Average Grocery Bill in Canada by Household and Province

The average Canadian household spent $8,579 on food from stores in 2023, about $715 a month, according to Statistics Canada’s Survey of Household Spending, the latest edition. For comparison, the average household spent $24,501 on shelter and $12,019 on transportation. This page breaks grocery spending down by household type and province, compares grocery prices across provinces, and lists current prices for common items. It is part of our cost of living guides; the other monthly bills are in average utility bills and the full budget in average household expenses.

Grocery prices have kept rising since the survey: food bought in stores cost 2.8% more in August 2026 than a year earlier (consumer price index; the inflation rate page has the full CPI). The annual Canada’s Food Price Report, from researchers at Dalhousie University, the University of Guelph and partner universities, forecast overall food prices to rise 4% to 6% in 2026, and a family of four to spend up to $17,572 on food, up to $995 more than the year before. How tariffs feed into food prices is covered in US tariffs and Canadian households.

Average grocery spending by household type

The figures are Statistics Canada’s average spending on food from stores by household type in 2023. They exclude restaurant meals, so a household that eats out often may show a lower grocery bill but a higher food bill overall.

Statistics Canada, Survey of Household Spending 2023, Table 11-10-0224-01; monthly = annual ÷ 12.

Per person, smaller households spend more: one-person households spent $4,595 on food from stores, against $4,089 per person in a couple without children ($8,178 for the two). A full budget for one person is on the cost of living alone page.

Grocery costs by province

Statistics Canada publishes average retail prices for the same grocery items in each province every month. The price level below compares each province’s prices with the national price for 106 items, and the spending column shows what households there actually spent on groceries.

Price level: WealthNorth calculation from Statistics Canada Table 18-10-0245-01, the unweighted average (geometric mean) of each province’s price relative to the national price for the same grocery items. Spending: Statistics Canada Survey of Household Spending (average per household; it also reflects household size and income, not just prices). Northern basket: Nutrition North Canada Revised Northern Food Basket, full-subsidy communities.

In July 2026, grocery prices were lowest in Quebec and Ontario and highest in Newfoundland and Labrador. Remote northern communities face food costs of their own: the Nutrition North Canada subsidy exists to offset food costs in fly-in communities, where the basket for a family of four ranged from $468 to $759 a week by community in March 2025. Groceries are only one part of the gap in living costs between provinces; the cost of living by province page adds housing, taxes and the rest.

Statistics Canada publishes grocery prices by province (plus Whitehorse and Yellowknife), not by city, so a city’s grocery prices are best read from its province’s figures. The city guides, such as Vancouver and Toronto, show how groceries compare with housing and transport there.

Prices of common grocery items

Prices have risen unevenly over the past five years (Statistics Canada average retail prices, Canada, July 2021 to July 2026). Ground beef is up 75% ($9.41 to $16.49 per kg), a dozen eggs 30% ($3.82 to $4.95) and chicken breast 17%. Pasta (up 35%) and canned tomatoes (up 46%) also rose.

Rice and some canned goods have risen more modestly (white rice +14%, canned tuna +12%).

Statistics Canada Table 18-10-0245-01, monthly average retail prices, national averages; prices vary by store and province.

Groceries and sales tax

Basic groceries are zero-rated under the GST/HST, so they are taxed at 0%, while alcoholic drinks, soft drinks, candy, snack foods and prepared food such as heated meals, sandwiches and platters are taxable. The sales tax guide explains which foods fall on each side and the rates in each province. The Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, which replaced the GST/HST credit, gives individuals and families with low and modest incomes tax-free quarterly payments to help with the cost of everyday essentials.

Lowering a grocery bill

The main levers are where you shop, what you buy and how much is thrown away. Store-brand products, discount grocery banners, flyer price-matching and buying staples in bulk all lower the price paid per item; how to save on groceries goes through each one.

Food waste is a cost too. The average Canadian household wastes about 140 kg of food a year, at a cost of more than $1,300, according to the National Zero Waste Council’s household food waste study (figures updated in February 2022 for food costs). That is about 15% of what the average household spent on food from stores in 2023.

Grocery rewards on credit cards

Some credit cards pay a higher rate of rewards on grocery purchases. The best grocery credit cards page compares them; a few examples:

Card terms change; confirm current earn rates and any welcome offer with the issuer.

Related reading

• How to save on groceries in Canada
• Average household expenses in Canada
• Cost of living by province
• Average utility bills in Canada
• Canada’s inflation rate