$15.90 in 1985 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $54.88 today, an increase of $38.98 over 39 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 3.23% per year between 1985 and today, producing a cumulative price increase of 245.15%.
This means that today's prices are 3.45 times as high as average prices since 1985, according to the Bureau of Statistics consumer price index. A dollar today only buys 28.972% of what it could buy back then.
The inflation rate in 1985 was 6.52%. The current inflation rate compared to the end of last year is now 1.05%. If this number holds, $15.90 today will be equivalent in buying power to $16.07 next year.
Cumulative price change | 245.15% |
Average inflation rate | 3.23% |
Converted amount $15.90 base | $54.88 |
Price difference $15.90 base | $38.98 |
CPI in 1985 | 39.200 |
CPI in 2024 | 135.300 |
Inflation in 1985 | 6.52% |
Inflation in 2024 | 1.05% |
$15.90 in 1985 | $54.88 in 2024 |
This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $15.90 in 1985 (price index tracking began in 1922).
For example, if you started with $15.90, you would need to end with $54.88 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").
When $15.90 is equivalent to $54.88 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 1985 dollars, the chart below shows how $15.90 is worth less over 39 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 1985 amounts in today's dollars, based on the 245.15% change in prices:
Initial value | Equivalent value |
---|---|
$1 dollar in 1985 | $3.45 dollars today |
$5 dollars in 1985 | $17.26 dollars today |
$10 dollars in 1985 | $34.52 dollars today |
$50 dollars in 1985 | $172.58 dollars today |
$100 dollars in 1985 | $345.15 dollars today |
$500 dollars in 1985 | $1,725.77 dollars today |
$1,000 dollars in 1985 | $3,451.53 dollars today |
$5,000 dollars in 1985 | $17,257.65 dollars today |
$10,000 dollars in 1985 | $34,515.31 dollars today |
$50,000 dollars in 1985 | $172,576.53 dollars today |
$100,000 dollars in 1985 | $345,153.06 dollars today |
$500,000 dollars in 1985 | $1,725,765.31 dollars today |
$1,000,000 dollars in 1985 | $3,451,530.61 dollars today |
Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1985 and today:
Then plug in historical CPI values. The Australian CPI was 39.2 in the year 1985 and 135.3 in 2024:
$15.90 in 1985 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $54.88 in 2024.
To get the total inflation rate for the 39 years between 1985 and 2024, we use the following formula:
Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:
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: “$15.90 in 1985 → 2024 | Australia Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 22 Nov. 2024, https://www.officialdata.org/australia/inflation/1985?amount=15.90.
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 | 245.15% |
Average inflation rate | 3.23% |
Converted amount $15.90 base | $54.88 |
Price difference $15.90 base | $38.98 |
CPI in 1985 | 39.200 |
CPI in 2024 | 135.300 |
Inflation in 1985 | 6.52% |
Inflation in 2024 | 1.05% |
$15.90 in 1985 | $54.88 in 2024 |