2016 | $163.49 | +63.5% |
| 2026 | $221.40 | +121.4% |
Quarterly CPI in 1996
| Period | Index | Change vs same period, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 66.2 | 3.8% |
| Q2 | 66.7 | 3.1% |
| Q3 | 66.9 | 2.1% |
| Q4 | 67.0 | 1.5% |
Annual average for 1996: 66.700
Verify this calculation
Series: All groups CPI, weighted average of eight capital cities (6401.0); base 2011-12=100; not seasonally adjusted.
Index (1996 annual average): 66.700 · Index (2026 annual average): 147.671 · Ratio: 2.2140
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics.