Inflation calculator
What would that salary, price or savings balance be worth today? Convert any amount between any two years using Statistics Canada's Consumer Price Index, going back to 1914.
CPI 2000: 95.4 · CPI 2026: 168.0 (2002 = 100)
in 2026 dollars
Put another way: you'd need $176.10 today to buy what $100 bought in 2000 — prices rose 76.1% over 26 years.
Based on Statistics Canada's all-items Consumer Price Index. The CPI tracks a national basket of goods and services — your personal inflation rate depends on what you actually buy, and housing costs in particular can run well above the headline number.
Value today = amount × (CPI today ÷ CPI then). Canadian inflation has averaged roughly 2% a year recently — but compounding means even that quietly halves purchasing power over about 35 years.
What $100 from past years is worth in 2026
| $100 in | Worth in 2026 | Total inflation |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | $359 | 259% |
| 1990 | $214 | 114% |
| 2000 | $176 | 76% |
| 2010 | $144 | 44% |
| 2020 | $123 | 23% |
Frequently asked questions
How is inflation calculated?
Using the Consumer Price Index. Divide the CPI of the later year by the CPI of the earlier year and multiply by your amount. The CPI tracks the cost of a fixed basket of goods and services, so it measures how much more you'd need today to buy the same things.
What has Canada's average inflation rate been?
Roughly 2% a year over recent decades, in line with the Bank of Canada's target. But the average hides a lot: inflation ran above 10% in the early 1980s and peaked near 7% in 2022 before falling back.
Why does inflation feel higher than the official rate?
Because the CPI is a national average across a broad basket. If a large share of your spending goes to categories rising faster than average — housing, groceries, insurance — your personal inflation rate is genuinely higher than the headline number.
How does inflation affect my savings?
It quietly erodes them. Money earning less than the inflation rate loses purchasing power every year, even as the balance grows. That's why cash sitting in a low-interest account is only safe in nominal terms — in real terms it shrinks.
Related tools
Researching and writing about Canadian personal finance since 2026.
Last reviewed August 2026 · How we research
“Inflation Calculator (Canada) — VaultNerd” — VaultNerd, https://www.vaultnerd.com/tools/inflation-calculator, updated August 2026.
- Statistics Canada — Consumer Price Index, annual average, all-items (2002 = 100)
- Bank of Canada — inflation-control target