AUD Inflation Calculator - Australian Dollar (1949-2024)

This tool is useful to calculate the time value of money based on historical inflation and CPI values. To start, select an amount and two years, or browse the default calculation results.

$100 in 1949

$3,339.75 in 2023

The inflation rate in Australia between 1949 and 2023 was 3,239.75%, which translates into a total increase of $3,239.75. This means that 100 dollars in 1949 are equivalent to 3,339.75 dollars in 2023. In other words, the purchasing power of $100 in 1949 equals $3,339.75 in 2023. The average annual inflation rate between these periods was 4.86%.

Inflation timeline in Australia (1949 - 2023)

The following chart depicts the equivalence of $100 due to compound inflation and CPI changes. All values are equivalent in terms of purchasing power, which means that for each year the same goods or services could be bought with the indicated amount of money.

All calculations are performed in the local currency (AUD) and using 6 decimal digits. Results show only up to 2 decimal digits to favour readability. Inflation data is provided by governments and international institutions on a monthly basis.

The following table contains relevant indicators:

Indicator	Value
Cumulative inflation from 1949 to 2023	3,239.75%
Avg. Annual inflation from 1949 to 2023	4.86%
CPI 1949	3.74
CPI 2023	124.84

How to calculate the time value of money with inflation data?

There are several ways to calculate the time value of money. Depending on the data available, results can be obtained by using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) formula or the compound interest formula.

Using the CPI formula

When we have both the start and end years, we can use the following formula:

Value_t =Value₀ ×

CPI_t/CPI₀

To obtain the values equivalent in buying power between 1949 and 2023, use the corresponding CPI values:

Value₂₀₂₃

=Value₁₉₄₉ ×

CPI₂₀₂₃/CPI₁₉₄₉

=$ 100 ×

124.84/3.74

≈$3,339.75

Alternative: Using the compound interest formula

Given that money changes with time as a result of an inflation rate that acts as compound interest, we can use the following formula: FV = PV × (1 + i)ⁿ, where:

FV: Future Value
PV: Present Value
i: Interest rate (inflation)
n: Number of times the interest is compounded (i.e. # of years)

In this case, the future value represents the final amount obtained after applying the inflation rate to our initial value. In other words, it indicates how much are $100 worth today. There are 74 years between 1949 and 2023 and the average inflation rate was 4.8554%. Therefore, we can resolve the formula like this:

Value₂₀₂₃

=PV × (1 + i)ⁿ

=$100 × (1 + 0.048554)⁷⁴