Inflation Record$100 in 1949 → 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
$1,384.14
+1284.1% cumulative inflation · 1949–2026
Your $100 in 1949 would have the purchasing power of $1,384.14 in Canada today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1949 had the same average buying power as $1,384.14 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 1284.1% across this 77-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar changed by -92.8%.
- 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 1949 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $13.84 |
| $5 | $69.21 |
| $10 | $138.41 |
| $20 | $276.83 |
| $50 | $692.07 |
| $100 | $1,384.14 |
| $500 | $6,920.72 |
| $1,000 | $13,841.44 |
| $10,000 | $138,414.44 |
| $100,000 | $1,384,144.39 |
Key facts about 1949
- Consumer prices rose 3.5% in 1949 — the 39th-largest annual increase in the 1914–2026 record.
- Among the major categories tracked since 1949, Food rose the most: 1602.3% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1949, prices rose 26.1% in total.
$100 in 1949, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | $126.11 | +26.1% |
| 1969 | $161.82 | +61.8% |
| 1979 | $328.86 | +228.9% |
| 1989 | $615.08 | +515.1% |
| 1999 | $763.67 | +663.7% |
| 2009 | $941.19 | +841.2% |
| 2019 | $1,118.44 | +1018.4% |
| 2026 | $1,384.14 | +1284.1% |
Monthly CPI in 1949
| Period | Index | Change vs same period, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 12.1 | 8.0% |
| February | 12.1 | 6.1% |
| March | 12.1 | 6.1% |
| April | 12.1 | 5.2% |
| May | 12.1 | 4.3% |
| June | 12.1 | 2.5% |
| July | 12.1 | 2.5% |
| August | 12.2 | 2.5% |
| September | 12.2 | 0.8% |
| October | 12.3 | 1.7% |
| November | 12.3 | 1.7% |
| December | 12.2 | 0.8% |
Annual average for 1949: 12.158
Verify this calculation
Series: Table 18-10-0004-01, All-items; base 2002=100; not seasonally adjusted.
Index (1949 annual average): 12.158 · Index (2026 annual average): 168.289 · Ratio: 13.8414
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: Statistics Canada.