What $100 in 2017 was worth — measured in gold

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

71.6%

of the Australian dollar's value, gone — measured in gold, since 2017.
It now takes 3.5× more dollars to buy the same ounce.

In 2017, $100 bought 0.06 oz of gold at $1,633/oz. Held as metal, that same money is worth $353 at today's gold price of $5,761/oz (spot as of 2026-08-02).

Same $100. Three rulers.

Measure	$100 from 2017, today	Multiple
Official story — AU CPI (ABS via FRED)	$127	1.3×
Money created — M3 broad money	$143	1.4×
In gold — honest weight, valued today	$353	3.5×

The gap between 1.3× (CPI) and 1.4× (M3) is official inflation understating the money actually created. The gap between 1.4× and 3.5× (gold) is the flight to hard money — gold outrunning even the printing.

2017 in the fiat story

The cash rate fell to record lows and housing became the country's money printer — credit creation doing what the RBA's balance sheet had not yet started doing openly.

Try your own numbers

The In Gold calculator runs any amount and any year — AUD from 1971, or see 2017 in USD.

← $100 in 2016 $100 in 2018 →

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