$1 in 1990 is worth $1.15 in 1997

Value of $1 from 1990 to 1997

$1 in 1990 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $1.15 in 1997, an increase of $0.15 over 7 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 2.06% per year between 1990 and 1997, producing a cumulative price increase of 15.32%.

This means that prices in 1997 are 1.15 times as high as average prices since 1990, according to Statistics Canada consumer price index.

The inflation rate in 1990 was 4.78%. The inflation rate in 1997 was 1.62%. The 1997 inflation rate is lower compared to the average inflation rate of 2.11% per year between 1997 and 2024.


Inflation from 1990 to 1997
Cumulative price change15.32%
Average inflation rate2.06%
Converted amount
$1 base
$1.15
Price difference
$1 base
$0.15
CPI in 199078.358
CPI in 199790.367
Inflation in 19904.78%
Inflation in 19971.62%
$1 in 1990$1.15 in 1997

CAD inflation since 1990
Annual Rate, Statistics Canada CPI
Download

Buying power of $1 in 1990

This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $1 in 1990 (price index tracking began in 1914).

For example, if you started with $1, you would need to end with $1.15 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").

When $1 is equivalent to $1.15 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 1990 dollars, the chart below shows how $1 is worth less over 7 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: 1990-1997
YearDollar ValueInflation Rate
1990$1.004.78%
1991$1.065.63%
1992$1.071.49%
1993$1.091.87%
1994$1.090.17%
1995$1.122.15%
1996$1.131.57%
1997$1.151.62%
1998$1.161.00%
1999$1.181.73%
2000$1.222.72%
2001$1.252.53%
2002$1.282.26%
2003$1.312.76%
2004$1.341.86%
2005$1.372.21%
2006$1.392.00%
2007$1.422.14%
2008$1.462.37%
2009$1.460.30%
2010$1.491.78%
2011$1.532.91%
2012$1.551.52%
2013$1.570.94%
2014$1.601.91%
2015$1.621.13%
2016$1.641.43%
2017$1.661.60%
2018$1.702.27%
2019$1.741.95%
2020$1.750.72%
2021$1.813.40%
2022$1.936.80%
2023$2.003.81%
2024$2.031.15%*
* Compared to previous annual rate. Not final. See inflation summary for latest 12-month trailing value.

This conversion table shows various other 1990 amounts in 1997 dollars, based on the 15.32% change in prices:

Conversion: 1990 dollars in 1997
Initial valueEquivalent value
$1 dollar in 1990$1.15 dollars in 1997
$5 dollars in 1990$5.77 dollars in 1997
$10 dollars in 1990$11.53 dollars in 1997
$50 dollars in 1990$57.66 dollars in 1997
$100 dollars in 1990$115.32 dollars in 1997
$500 dollars in 1990$576.62 dollars in 1997
$1,000 dollars in 1990$1,153.25 dollars in 1997
$5,000 dollars in 1990$5,766.24 dollars in 1997
$10,000 dollars in 1990$11,532.49 dollars in 1997
$50,000 dollars in 1990$57,662.45 dollars in 1997
$100,000 dollars in 1990$115,324.90 dollars in 1997
$500,000 dollars in 1990$576,624.48 dollars in 1997
$1,000,000 dollars in 1990$1,153,248.96 dollars in 1997

How to calculate inflation rate for $1, 1990 to 1997

Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1990 and 1997:

CPI in 1997 CPI in 1990
×
1990 CAD value
=
1997 CAD value

Then plug in historical CPI values. The Canadian CPI was 78.35833333 in the year 1990 and 90.36666667 in 1997:

90.3666666778.35833333
×
$1
=
$1.15

$1 in 1990 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $1.15 in 1997.

To get the total inflation rate for the 7 years between 1990 and 1997, we use the following formula:

CPI in 1997 - CPI in 1990CPI in 1990
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (7 years)

Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:

90.36666667 - 78.3583333378.35833333
×
100
=
15%

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 1990 → 1997 | Canada Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 28 Mar. 2024, https://www.officialdata.org/canada/inflation/1990?amount=1&endYear=1997.

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 1990 to 1997
Cumulative price change15.32%
Average inflation rate2.06%
Converted amount
$1 base
$1.15
Price difference
$1 base
$0.15
CPI in 199078.358
CPI in 199790.367
Inflation in 19904.78%
Inflation in 19971.62%
$1 in 1990$1.15 in 1997