Annual averages · 2002=100
What a Canadian dollar buys, year by year
A dollar loses buying power whenever prices rise. $100 from 1914 needed $2,736.67 in 2025 to buy the same basket, an average of 3.0% a year. Over the last 10 years prices rose 2.6% a year on average. Pick a starting year to chart its dollar.
Buying power of a fixed amount
What $100 from 1975 buys over time
$100 from 1975 buys, in 2025
$17.66
of goods and services at today’s prices
To match $100 from 1975, in 2025 you need
$566.21
Average inflation per year
3.53%
1975 to 2025
Half its buying power gone by
1983
8 years after 1975
Show the numbers
Source: Statistics Canada, table 18-10-0005-01 (annual average CPI, 1914 to 2025). Retrieved October 30, 2026. Each year’s value = amount × CPI(1975) ÷ CPI(year).
Straight answers
Questions people ask
What is purchasing power?
Purchasing power is how much a fixed amount of money can buy. When the Consumer Price Index rises 10%, each dollar buys about 9% less (1 ÷ 1.10 = 0.91), because the same basket now costs more.
Has the Canadian dollar ever gained purchasing power?
Yes. The annual average CPI fell in 1921, 1922, 1924, 1927, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1953. In those years a dollar bought more than the year before; the chart shows them as small rises.
Is this about the exchange rate?
No. This page measures what a dollar buys inside Canada, from the Consumer Price Index. The exchange rate is what a Canadian dollar buys in other currencies, which is a different question.
Educational information, not financial advice. Read how the CPI and these tools work.
