CAD USD Exchange Rate Today: Live Converter & Rates

Whether you’re planning a cross-border purchase, managing a dual-country investment, or simply watching how your Canadian dollars stack up against Uncle Sam’s greenback, the CAD/USD rate is one of those numbers that sneaks into your life quietly — until it doesn’t. This guide brings together the live rate, the tools to convert any amount, and the historical context that shows why a currency that once hit US$2.78 can also dip below US$0.62.

1 CAD to USD: 0.7315 · 100 CAD to USD: 73.15 · Update: Bank of Canada daily at 16:30 ET · Recent High (Jan 2026): 0.7413 USD

How much is 100 CAD in USD?

The straightforward answer: at current mid-market rates, 100 Canadian dollars converts to roughly $73.15 USD. That figure comes from live converter data on platforms like Wise and Xe, which pull rates continuously throughout the trading day.

What the number doesn’t show is the spread — the gap between the mid-market rate and what your bank or exchange bureau actually gives you. Wise and Xe list mid-market rates, which are the interbank benchmarks, but retail services layer on fees that can shave 0.5% to 3% off your final amount. If you’re converting $500 CAD or more, that difference is real money.

Current conversion

To convert any amount, multiply the CAD figure by the current rate. Working with the April 20, 2026 reading of 0.732864 from OFX, $1,000 CAD × 0.732864 = $732.86 USD. For $100 CAD, that’s $73.29 USD at that rate. Rates shift intraday, so for precision, check the live chart on Xe before executing.

Using official tools

The Bank of Canada publishes its daily average exchange rate once per business day by 16:30 ET — the benchmark used by many Canadian financial institutions for transactions settled that day. You can pull historical annual averages from FRED St. Louis Fed, which shows the 2025 annual CAD/USD average at 1.3973 CAD per USD and the 2024 average at 1.3699 CAD per USD. Those annual figures confirm a gradual weakening trend: in 2021, the annual average was 1.2533 CAD per USD.

What is the exchange rate of 1 USD to CAD?

The inverse — how many Canadian dollars one US dollar buys — matters when you’re pricing something in CAD from a USD budget, or comparing Canadian purchasing power. As of late March 2026, Trading Economics recorded USD/CAD at 1.3661 on April 24, down 0.24% from the prior session. That means one US dollar bought approximately 1.37 Canadian dollars.

Reverse conversion details

To find the USD-to-CAD rate, divide 1 by the CAD-to-USD rate. If 1 CAD equals 0.7315 USD, then 1 USD equals roughly 1.367 CAD. The exact figure moves with the market — on March 30, 2026, the rate briefly touched 1.3919 per Trading Economics, before settling lower in April.

Daily Bank of Canada rates

The Bank of Canada publishes daily average exchange rates once each business day by 16:30 ET. For historical data going back decades, the Federal Reserve’s H.10 release provides daily USD-to-CAD rates from 2000 onward, with records like April 25, 2000 showing 1.4699 CAD per USD.

Why is the Canadian dollar so weak?

The Canadian dollar’s recent weakness reflects a familiar story: interest rate differentials, commodity price swings, and a currency pair that traders watch closely for arbitrage signals. According to Trading Economics, the Canadian Dollar weakened 1.77% over the past month as of April 2026, though it remains up 3.25% over the trailing 12 months.

Key factors

Several forces press on CAD simultaneously. The Bank of Canada’s rate decisions track the US Federal Reserve’s moves, but with a lag — when the Fed hikes, USD often strengthens relative to CAD. Commodity prices, particularly oil, are significant because Canada is a major exporter; when oil falls, CAD typically follows. Trade uncertainty, especially with the US — Canada’s largest trading partner — adds a political risk premium that investors price into CAD.

Market analysis

Forecasts from Trading Economics project USD/CAD reaching 1.39 at end of quarter and declining to 1.37 in 12 months, which would signal modest CAD recovery. The direction hinges on whether Bank of Canada holds or cuts rates relative to the Fed, and whether commodity demand sustains Canadian export revenues.

Will the Canadian dollar increase?

Short answer: the trajectory is uncertain, but recent history offers context. CAD hit a 2026 high of 0.7413 USD on January 30, per Wise data, before easing. The 2025 annual average of 1.3973 CAD per USD (FRED) shows the currency has weakened substantially from the 1.2533 average of 2021.

Short-term outlook

Market forecasts as of March 2026 reportedly suggest modest CAD recovery over the next 12 months, with USD/CAD potentially declining to 1.37. This would mean CAD strengthens toward 0.73–0.74 USD. The prediction depends heavily on rate differentials and commodity conditions that remain in flux.

