$100 in 1950 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $627.70 in 1990, an increase of $527.70 over 40 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 4.70% per year between 1950 and 1990, producing a cumulative price increase of 527.70%.
This means that prices in 1990 are 6.28 times as high as average prices since 1950, according to Statistics Canada consumer price index.
The inflation rate in 1950 was 2.67%. The inflation rate in 1990 was 4.78%. The 1990 inflation rate is higher compared to the average inflation rate of 2.10% per year between 1990 and 2024.
Cumulative price change | 527.70% |
Average inflation rate | 4.70% |
Converted amount $100 base | $627.70 |
Price difference $100 base | $527.70 |
CPI in 1950 | 12.483 |
CPI in 1990 | 78.358 |
Inflation in 1950 | 2.67% |
Inflation in 1990 | 4.78% |
$100 in 1950 | $627.70 in 1990 |
This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $100 in 1950 (price index tracking began in 1914).
For example, if you started with $100, you would need to end with $627.70 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").
When $100 is equivalent to $627.70 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 1950 dollars, the chart below shows how $100 is worth less over 40 years.
According to Statistics Canada, each of these CAD amounts below is equal in terms of what it could buy at the time:
This conversion table shows various other 1950 amounts in 1990 dollars, based on the 527.70% change in prices:
Initial value | Equivalent value |
---|---|
$1 dollar in 1950 | $6.28 dollars in 1990 |
$5 dollars in 1950 | $31.39 dollars in 1990 |
$10 dollars in 1950 | $62.77 dollars in 1990 |
$50 dollars in 1950 | $313.85 dollars in 1990 |
$100 dollars in 1950 | $627.70 dollars in 1990 |
$500 dollars in 1950 | $3,138.52 dollars in 1990 |
$1,000 dollars in 1950 | $6,277.04 dollars in 1990 |
$5,000 dollars in 1950 | $31,385.18 dollars in 1990 |
$10,000 dollars in 1950 | $62,770.36 dollars in 1990 |
$50,000 dollars in 1950 | $313,851.80 dollars in 1990 |
$100,000 dollars in 1950 | $627,703.60 dollars in 1990 |
$500,000 dollars in 1950 | $3,138,518.02 dollars in 1990 |
$1,000,000 dollars in 1950 | $6,277,036.05 dollars in 1990 |
Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1950 and 1990:
Then plug in historical CPI values. The Canadian CPI was 12.48333333 in the year 1950 and 78.35833333 in 1990:
$100 in 1950 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $627.70 in 1990.
To get the total inflation rate for the 40 years between 1950 and 1990, we use the following formula:
Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:
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: “$100 in 1950 → 1990 | Canada Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 16 May. 2024, https://www.officialdata.org/canada/inflation/1950?amount=100&endYear=1990.
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.
Cumulative price change | 527.70% |
Average inflation rate | 4.70% |
Converted amount $100 base | $627.70 |
Price difference $100 base | $527.70 |
CPI in 1950 | 12.483 |
CPI in 1990 | 78.358 |
Inflation in 1950 | 2.67% |
Inflation in 1990 | 4.78% |
$100 in 1950 | $627.70 in 1990 |