Cost of Living in Canada by City & Province 2026

Where you live in Canada has an enormous impact on your financial life. Housing alone can open a gap of tens of thousands of dollars a year at similar incomes: in the second quarter of 2026 the average three-bedroom asking rent was $4,150 a month in Vancouver and $1,910 in Edmonton, a difference of $26,880 a year (Statistics Canada Table 46-10-0092). Provincial taxes and the cost of goods add to or offset that gap.

Cost of living overview by province

Rent: average one-bedroom asking rent for apartments and condos, Rentals.ca National Rent Report, August 2026 (Rentals.ca does not cover New Brunswick, so that row shows Statistics Canada’s Moncton figure for the second quarter of 2026). Home price: average resale price from the provincial REALTOR association, August 2026 (Manitoba: 2026-07; British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec via an aggregator of CREA data). Tax: 2026 provincial income tax for a single employee earning $80,000, after the provincial basic personal amount and the CPP and EI credits (Ontario includes the Health Premium).

City cost comparisons

The table below is a basic budget for a single adult renting a one-bedroom apartment, built from two published figures: the average one-bedroom asking rent (Statistics Canada Table 46-10-0092, second quarter of 2026) and the non-shelter part of the 2025 Market Basket Measure for that city (Statistics Canada Table 11-10-0066: food, clothing, transportation, phone and internet, and other necessities). The Market Basket Measure is Canada’s official poverty line and prices a modest basic standard of living for a family of four; a single adult’s share is the family figure divided by 2, following Statistics Canada’s equivalence scale. It leaves out income tax, childcare, savings and out-of-pocket health costs, so a typical budget runs higher.

Ottawa: Ontario part of Ottawa-Gatineau. The Market Basket Measure thresholds are for 2025 and the rents for 2026, so the totals are a floor, not an average spend.

Transportation Costs

Insurance: Statistics Canada average written premium per vehicle by province, December 2024; your premium depends on your driving record, vehicle and city.

Note: British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan have public auto insurance for mandatory coverage; in Quebec, bodily injury coverage comes from the public insurer (SAAQ) and property damage coverage from private insurers.

Childcare Costs

Monthly figures use 21.75 billing days. Median fees: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 2026 (cities range from $10-a-day cities to Richmond, BC).

Quebec’s reduced contribution makes a big difference where fees are highest: a year of full-time care at Richmond’s $52/day infant median costs about $13,572, versus about $2,519 at Quebec’s rate (261 days). In provinces already at about $10 a day, the saving is small.

Best City for Your Situation

Cost of living articles

National

• Cost of Living in Canada
• Cost of Living by Province
• Affordable Cities in Canada
• Best Cities to Live in Canada
• Best Cities for Families
• Best Cities for Remote Workers
• Canada vs US Cost of Living

By city

• Cost of Living in Toronto
• Cost of Living in Vancouver
• Cost of Living in Calgary
• Cost of Living in Edmonton
• Cost of Living in Ottawa
• Cost of Living in Montreal
• Cost of Living in Halifax
• Cost of Living in Winnipeg
• Cost of Living in Victoria BC
• Cost of Living in Quebec City
• Cost of Living in Hamilton Ontario
• Cost of Living in Kitchener-Waterloo
• Cost of Living in London Ontario
• Cost of Living in Kelowna BC
• Cost of Living in Saskatoon

City comparisons

• Toronto vs Vancouver Cost of Living
• Calgary vs Edmonton Cost of Living
• Ottawa vs Montreal Cost of Living

Average expenses

• Average Rent in Canada
• Average Rent by Province
• Average Grocery Bill Canada
• Average Utility Bills Canada
• Average Internet Bill Canada
• Average Cell Phone Bill Canada
• Average Household Expenses Canada