Expert views

Forecasts from Trading Economics call for USD/CAD at 1.39 end of quarter and 1.37 in 12 months. OFX shows the average CAD/USD rate from late March to mid-April 2026 was 0.722936, providing a baseline for near-term positioning. The 6-month average per Wise sits at 0.7231, suggesting relative stability below the January 2026 peak.

Is the Canadian dollar up or down today?

As of late April 2026, CAD is in a mixed position — weaker month-over-month but stronger year-over-year. Trading Economics recorded USD/CAD at 1.3661 on April 24, down from 1.3919 on March 30, meaning the Canadian dollar actually strengthened from March to late April, even as the monthly percentage showed a decline. The year-over-year picture shows CAD up 3.25% against the dollar.

Live status check

For real-time monitoring, Wise shows current CAD to USD at approximately 0.731502 with small intraday changes. Xe displays live charts that update continuously, with the ability to view up to 10 years of history. Both provide mid-market rates without bank margins.

Historical trends

The broader picture spans over a century. The Bank of Canada records the Canadian dollar’s all-time high at US$2.78 on July 11, 1864 — an extraordinary figure by today’s standards. The all-time low came much more recently: US$0.6179 on January 21, 2002, per Bank of Canada and Trading Economics. The range of US$0.6179 to US$2.78 illustrates how dramatically exchange rates can shift across decades.

How to convert CAD to USD

Converting Canadian dollars to US dollars is straightforward once you know the steps. Here’s a practical walkthrough for getting the best rate on your conversion.

1. Identify your amount. Know exactly how many CAD you need to convert — larger amounts give you more leverage to negotiate rates or choose better services.
2. Check the mid-market rate. Use a live converter like Xe or Wise to see the current interbank rate. This is your benchmark.
3. Compare providers. Banks, exchange bureaus, and FX specialists all offer CAD/USD conversion, but with different margins. Mid-market rate tools show what the rate should be; your actual rate will include the provider’s spread.
4. Calculate the total cost. Multiply your CAD amount by the conversion rate, then subtract any fees. For example, converting $1,000 CAD at 0.7315 gives $731.50 USD before fees — if your provider charges a 2% spread, you’d receive approximately $717 USD.
5. Execute and verify. Most providers process same-day conversions for wire transfers. For smaller amounts, debit cards and pre-paid currency cards offer convenience at a slightly higher spread.

CAD/USD historical extremes

The Canadian dollar’s journey since the 1860s reveals a currency that has swung from extraordinary strength to notable weakness, shaped by gold standards, floating regimes, and oil cycles.

The Bank of Canada historical appendix records the all-time CAD high at US$2.78 on July 11, 1864 — a relic of the gold standard era when Canada’s dollar was tied to British sterling and the broader imperial monetary system. Historical events like the US suspension of gold convertibility in January 1862 reshaped North American currency values significantly.

The currency took a dramatic turn in the 20th century. Canada floated the CAD in September 1950, then fixed it again in May 1962 before eventually settling into a floating regime. The nadir came on January 21, 2002, when CAD fell to US$0.6179 — its all-time low recorded in both Bank of Canada and Trading Economics data. The USD/CAD all-time high of 1.62 also occurred in January 2002, the inverse of the CAD/USD low.

Modern data from FRED tracks the annual averages: 1.2533 in 2021, rising to 1.3699 in 2024 and 1.3973 in 2025 — confirming a sustained weakening that accelerated post-pandemic. The implication for anyone tracking this pair: the current ~0.73 USD level represents a fundamentally different economic landscape than the gold-standard era.

The data paints a currency that has oscillated between vastly different valuations over 160 years — from US$2.78 to US$0.6179 — and whose current range around US$0.73 reflects a fundamentally different economic landscape than the gold-standard era. For Canadians converting USD income or US residents spending Canadian dollars, the takeaway is practical: the rate you get today matters more than any historical extreme.

For cross-border investors watching CAD/USD, the implication is straightforward: Canadian importers buying US goods face higher costs when CAD weakens past 1.39 per USD, while US tourists visiting Canada benefit from more favorable rates when the Canadian dollar trades below 0.73. Lock in conversions when the rate favors your direction, and use mid-market tools like Wise and Xe to avoid the hidden spreads that banks quietly build into retail exchange rates. The Bank of Canada’s daily publication at 16:30 ET gives you a fixed official benchmark, but the market moves faster — and the converters that track those moves in real time are your best hedge against unnecessary loss.