This calculator will help you measure the effect of inflation in Canada throughout the years. To use it, simply enter a dollar value, then select the years to compare. For instance, if you want to know the purchasing power of $100 today versus $100 in 1920, you can type 100 in the “that costs” field, then 1920 in the first year field, and 2014 in the second one.
How does this calculator work?
This calculator uses the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) rates from Statistics Canada to compute the inflation rate. Statcan releases a new CPI rate every month, and has historical rates going all the way down to 1914. Our calculator engine extracts the data from Statcan as soon as it is published, so you can be guaranteed that the numbers here are accurate.
What is the Consumer Price Index (CPI)?
The Consumer Price Index measures the increase of the cost of basic products and services that Canadians consume on a daily basis, such as: food, shelter, clothing, healthcare, transportation, alcoholic beverages and tobacco products. A CPI increase means the inflation goes up. The CPI is calculated monthly and is published by Statistics Canada on their website as soon as it comes out. Every province has its own CPI rates as well.
How do I calculate inflation rates per province?
This inflation calculator is for Canada as a whole. We are in the process of developing province-based inflation calculators so you can measure the inflation rate in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and other provinces. Stay tuned!
Notice a mistake or bug with the calculator?
We do our best to ensure our results are accurate and match the CPI data provided by Statistics Canada. However, like with every script, errors and/or bugs do occasionally pop up, especially during the update process. If you think you are getting the wrong numbers, or you are getting an error message during the calculation, please contact our administrator and it will get resolved in a flash.