$100 in 1942 is worth $2,003.23 in 1994

Value of $100 from 1942 to 1994

$100 in 1942 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $2,003.23 in 1994, an increase of $1,903.23 over 52 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 5.93% per year between 1942 and 1994, producing a cumulative price increase of 1,903.23%.

This means that prices in 1994 are 20.03 times as high as average prices since 1942, according to the Bureau of Statistics consumer price index.

The inflation rate in 1942 was 10.71%. The inflation rate in 1994 was 1.97%. The 1994 inflation rate is lower compared to the average inflation rate of 2.63% per year between 1994 and 2024.


Inflation from 1942 to 1994
Cumulative price change1,903.23%
Average inflation rate5.93%
Converted amount
$100 base
$2,003.23
Price difference
$100 base
$1,903.23
CPI in 19423.100
CPI in 199462.100
Inflation in 194210.71%
Inflation in 19941.97%
$100 in 1942$2,003.23 in 1994

AUD inflation since 1942
Annual Rate, the Bureau of Statistics CPI
Download

Buying power of $100 in 1942

This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $100 in 1942 (price index tracking began in 1922).

For example, if you started with $100, you would need to end with $2,003.23 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").

When $100 is equivalent to $2,003.23 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 1942 dollars, the chart below shows how $100 is worth less over 52 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: 1942-1994
YearDollar ValueInflation Rate
1942$100.0010.71%
1943$103.233.23%
1944$103.230.00%
1945$103.230.00%
1946$103.230.00%
1947$109.686.25%
1948$119.358.82%
1949$129.038.11%
1950$141.9410.00%
1951$167.7418.18%
1952$196.7717.31%
1953$206.454.92%
1954$209.681.56%
1955$212.901.54%
1956$225.816.06%
1957$232.262.86%
1958$232.260.00%
1959$238.712.78%
1960$248.394.05%
1961$251.611.30%
1962$251.610.00%
1963$254.841.28%
1964$261.292.53%
1965$270.973.70%
1966$277.422.38%
1967$287.103.49%
1968$296.773.37%
1969$306.453.26%
1970$316.133.16%
1971$335.486.12%
1972$354.845.77%
1973$387.109.09%
1974$448.3915.83%
1975$516.1315.11%
1976$583.8713.13%
1977$654.8412.15%
1978$706.457.88%
1979$770.979.13%
1980$851.6110.46%
1981$932.269.47%
1982$1,035.4811.07%
1983$1,141.9410.28%
1984$1,187.103.95%
1985$1,264.526.52%
1986$1,380.659.18%
1987$1,496.778.41%
1988$1,606.457.33%
1989$1,725.817.43%
1990$1,854.847.48%
1991$1,912.903.13%
1992$1,932.261.01%
1993$1,964.521.67%
1994$2,003.231.97%
1995$2,096.774.67%
1996$2,151.612.62%
1997$2,158.060.30%
1998$2,174.190.75%
1999$2,206.451.48%
2000$2,306.454.53%
2001$2,406.454.34%
2002$2,480.653.08%
2003$2,548.392.73%
2004$2,606.452.28%
2005$2,677.422.72%
2006$2,770.973.49%
2007$2,835.482.33%
2008$2,961.294.44%
2009$3,012.901.74%
2010$3,100.002.89%
2011$3,203.233.33%
2012$3,258.061.71%
2013$3,338.712.48%
2014$3,422.582.51%
2015$3,474.191.51%
2016$3,519.351.30%
2017$3,587.101.92%
2018$3,654.841.89%
2019$3,712.901.59%
2020$3,745.160.87%
2021$3,851.612.84%
2022$4,106.456.62%
2023$4,319.355.18%
2024$4,364.521.05%*
* Compared to previous annual rate. Not final. See inflation summary for latest 12-month trailing value.
Click to show 46 more rows

This conversion table shows various other 1942 amounts in 1994 dollars, based on the 1,903.23% change in prices:

Conversion: 1942 dollars in 1994
Initial valueEquivalent value
$1 dollar in 1942$20.03 dollars in 1994
$5 dollars in 1942$100.16 dollars in 1994
$10 dollars in 1942$200.32 dollars in 1994
$50 dollars in 1942$1,001.61 dollars in 1994
$100 dollars in 1942$2,003.23 dollars in 1994
$500 dollars in 1942$10,016.13 dollars in 1994
$1,000 dollars in 1942$20,032.26 dollars in 1994
$5,000 dollars in 1942$100,161.29 dollars in 1994
$10,000 dollars in 1942$200,322.58 dollars in 1994
$50,000 dollars in 1942$1,001,612.90 dollars in 1994
$100,000 dollars in 1942$2,003,225.81 dollars in 1994
$500,000 dollars in 1942$10,016,129.03 dollars in 1994
$1,000,000 dollars in 1942$20,032,258.06 dollars in 1994

How to calculate inflation rate for $100, 1942 to 1994

Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1942 and 1994:

CPI in 1994 CPI in 1942
×
1942 AUD value
=
1994 AUD value

Then plug in historical CPI values. The Australian CPI was 3.1 in the year 1942 and 62.1 in 1994:

62.13.1
×
$100
=
$2,003.23

$100 in 1942 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $2,003.23 in 1994.

To get the total inflation rate for the 52 years between 1942 and 1994, we use the following formula:

CPI in 1994 - CPI in 1942CPI in 1942
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (52 years)

Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:

62.1 - 3.13.1
×
100
=
1,903%

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: “1942 dollars in 1994 | Australia Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 28 Mar. 2024, https://www.officialdata.org/1942-AUD-in-1994.

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 1942 to 1994
Cumulative price change1,903.23%
Average inflation rate5.93%
Converted amount
$100 base
$2,003.23
Price difference
$100 base
$1,903.23
CPI in 19423.100
CPI in 199462.100
Inflation in 194210.71%
Inflation in 19941.97%
$100 in 1942$2,003.23 in 1994