Inflation Record$100 in 1979 → 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
$420.90
+320.9% cumulative inflation · 1979–2026
Your $100 in 1979 would have the purchasing power of $420.90 in Canada today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1979 had the same average buying power as $420.90 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 320.9% across this 47-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar changed by -76.2%.
- 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 1979 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $4.21 |
| $5 | $21.04 |
| $10 | $42.09 |
| $20 | $84.18 |
| $50 | $210.45 |
| $100 | $420.90 |
| $500 | $2,104.49 |
| $1,000 | $4,208.98 |
| $10,000 | $42,089.76 |
| $100,000 | $420,897.60 |
Key facts about 1979
- Consumer prices rose 9.1% in 1979 — the 12th-largest annual increase in the 1914–2026 record.
- Among the major categories tracked since 1979, Energy rose the most: 521.7% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1979, prices rose 87.0% in total.
$100 in 1979, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | $187.04 | +87.0% |
| 1999 | $232.22 | +132.2% |
| 2009 | $286.20 | +186.2% |
| 2019 | $340.10 | +240.1% |
| 2026 | $420.90 | +320.9% |
Monthly CPI in 1979
| Period | Index | Change vs same period, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 38.1 | 8.5% |
| February | 38.6 | 9.0% |
| March | 39.0 | 9.2% |
| April | 39.3 | 9.8% |
| May | 39.7 | 9.4% |
| June | 39.9 | 9.0% |
| July | 40.2 | 8.4% |
| August | 40.3 | 8.3% |
| September | 40.7 | 9.7% |
| October | 41.0 | 9.0% |
| November | 41.4 | 9.5% |
| December | 41.6 | 9.8% |
Annual average for 1979: 39.983
Verify this calculation
Series: Table 18-10-0004-01, All-items; base 2002=100; not seasonally adjusted.
Index (1979 annual average): 39.983 · Index (2026 annual average): 168.289 · Ratio: 4.2090
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: Statistics Canada.