$100 in 1941 is worth $1,400.00 in 1985

Value of $100 from 1941 to 1985

$100 in 1941 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $1,400.00 in 1985, an increase of $1,300.00 over 44 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 6.18% per year between 1941 and 1985, producing a cumulative price increase of 1,300.00%.

This means that prices in 1985 are 14.00 times as high as average prices since 1941, according to the Bureau of Statistics consumer price index.

The inflation rate in 1941 was 3.70%. The inflation rate in 1985 was 6.52%. The 1985 inflation rate is higher compared to the average inflation rate of 3.23% per year between 1985 and 2024.


Inflation from 1941 to 1985
Cumulative price change1,300.00%
Average inflation rate6.18%
Converted amount
$100 base
$1,400.00
Price difference
$100 base
$1,300.00
CPI in 19412.800
CPI in 198539.200
Inflation in 19413.70%
Inflation in 19856.52%
$100 in 1941$1,400.00 in 1985

AUD inflation since 1941
Annual Rate, the Bureau of Statistics CPI
Download

Buying power of $100 in 1941

This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $100 in 1941 (price index tracking began in 1922).

For example, if you started with $100, you would need to end with $1,400.00 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").

When $100 is equivalent to $1,400.00 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 1941 dollars, the chart below shows how $100 is worth less over 44 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: 1941-1985
YearDollar ValueInflation Rate
1941$100.003.70%
1942$110.7110.71%
1943$114.293.23%
1944$114.290.00%
1945$114.290.00%
1946$114.290.00%
1947$121.436.25%
1948$132.148.82%
1949$142.868.11%
1950$157.1410.00%
1951$185.7118.18%
1952$217.8617.31%
1953$228.574.92%
1954$232.141.56%
1955$235.711.54%
1956$250.006.06%
1957$257.142.86%
1958$257.140.00%
1959$264.292.78%
1960$275.004.05%
1961$278.571.30%
1962$278.570.00%
1963$282.141.28%
1964$289.292.53%
1965$300.003.70%
1966$307.142.38%
1967$317.863.49%
1968$328.573.37%
1969$339.293.26%
1970$350.003.16%
1971$371.436.12%
1972$392.865.77%
1973$428.579.09%
1974$496.4315.83%
1975$571.4315.11%
1976$646.4313.13%
1977$725.0012.15%
1978$782.147.88%
1979$853.579.13%
1980$942.8610.46%
1981$1,032.149.47%
1982$1,146.4311.07%
1983$1,264.2910.28%
1984$1,314.293.95%
1985$1,400.006.52%
1986$1,528.579.18%
1987$1,657.148.41%
1988$1,778.577.33%
1989$1,910.717.43%
1990$2,053.577.48%
1991$2,117.863.13%
1992$2,139.291.01%
1993$2,175.001.67%
1994$2,217.861.97%
1995$2,321.434.67%
1996$2,382.142.62%
1997$2,389.290.30%
1998$2,407.140.75%
1999$2,442.861.48%
2000$2,553.574.53%
2001$2,664.294.34%
2002$2,746.433.08%
2003$2,821.432.73%
2004$2,885.712.28%
2005$2,964.292.72%
2006$3,067.863.49%
2007$3,139.292.33%
2008$3,278.574.44%
2009$3,335.711.74%
2010$3,432.142.89%
2011$3,546.433.33%
2012$3,607.141.71%
2013$3,696.432.48%
2014$3,789.292.51%
2015$3,846.431.51%
2016$3,896.431.30%
2017$3,971.431.92%
2018$4,046.431.89%
2019$4,110.711.59%
2020$4,146.430.87%
2021$4,264.292.84%
2022$4,546.436.62%
2023$4,782.145.18%
2024$4,832.141.05%*
* Compared to previous annual rate. Not final. See inflation summary for latest 12-month trailing value.
Click to show 38 more rows

This conversion table shows various other 1941 amounts in 1985 dollars, based on the 1,300.00% change in prices:

Conversion: 1941 dollars in 1985
Initial valueEquivalent value
$1 dollar in 1941$14.00 dollars in 1985
$5 dollars in 1941$70.00 dollars in 1985
$10 dollars in 1941$140.00 dollars in 1985
$50 dollars in 1941$700.00 dollars in 1985
$100 dollars in 1941$1,400.00 dollars in 1985
$500 dollars in 1941$7,000.00 dollars in 1985
$1,000 dollars in 1941$14,000.00 dollars in 1985
$5,000 dollars in 1941$70,000.00 dollars in 1985
$10,000 dollars in 1941$140,000.00 dollars in 1985
$50,000 dollars in 1941$700,000.00 dollars in 1985
$100,000 dollars in 1941$1,400,000.00 dollars in 1985
$500,000 dollars in 1941$7,000,000.00 dollars in 1985
$1,000,000 dollars in 1941$14,000,000.00 dollars in 1985

How to calculate inflation rate for $100, 1941 to 1985

Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1941 and 1985:

CPI in 1985 CPI in 1941
×
1941 AUD value
=
1985 AUD value

Then plug in historical CPI values. The Australian CPI was 2.8 in the year 1941 and 39.2 in 1985:

39.22.8
×
$100
=
$1,400.00

$100 in 1941 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $1,400.00 in 1985.

To get the total inflation rate for the 44 years between 1941 and 1985, we use the following formula:

CPI in 1985 - CPI in 1941CPI in 1941
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (44 years)

Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:

39.2 - 2.82.8
×
100
=
1,300%

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: “1941 dollars in 1985 | Australia Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 28 Mar. 2024, https://www.officialdata.org/1941-AUD-in-1985.

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.

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Inflation from 1941 to 1985
Cumulative price change1,300.00%
Average inflation rate6.18%
Converted amount
$100 base
$1,400.00
Price difference
$100 base
$1,300.00
CPI in 19412.800
CPI in 198539.200
Inflation in 19413.70%
Inflation in 19856.52%
$100 in 1941$1,400.00 in 1985