What $100 in 1983 was worth — measured in gold

The price of gold didn't get more expensive. The value of the Australian dollar fell.

91.8%

of the Australian dollar's value, gone — measured in gold, since 1983.
It now takes 12.2× more dollars to buy the same ounce.

In 1983, $100 bought 0.21 oz of gold at $471/oz. Held as metal, that same money is worth $1,223 at today's gold price of $5,761/oz (spot as of 2026-08-02).

Same $100. Three rulers.

Measure	$100 from 1983, today	Multiple
Official story — AU CPI (ABS via FRED)	$398	4.0×
Money created — M3 broad money	$3,354	33.5×
In gold — honest weight, valued today	$1,223	12.2×

The gap between 4.0× (CPI) and 33.5× (M3) is official inflation understating the money actually created. The gap between 33.5× and 12.2× (gold) is the flight to hard money — gold outrunning even the printing.

1983 in the fiat story

In December 1983 the Hawke–Keating government floated the Australian dollar. From this point the AUD gold price is a genuine market verdict on the currency, updated every trading day.

Try your own numbers

The In Gold calculator runs any amount and any year — AUD from 1971, or see 1983 in USD.

← $100 in 1982 $100 in 1984 →

Method. Gold weight = amount ÷ the gold price of that year; "today" figures rebase the same amount by CPI, money supply, and gold spot. Deterministic — no estimates, no models, no AI in the number path. Annual averages. Sources: FRED CPIAUCNS, FRED M2SL, MeasuringWorth, GoldAPI live spot. Not financial advice. In Gold — the calculator · API
1971 · The Australian story · Methodology · FAQ · Glossary · USD years · AUD years