$1,800 in 1989 is worth $3,811.96 in 2018

Value of $1,800 from 1989 to 2018

$1,800 in 1989 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $3,811.96 in 2018, an increase of $2,011.96 over 29 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 2.62% per year between 1989 and 2018, producing a cumulative price increase of 111.78%.

This means that prices in 2018 are 2.12 times as high as average prices since 1989, according to the Bureau of Statistics consumer price index.

The inflation rate in 1989 was 7.43%. The inflation rate in 2018 was 1.89%. The 2018 inflation rate is lower compared to the average inflation rate of 3.00% per year between 2018 and 2024.


Inflation from 1989 to 2018
Cumulative price change111.78%
Average inflation rate2.62%
Converted amount
$1,800 base
$3,811.96
Price difference
$1,800 base
$2,011.96
CPI in 198953.500
CPI in 2018113.300
Inflation in 19897.43%
Inflation in 20181.89%
$1,800 in 1989$3,811.96 in 2018

AUD inflation since 1989
Annual Rate, the Bureau of Statistics CPI
Download

Buying power of $1,800 in 1989

This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $1,800 in 1989 (price index tracking began in 1922).

For example, if you started with $1,800, you would need to end with $3,811.96 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").

When $1,800 is equivalent to $3,811.96 over time, that means that the "real value" of a single Australian dollar decreases over time. In other words, a dollar will pay for fewer items at the store.

This effect explains how inflation erodes the value of a dollar over time. By calculating the value in 1989 dollars, the chart below shows how $1,800 is worth less over 29 years.

According to the Bureau of Statistics, each of these AUD amounts below is equal in terms of what it could buy at the time:

Dollar inflation: 1989-2018
YearDollar ValueInflation Rate
1989$1,800.007.43%
1990$1,934.587.48%
1991$1,995.143.13%
1992$2,015.331.01%
1993$2,048.971.67%
1994$2,089.351.97%
1995$2,186.924.67%
1996$2,244.112.62%
1997$2,250.840.30%
1998$2,267.660.75%
1999$2,301.311.48%
2000$2,405.614.53%
2001$2,509.914.34%
2002$2,587.293.08%
2003$2,657.942.73%
2004$2,718.502.28%
2005$2,792.522.72%
2006$2,890.093.49%
2007$2,957.382.33%
2008$3,088.604.44%
2009$3,142.431.74%
2010$3,233.272.89%
2011$3,340.933.33%
2012$3,398.131.71%
2013$3,482.242.48%
2014$3,569.722.51%
2015$3,623.551.51%
2016$3,670.651.30%
2017$3,741.311.92%
2018$3,811.961.89%
2019$3,872.521.59%
2020$3,906.170.87%
2021$4,017.202.84%
2022$4,282.996.62%
2023$4,505.055.18%
2024$4,552.151.05%*
* Compared to previous annual rate. Not final. See inflation summary for latest 12-month trailing value.
Click to show 23 more rows

This conversion table shows various other 1989 amounts in 2018 dollars, based on the 111.78% change in prices:

Conversion: 1989 dollars in 2018
Initial valueEquivalent value
$1 dollar in 1989$2.12 dollars in 2018
$5 dollars in 1989$10.59 dollars in 2018
$10 dollars in 1989$21.18 dollars in 2018
$50 dollars in 1989$105.89 dollars in 2018
$100 dollars in 1989$211.78 dollars in 2018
$500 dollars in 1989$1,058.88 dollars in 2018
$1,000 dollars in 1989$2,117.76 dollars in 2018
$5,000 dollars in 1989$10,588.79 dollars in 2018
$10,000 dollars in 1989$21,177.57 dollars in 2018
$50,000 dollars in 1989$105,887.85 dollars in 2018
$100,000 dollars in 1989$211,775.70 dollars in 2018
$500,000 dollars in 1989$1,058,878.50 dollars in 2018
$1,000,000 dollars in 1989$2,117,757.01 dollars in 2018

How to calculate inflation rate for $1,800, 1989 to 2018

Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1989 and 2018:

CPI in 2018 CPI in 1989
×
1989 AUD value
=
2018 AUD value

Then plug in historical CPI values. The Australian CPI was 53.5 in the year 1989 and 113.3 in 2018:

113.353.5
×
$1,800
=
$3,811.96

$1,800 in 1989 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $3,811.96 in 2018.

To get the total inflation rate for the 29 years between 1989 and 2018, we use the following formula:

CPI in 2018 - CPI in 1989CPI in 1989
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (29 years)

Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:

113.3 - 53.553.5
×
100
=
112%

Data source & citation

Raw data for these calculations comes from the government of Australia's annual (CPI) as provided by the Reserve Bank of Australia. The consumer price index was established in 1922 and is tracked by Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

You may use the following MLA citation for this page: “$1,800 in 1989 → 2018 | Australia Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 19 Apr. 2024, https://www.officialdata.org/1989-AUD-in-2018?amount=1800.

Special thanks to QuickChart for their chart image API, which is used for chart downloads.

in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.


Ian Webster

About the author

Ian Webster is an engineer and data expert based in San Mateo, California. He has worked for Google, NASA, and consulted for governments around the world on data pipelines and data analysis. Disappointed by the lack of clear resources on the impacts of inflation on economic indicators, Ian believes this website serves as a valuable public tool. Ian earned his degree in Computer Science from Dartmouth College.

Email · LinkedIn · Twitter


» Read more about inflation and investment.

Inflation from 1989 to 2018
Cumulative price change111.78%
Average inflation rate2.62%
Converted amount
$1,800 base
$3,811.96
Price difference
$1,800 base
$2,011.96
CPI in 198953.500
CPI in 2018113.300
Inflation in 19897.43%
Inflation in 20181.89%
$1,800 in 1989$3,811.96 in 2018