$1 in 1920 is worth $0.72 in 1931

Value of $1 from 1920 to 1931

$1 in 1920 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $0.72 in 1931, a difference of $-0.28 over 11 years. The dollar had an average deflation rate of -2.88% per year since 1920, producing a cumulative price change of -27.51%.

This means that prices in 1931 are 27.51% lower than average prices since 1920, according to Statistics Canada consumer price index.

The inflation rate in 1920 was 16.30%. The inflation rate in 1931 was -9.85%. The 1931 inflation rate is lower compared to the average inflation rate of 3.23% per year between 1931 and 2024.


Inflation from 1920 to 1931
Cumulative price change-27.51%
Average inflation rate-2.88%
Converted amount
$1 base
$0.72
Price difference
$1 base
$-0.28
CPI in 192011.358
CPI in 19318.233
Inflation in 192016.30%
Inflation in 1931-9.85%
$1 in 1920$0.72 in 1931

CAD inflation since 1920
Annual Rate, Statistics Canada CPI
Download

Buying power of $1 in 1920

This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $1 in 1920 (price index tracking began in 1914).

For example, if you started with $1, you would need to end with $0.72 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").

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

Dollar inflation: 1920-1931
YearDollar ValueInflation Rate
1920$1.0016.30%
1921$0.88-12.11%
1922$0.81-7.85%
1923$0.810.00%
1924$0.79-1.90%
1925$0.801.20%
1926$0.810.73%
1927$0.80-1.45%
1928$0.800.74%
1929$0.811.00%
1930$0.80-0.99%
1931$0.72-9.85%
1932$0.66-9.41%
1933$0.63-4.36%
1934$0.641.17%
1935$0.640.46%
1936$0.652.07%
1937$0.673.60%
1938$0.680.54%
1939$0.67-0.76%
1940$0.704.25%
1941$0.745.96%
1942$0.784.64%
1943$0.802.17%
1944$0.800.65%
1945$0.810.64%
1946$0.833.10%
1947$0.919.01%
1948$1.0314.26%
1949$1.073.48%
1950$1.102.67%
1951$1.2110.55%
1952$1.252.60%
1953$1.23-1.00%
1954$1.240.65%
1955$1.240.18%
1956$1.261.36%
1957$1.303.32%
1958$1.332.36%
1959$1.351.21%
1960$1.371.36%
1961$1.381.02%
1962$1.401.06%
1963$1.421.63%
1964$1.451.91%
1965$1.482.33%
1966$1.543.82%
1967$1.593.58%
1968$1.664.06%
1969$1.734.56%
1970$1.793.35%
1971$1.842.70%
1972$1.934.99%
1973$2.077.49%
1974$2.3011.00%
1975$2.5510.67%
1976$2.747.54%
1977$2.967.98%
1978$3.238.97%
1979$3.529.14%
1980$3.8810.13%
1981$4.3612.47%
1982$4.8310.77%
1983$5.115.86%
1984$5.334.30%
1985$5.543.96%
1986$5.784.19%
1987$6.034.36%
1988$6.274.03%
1989$6.584.98%
1990$6.904.78%
1991$7.295.63%
1992$7.401.49%
1993$7.531.87%
1994$7.550.17%
1995$7.712.15%
1996$7.831.57%
1997$7.961.62%
1998$8.041.00%
1999$8.171.73%
2000$8.402.72%
2001$8.612.53%
2002$8.802.26%
2003$9.052.76%
2004$9.211.86%
2005$9.422.21%
2006$9.612.00%
2007$9.812.14%
2008$10.042.37%
2009$10.070.30%
2010$10.251.78%
2011$10.552.91%
2012$10.711.52%
2013$10.810.94%
2014$11.021.91%
2015$11.141.13%
2016$11.301.43%
2017$11.481.60%
2018$11.742.27%
2019$11.971.95%
2020$12.060.72%
2021$12.473.40%
2022$13.326.80%
2023$13.823.81%
2024$13.981.15%*
* Compared to previous annual rate. Not final. See inflation summary for latest 12-month trailing value.
Click to show 5 more rows

This conversion table shows various other 1920 amounts in 1931 dollars, based on the -27.51% change in prices:

Conversion: 1920 dollars in 1931
Initial valueEquivalent value
$1 dollar in 1920$0.72 dollars in 1931
$5 dollars in 1920$3.62 dollars in 1931
$10 dollars in 1920$7.25 dollars in 1931
$50 dollars in 1920$36.24 dollars in 1931
$100 dollars in 1920$72.49 dollars in 1931
$500 dollars in 1920$362.44 dollars in 1931
$1,000 dollars in 1920$724.87 dollars in 1931
$5,000 dollars in 1920$3,624.36 dollars in 1931
$10,000 dollars in 1920$7,248.72 dollars in 1931
$50,000 dollars in 1920$36,243.58 dollars in 1931
$100,000 dollars in 1920$72,487.16 dollars in 1931
$500,000 dollars in 1920$362,435.80 dollars in 1931
$1,000,000 dollars in 1920$724,871.61 dollars in 1931

How to calculate inflation rate for $1, 1920 to 1931

Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1920 and 1931:

CPI in 1931 CPI in 1920
×
1920 CAD value
=
1931 CAD value

Then plug in historical CPI values. The Canadian CPI was 11.35833333 in the year 1920 and 8.233333333 in 1931:

8.23333333311.35833333
×
$1
=
$0.72

$1 in 1920 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $0.72 in 1931.

To get the total inflation rate for the 11 years between 1920 and 1931, we use the following formula:

CPI in 1931 - CPI in 1920CPI in 1920
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (11 years)

Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:

8.233333333 - 11.3583333311.35833333
×
100
=
-28%

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: “$1 in 1920 → 1931 | Canada Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 29 Mar. 2024, https://www.officialdata.org/canada/inflation/1920?amount=1&endYear=1931.

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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» Read more about inflation and investment.

Inflation from 1920 to 1931
Cumulative price change-27.51%
Average inflation rate-2.88%
Converted amount
$1 base
$0.72
Price difference
$1 base
$-0.28
CPI in 192011.358
CPI in 19318.233
Inflation in 192016.30%
Inflation in 1931-9.85%
$1 in 1920$0.72 in 1931