Indexed Cost Converter
Convert historical prices to today’s dollars using configurable index blends (AIQS BCI, Rawlinsons, ABS CPI/WPI, IHC).
Convert historical prices to today’s dollars. Pick origin and target dates, select the indices (or blend), and we’ll compute the indexed amount.
Share
Index blend & sensitivity
Pick origin and target dates to compute the indexed amount.
West-Edge BCI unavailable
Blend the indices or choose a preset to compare escalation scenarios.
Result
Original amount × (Target index ÷ Origin index)
Blend the indices
100%Pick a preset or fine-tune the sliders to ensure the total equals 100%.
Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors composite cost index.
Rawlinsons national construction cost benchmark series.
Australian Bureau of Statistics headline inflation.
ABS housing-specific consumer price index.
Inputs to the House Construction Index by capital city.
Wage Price Index (total hourly rates excluding bonuses) by state.
Method statement
To convert a historical rate from date Dorig to date Dnow, we:
- Search & filter the HistoricalRate dataset for records matching the selected location.
- Find the nearest records on or before and on or after Dorig, then interpolate to determine an index Iorig.
- Repeat the interpolation for Dnow to find Inow.
- Apply normalized rate = (original rate × Inow) / Iorig.
- Output the resulting converted or normalized price.
First and last observed periods are read from the current time-series metadata. Series that stop before today (31/05/2026) are marked with held or projected line styles on the chart. CPI itself is trend-projected from its latest observed ABS movement; other series outside their observed range are CPI-guided projections where reference CPI is available.
Ratenormalized = Rateitem × [Rate(Dnow) ÷ Rate(Dorig)]
Sources & abbreviations
- AIQS (Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors)
- AIQS Building Cost Index – a quarterly composite index of trade packages compiled by the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors. Widely used for escalation clauses in lump-sum contracts.
- Rawlinsons
- Refer to Rawlinsons National Construction Cost Index – annual benchmark series published in the Rawlinsons Construction Handbook.
- ABS CPI
- Consumer Price Index – All Groups, Eight Capital Cities. Headline inflation measure across all expenditure groups.
- ABS CPI Housing
- Consumer Price Index – Housing Group. Focuses on dwelling purchase, rents, maintenance and utilities; useful when labour and material costs dominate.
- ABS IHC
- Inputs to the House Construction Index – All groups (capital city series capturing materials and labour inputs for detached housing).
- ABS WPI
- Wage Price Index – Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses, covering private and public sectors by state.
Why the mix? Inflation doesn’t hit every cost centre equally. We display several indices side-by-side so you can pick the lens that best matches your project’s risk profile.
Source-of-truth reminder
- Consult the original release notes for the chosen index to confirm inclusions, exclusions, or regional caveats.
- Check the edition or issue date to ensure you reference the correct historical series.
- Apply professional judgement when your project includes atypical materials, procurement routes, or geographic factors not fully captured by the index.
“West-Edge Cost Consulting and Analytics Pty Ltd offers the Price Normalizer as a decision-support aid. While every effort is made to use reputable cost indices, final cost determinations and contractual adjustments remain the sole responsibility of the user after reviewing the relevant source publications and their inclusions and exclusions. Outputs are for decision support; confirm applicability to your contract clauses and index definitions.”