Inflation Record$100 in 1938 → Today (Canada)
Official data verified · CPI (Statistics Canada) · Annual average · Not seasonally adjusted · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · Table 18-10-0004-01, All-items
$2,183.21
+2083.2% cumulative inflation · 1938–2026
Your $100 in 1938 would have the purchasing power of $2,183.21 in Canada today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1938 had the same average buying power as $2,183.21 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 2083.2% across this 88-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar changed by -95.4%.
- This measures the broad basket of consumer goods and services (CPI (Statistics Canada)). Individual expenses moved at different rates.
What this means in other amounts
| In 1938 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $21.83 |
| $5 | $109.16 |
| $10 | $218.32 |
| $20 | $436.64 |
| $50 | $1,091.60 |
| $100 | $2,183.21 |
| $500 | $10,916.04 |
| $1,000 | $21,832.07 |
| $10,000 | $218,320.72 |
| $100,000 | $2,183,207.21 |
Key facts about 1938
- Consumer prices rose 0.5% in 1938 — the 97th-largest annual increase in the 1914–2026 record.
- In the decade after 1938, prices rose 52.4% in total.
- Since 1938, the overall price level has multiplied about 21.8× — $1.00 in 1938 buys what $21.83 buys in 2026.
$100 in 1938, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | $152.43 | +52.4% |
| 1958 | $196.54 | +96.5% |
| 1968 | $244.11 | +144.1% |
| 1978 | $475.24 | +375.2% |
| 1988 | $924.11 | +824.1% |
| 1998 | $1,184.00 | +1084.0% |
| 2008 | $1,480.11 | +1380.1% |
| 2018 | $1,730.38 | +1630.4% |
| 2026 | $2,183.21 | +2083.2% |
Monthly CPI in 1938
| Period | Index | Change vs same period, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 7.7 | 1.3% |
| February | 7.7 | 1.3% |
| March | 7.8 | 2.6% |
| April | 7.8 | 2.6% |
| May | 7.7 | 1.3% |
| June | 7.7 | 1.3% |
| July | 7.8 | 2.6% |
| August | 7.8 | 1.3% |
| September | 7.7 | 0.0% |
| October | 7.6 | -2.6% |
| November | 7.6 | -2.6% |
| December | 7.6 | -2.6% |
Annual average for 1938: 7.708
Verify this calculation
Series: Table 18-10-0004-01, All-items; base 2002=100; not seasonally adjusted.
Index (1938 annual average): 7.708 · Index (2026 annual average): 168.289 · Ratio: 21.8321
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: Statistics Canada.