Wage Price Index calculator
Compare a wage between any two quarters using the ABS Wage Price Index, and see the same period against the Consumer Price Index.
A note on the dates
The WPI is comparing wages as at late February 2021 and late February 2026.
The CPI is comparing average prices across January–March 2021 and January–March 2026.
The WPI is measured once a quarter, at the last pay period ending on or before the third Friday of the quarter's middle month — so a March quarter reflects wages as at late February, give or take a pay cycle.
The CPI is an average of prices collected across the whole quarter.
Grown with the WPI
$82,498
+17.9%
over this period
Same buying power now costs
$86,955
+24.2%
over this period
Real wage change
-5.1%
WPI relative to CPI, March 2021 → March 2026
Still on $70,000? The average Australian job that paid $70,000 in
March 2021 pays about $82,498 today. If your pay hasn't moved,
you're $12,498 a year behind the average.
WPI vs CPI
Scroll or pinch to zoom — hover or tap for the figuresBoth rebased to 100 at September 1997
WPI CPI
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics — Wage Price Index, Australia (March quarter 2026); Consumer Price Index, Australia
Where these numbers come from
| WPI | ABS Wage Price Index (cat. 6345.0), total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses, all sectors, seasonally adjusted, Australia — March quarter 2026 release, Table 1, series A2713849C (spreadsheet · API query) |
| CPI | ABS Consumer Price Index (cat. 6401.0), All groups, original, weighted average of eight capital cities — release, Table 17, series A2325846C (spreadsheet · API query) |
The WPI tracks hourly wages across the economy for the same jobs over time. This shows what the average wage did — your own pay can differ.