$100 in 1988 is worth $235 today
What Canadian dollars from 1988 are worth in 2026 money, adjusted for inflation with the official price index from the Statistics Canada.
1988 money in 2026 money
- Prices since
- +135.1%
- Per year
- +2.28% compounded
- Multiplier
- ×2.351
| In 1988 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $2.35 |
| $5 | $11.76 |
| $10 | $23.51 |
| $20 | $47.02 |
| $50 | $118 |
| $100 | $235 |
| $1,000 | $2,351 |
| $10,000 | $23,512 |
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 1988
Prices in Canada rose 4.0% during 1988 — a higher rate than most years in this series, 33rd highest of 111. Across the 1980s, prices rose an average of 6.5% a year, peaking at 12.5% in 1981.
| Year | Rate | Bar |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +10.1% | |
| 1981 | +12.5% | |
| 1982 | +10.8% | |
| 1983 | +5.9% | |
| 1984 | +4.3% | |
| 1985 | +4.0% | |
| 1986 | +4.2% | |
| 1987 | +4.4% | |
| 1988 | +4.0% | |
| 1989 | +5.0% |
How far the Canadian dollar has fallen since 1988
A Canadian dollar in 2026 buys about 42.5% of what one bought in 1988, a loss of 57.5% of its buying power. Prices had doubled from their 1988 level by 2022, 34 years later. Read the other way, here is what today's money would have been in 1988:
| In 2026 | Same as, in 1988 |
|---|---|
| $10 | $4.25 |
| $20 | $8.51 |
| $50 | $21.27 |
| $100 | $42.53 |
| $1,000 | $425 |
| $10,000 | $4,253 |
What these numbers can and cannot tell you
The figures compare the price index in 1988 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 1988 Canadian dollars into another currency.
Common questions
How much is $100 from 1988 worth today?
$100 in 1988 is worth about $235 in 2026 money, adjusted with the official price index published by the Statistics Canada. Prices have risen 135.1% over that span, an average of 2.28% 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 1988?
Prices in Canada rose 4.0% during 1988 — a higher rate than most years in this series, 33rd highest of 111. That is the change in the annual average of the index from 1987 to 1988, which is the basis statistics agencies use for long-run comparison; a news headline quoting a twelve-month change at a particular point in 1988 may differ.
How much buying power has the Canadian dollar lost since 1988?
About 57.5%. Put the other way round, $100 in 2026 would have bought what $42.53 bought in 1988. Prices had doubled from their 1988 level by 2022, 34 years later.
1988 in other countries: United States , United Kingdom , Australia , New Zealand .