Inflation Record$100 in 1988 → 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
$236.25
+136.3% cumulative inflation · 1988–2026
Your $100 in 1988 would have the purchasing power of $236.25 in Canada today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1988 had the same average buying power as $236.25 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 136.3% across this 38-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar changed by -57.7%.
- 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 1988 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $2.36 |
| $5 | $11.81 |
| $10 | $23.63 |
| $20 | $47.25 |
| $50 | $118.13 |
| $100 | $236.25 |
| $500 | $1,181.25 |
| $1,000 | $2,362.50 |
| $10,000 | $23,625.02 |
| $100,000 | $236,250.19 |
Key facts about 1988
- Consumer prices rose 4.0% in 1988 — the 33rd-largest annual increase in the 1914–2026 record.
- Among the major categories tracked since 1988, Energy rose the most: 198.8% cumulatively to 2025.
- In the decade after 1988, prices rose 28.1% in total.
$100 in 1988, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | $128.12 | +28.1% |
| 2008 | $160.17 | +60.2% |
| 2018 | $187.25 | +87.2% |
| 2026 | $236.25 | +136.3% |
Monthly CPI in 1988
| Period | Index | Change vs same period, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 69.7 | 4.0% |
| February | 70.0 | 4.0% |
| March | 70.4 | 4.3% |
| April | 70.6 | 4.0% |
| May | 71.0 | 4.0% |
| June | 71.2 | 3.9% |
| July | 71.6 | 3.9% |
| August | 71.7 | 3.9% |
| September | 71.8 | 4.1% |
| October | 72.2 | 4.3% |
| November | 72.3 | 4.0% |
| December | 72.3 | 3.9% |
Annual average for 1988: 71.233
Verify this calculation
Series: Table 18-10-0004-01, All-items; base 2002=100; not seasonally adjusted.
Index (1988 annual average): 71.233 · Index (2026 annual average): 168.289 · Ratio: 2.3625
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: Statistics Canada.