Inflation Record$100 in 1981 → 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
$339.81
+239.8% cumulative inflation · 1981–2026
Your $100 in 1981 would have the purchasing power of $339.81 in Canada today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1981 had the same average buying power as $339.81 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 239.8% across this 45-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar changed by -70.6%.
- 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 1981 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $3.40 |
| $5 | $16.99 |
| $10 | $33.98 |
| $20 | $67.96 |
| $50 | $169.90 |
| $100 | $339.81 |
| $500 | $1,699.03 |
| $1,000 | $3,398.06 |
| $10,000 | $33,980.59 |
| $100,000 | $339,805.93 |
Key facts about 1981
- Consumer prices rose 12.5% in 1981 — the 5th-largest annual increase in the 1914–2026 record.
- Among the major categories tracked since 1981, Energy rose the most: 311.9% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1981, prices rose 67.1% in total.
$100 in 1981, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | $167.12 | +67.1% |
| 2001 | $197.44 | +97.4% |
| 2011 | $242.02 | +142.0% |
| 2021 | $285.93 | +185.9% |
| 2026 | $339.81 | +239.8% |
Monthly CPI in 1981
| Period | Index | Change vs same period, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 46.9 | 12.2% |
| February | 47.4 | 12.1% |
| March | 48.0 | 12.7% |
| April | 48.3 | 12.6% |
| May | 48.7 | 12.2% |
| June | 49.5 | 12.8% |
| July | 49.9 | 12.9% |
| August | 50.3 | 12.5% |
| September | 50.7 | 12.7% |
| October | 51.2 | 12.8% |
| November | 51.6 | 12.2% |
| December | 51.8 | 12.1% |
Annual average for 1981: 49.525
Verify this calculation
Series: Table 18-10-0004-01, All-items; base 2002=100; not seasonally adjusted.
Index (1981 annual average): 49.525 · Index (2026 annual average): 168.289 · Ratio: 3.3981
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: Statistics Canada.