$100 in 1978 is worth $457 today
What Canadian dollars from 1978 are worth in 2026 money, adjusted for inflation with the official price index from the Statistics Canada.
1978 money in 2026 money
- Prices since
- +357.2%
- Per year
- +3.22% compounded
- Multiplier
- ×4.572
| In 1978 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $4.57 |
| $5 | $22.86 |
| $10 | $45.72 |
| $20 | $91.44 |
| $50 | $229 |
| $100 | $457 |
| $1,000 | $4,572 |
| $10,000 | $45,719 |
Statistics Canada — Consumer Price Index, all-items, Canada, not seasonally adjusted, 2002 = 100. Retrieved 2026-08-06. 2026 figures are the January–June average so far and will shift slightly as the year completes. Open in the calculator to compare any two years.
Inflation in 1978
Prices in Canada rose 9.0% during 1978 — a higher rate than most years in this series, 14th highest of 111. Across the 1970s, prices rose an average of 7.4% a year, peaking at 11.0% in 1974.
| Year | Rate | Bar |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | +3.3% | |
| 1971 | +2.7% | |
| 1972 | +5.0% | |
| 1973 | +7.5% | |
| 1974 | +11.0% | |
| 1975 | +10.7% | |
| 1976 | +7.5% | |
| 1977 | +8.0% | |
| 1978 | +9.0% | |
| 1979 | +9.1% |
How far the Canadian dollar has fallen since 1978
A Canadian dollar in 2026 buys about 21.9% of what one bought in 1978, a loss of 78.1% of its buying power. Prices had doubled from their 1978 level by 1989, 11 years later. Read the other way, here is what today's money would have been in 1978:
| In 2026 | Same as, in 1978 |
|---|---|
| $10 | $2.19 |
| $20 | $4.37 |
| $50 | $10.94 |
| $100 | $21.87 |
| $1,000 | $219 |
| $10,000 | $2,187 |
What these numbers can and cannot tell you
The figures compare the price index in 1978 with 2026: the cost of the same broad basket of goods and services, averaged across each year. That is the right measure for "what would this amount be in today's money" — a wage, a price, an inheritance. It is not a measure of what any particular thing cost: housing, education, and healthcare have mostly risen faster than the average, while electronics and clothing have risen far slower or fallen. And it says nothing about exchange rates, so it cannot turn 1978 Canadian dollars into another currency.
Common questions
How much is $100 from 1978 worth today?
$100 in 1978 is worth about $457 in 2026 money, adjusted with the official price index published by the Statistics Canada. Prices have risen 357.2% over that span, an average of 3.22% a year compounded. 2026 figures are the January–June average so far and will shift slightly as the year completes.
What was the inflation rate in 1978?
Prices in Canada rose 9.0% during 1978 — a higher rate than most years in this series, 14th highest of 111. That is the change in the annual average of the index from 1977 to 1978, which is the basis statistics agencies use for long-run comparison; a news headline quoting a twelve-month change at a particular point in 1978 may differ.
How much buying power has the Canadian dollar lost since 1978?
About 78.1%. Put the other way round, $100 in 2026 would have bought what $21.87 bought in 1978. Prices had doubled from their 1978 level by 1989, 11 years later.
1978 in other countries: United States , United Kingdom , Australia , New Zealand .