The Australian dollar has lost 94% its value since 1968
Updated: December 18, 2025$100 in 1968 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $1,560.87 today, an increase of $1,460.87 over 58 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 4.85% per year between 1968 and today, producing a cumulative price increase of 1,460.87%.
This means that today's prices are 15.61 times as high as average prices since 1968, according to the Bureau of Statistics consumer price index. A dollar today only buys 6.407% of what it could buy back then.
The inflation rate in 1968 was 3.37%. The current inflation rate compared to the end of last year is now 1.13%. If this number holds, $100 today will be equivalent in buying power to $101.13 next year.
⌃
| Cumulative price change | 1,460.87% |
| Average inflation rate | 4.85% |
|
Converted amount $100 base | $1,560.87 |
|
Price difference $100 base | $1,460.87 |
| CPI in 1968 | 9.200 |
| CPI in 2026 | 143.600 |
| Inflation in 1968 | 3.37% |
| Inflation in 2026 | 1.13% |
| $100 in 1968 | $1,560.87 in 2026 |
Buying power of $100 in 1968
This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $100 in 1968 (price index tracking began in 1922).
For example, if you started with $100, you would need to end with $1,560.87 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").
When $100 is equivalent to $1,560.87 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 1968 dollars, the chart below shows how $100 is worth less over 58 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:
This conversion table shows various other 1968 amounts in today's dollars, based on the 1,460.87% change in prices:
| Initial value | Equivalent value |
|---|---|
| $1 dollar in 1968 | $15.61 dollars today |
| $5 dollars in 1968 | $78.04 dollars today |
| $10 dollars in 1968 | $156.09 dollars today |
| $50 dollars in 1968 | $780.43 dollars today |
| $100 dollars in 1968 | $1,560.87 dollars today |
| $500 dollars in 1968 | $7,804.35 dollars today |
| $1,000 dollars in 1968 | $15,608.70 dollars today |
| $5,000 dollars in 1968 | $78,043.48 dollars today |
| $10,000 dollars in 1968 | $156,086.96 dollars today |
| $50,000 dollars in 1968 | $780,434.78 dollars today |
| $100,000 dollars in 1968 | $1,560,869.57 dollars today |
| $500,000 dollars in 1968 | $7,804,347.83 dollars today |
| $1,000,000 dollars in 1968 | $15,608,695.65 dollars today |
How to calculate inflation rate for $100 since 1968
Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1968 and today:
CPI todayCPI in 1968
×
1968 AUD value
=
Today's value
Then plug in historical CPI values. The Australian CPI was 9.2 in the year 1968 and 143.6 in 2026:
143.69.2
×
$100
=
$1,560.87
$100 in 1968 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $1,560.87 in 2026.
To get the total inflation rate for the 58 years between 1968 and 2026, we use the following formula:
CPI in 2026 - CPI in 1968CPI in 1968
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (58 years)
Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:
143.6 - 9.29.2
×
100
=
1,461%
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: “Value of 1968 Australian dollars today | Australia Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 19 Jan. 2026, https://www.officialdata.org/australia/inflation/1968.
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.
| Cumulative price change | 1,460.87% |
| Average inflation rate | 4.85% |
|
Converted amount $100 base | $1,560.87 |
|
Price difference $100 base | $1,460.87 |
| CPI in 1968 | 9.200 |
| CPI in 2026 | 143.600 |
| Inflation in 1968 | 3.37% |
| Inflation in 2026 | 1.13% |
| $100 in 1968 | $1,560.87 in 2026 |