$100 in 1939 is worth $575.60 in 1980

Value of $100 from 1939 to 1980

$100 in 1939 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $575.60 in 1980, an increase of $475.60 over 41 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 4.36% per year between 1939 and 1980, producing a cumulative price increase of 475.60%.

This means that prices in 1980 are 5.76 times as high as average prices since 1939, according to Statistics Canada consumer price index.

The inflation rate in 1939 was -0.76%. The inflation rate in 1980 was 10.13%. The 1980 inflation rate is higher compared to the average inflation rate of 2.96% per year between 1980 and 2024.


Inflation from 1939 to 1980
Cumulative price change475.60%
Average inflation rate4.36%
Converted amount
$100 base
$575.60
Price difference
$100 base
$475.60
CPI in 19397.650
CPI in 198044.033
Inflation in 1939-0.76%
Inflation in 198010.13%
$100 in 1939$575.60 in 1980

CAD inflation since 1939
Annual Rate, Statistics Canada CPI
Download

Buying power of $100 in 1939

This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $100 in 1939 (price index tracking began in 1914).

For example, if you started with $100, you would need to end with $575.60 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").

When $100 is equivalent to $575.60 over time, that means that the "real value" of a single Canadian dollar decreases over time. In other words, a dollar will pay for fewer items at the store.

This effect explains how inflation erodes the value of a dollar over time. By calculating the value in 1939 dollars, the chart below shows how $100 is worth less over 41 years.

According to Statistics Canada, each of these CAD amounts below is equal in terms of what it could buy at the time:

Dollar inflation: 1939-1980
YearDollar ValueInflation Rate
1939$100.00-0.76%
1940$104.254.25%
1941$110.465.96%
1942$115.584.64%
1943$118.082.17%
1944$118.850.65%
1945$119.610.64%
1946$123.313.10%
1947$134.429.01%
1948$153.5914.26%
1949$158.933.48%
1950$163.182.67%
1951$180.3910.55%
1952$185.082.60%
1953$183.22-1.00%
1954$184.420.65%
1955$184.750.18%
1956$187.251.36%
1957$193.463.32%
1958$198.042.36%
1959$200.441.21%
1960$203.161.36%
1961$205.231.02%
1962$207.411.06%
1963$210.781.63%
1964$214.811.91%
1965$219.832.33%
1966$228.213.82%
1967$236.383.58%
1968$245.974.06%
1969$257.194.56%
1970$265.803.35%
1971$272.982.70%
1972$286.604.99%
1973$308.067.49%
1974$341.9411.00%
1975$378.4310.67%
1976$406.977.54%
1977$439.437.98%
1978$478.878.97%
1979$522.669.14%
1980$575.6010.13%
1981$647.3912.47%
1982$717.1010.77%
1983$759.155.86%
1984$791.834.30%
1985$823.203.96%
1986$857.734.19%
1987$895.104.36%
1988$931.154.03%
1989$977.564.98%
1990$1,024.294.78%
1991$1,081.925.63%
1992$1,098.041.49%
1993$1,118.521.87%
1994$1,120.370.17%
1995$1,144.442.15%
1996$1,162.421.57%
1997$1,181.261.62%
1998$1,193.031.00%
1999$1,213.731.73%
2000$1,246.732.72%
2001$1,278.212.53%
2002$1,307.082.26%
2003$1,343.142.76%
2004$1,368.081.86%
2005$1,398.372.21%
2006$1,426.362.00%
2007$1,456.862.14%
2008$1,491.392.37%
2009$1,495.860.30%
2010$1,522.441.78%
2011$1,566.782.91%
2012$1,590.521.52%
2013$1,605.450.94%
2014$1,636.061.91%
2015$1,654.471.13%
2016$1,678.101.43%
2017$1,704.901.60%
2018$1,743.572.27%
2019$1,777.561.95%
2020$1,790.310.72%
2021$1,851.093.40%
2022$1,977.026.80%
2023$2,052.293.81%
2024$2,075.821.15%*
* Compared to previous annual rate. Not final. See inflation summary for latest 12-month trailing value.
Click to show 35 more rows

This conversion table shows various other 1939 amounts in 1980 dollars, based on the 475.60% change in prices:

Conversion: 1939 dollars in 1980
Initial valueEquivalent value
$1 dollar in 1939$5.76 dollars in 1980
$5 dollars in 1939$28.78 dollars in 1980
$10 dollars in 1939$57.56 dollars in 1980
$50 dollars in 1939$287.80 dollars in 1980
$100 dollars in 1939$575.60 dollars in 1980
$500 dollars in 1939$2,878.00 dollars in 1980
$1,000 dollars in 1939$5,755.99 dollars in 1980
$5,000 dollars in 1939$28,779.96 dollars in 1980
$10,000 dollars in 1939$57,559.91 dollars in 1980
$50,000 dollars in 1939$287,799.56 dollars in 1980
$100,000 dollars in 1939$575,599.13 dollars in 1980
$500,000 dollars in 1939$2,877,995.64 dollars in 1980
$1,000,000 dollars in 1939$5,755,991.28 dollars in 1980

How to calculate inflation rate for $100, 1939 to 1980

Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1939 and 1980:

CPI in 1980 CPI in 1939
×
1939 CAD value
=
1980 CAD value

Then plug in historical CPI values. The Canadian CPI was 7.65 in the year 1939 and 44.03333333 in 1980:

44.033333337.65
×
$100
=
$575.60

$100 in 1939 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $575.60 in 1980.

To get the total inflation rate for the 41 years between 1939 and 1980, we use the following formula:

CPI in 1980 - CPI in 1939CPI in 1939
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (41 years)

Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:

44.03333333 - 7.657.65
×
100
=
476%

Data source & citation

Raw data for these calculations comes from the government of Canada's annual Consumer Price Index (CPI), established in 1914 and computed by Statistics Canada (StatCan).

You may use the following MLA citation for this page: “1939 dollars in 1980 | Canada Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 24 Mar. 2024, https://www.officialdata.org/1939-CAD-in-1980.

Special thanks to QuickChart for their chart image API, which is used for chart downloads.

in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.


Ian Webster

About the author

Ian Webster is an engineer and data expert based in San Mateo, California. He has worked for Google, NASA, and consulted for governments around the world on data pipelines and data analysis. Disappointed by the lack of clear resources on the impacts of inflation on economic indicators, Ian believes this website serves as a valuable public tool. Ian earned his degree in Computer Science from Dartmouth College.

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Inflation from 1939 to 1980
Cumulative price change475.60%
Average inflation rate4.36%
Converted amount
$100 base
$575.60
Price difference
$100 base
$475.60
CPI in 19397.650
CPI in 198044.033
Inflation in 1939-0.76%
Inflation in 198010.13%
$100 in 1939$575.60 in 1980