How much does the average Canadian household spend on food?
You buy food every week and wonder if you spend too much. On this page you can compare what you spend on groceries and on eating out with the average for households like yours, and see the average in your province, at today's prices.
Start with two numbers
For a typical month, add up:
- Groceries: the grocery store, warehouse stores, the corner store, the bakery, the market.
- Eating out: restaurants, fast food, takeout and delivery, coffee and snacks, with tips.
If you can, leave out:
- beer, wine and other alcohol (Statistics Canada counts them separately)
- cleaning and paper products bought with your groceries
It doesn't need to be perfect. The box compares you with Canadian households like yours, and the provincial averages are in the table below.
| Household (per month) | Groceries | Eating out | All food |
|---|---|---|---|
| One person | $415 | $173 | $591 |
| Couple, no children | $739 | $316 | $1,057 |
| Couple with children | $1,171 | $419 | $1,595 |
| Lone parent with children | $732 | $261 | $1,001 |
| Couple living with others | $1,233 | $458 | $1,692 |
| Other shared households | $815 | $411 | $1,234 |
| All households | $776 | $308 | $1,087 |
The survey is from 2023, the latest Statistics Canada has published. We brought every figure to September 2026 prices with Statistics Canada's Consumer Price Index: grocery prices are up 8.5% since 2023 and restaurant prices 11.4%. The index tracks prices only, so if households now buy more or less than in 2023, these figures can't show it.
What your number tells you
These are averages. Statistics Canada doesn't publish a typical (middle) figure for food spending. Eating out varies the most: some households rarely do it and some do it often, and both are in the same average.
If you spend less, you may cook most meals at home, shop sales, or this is what's possible right now. Each of those is a fair answer.
If you're close to the average, you're in the middle of what households like yours spend.
If you spend more, you may have teenagers, a special diet, long workdays that make eating out the only option, or you enjoy food and choose to spend on it. Sometimes there's nothing to change. Knowing the number tells you how much room is left for the rest of your budget.
Food spending by province
All households in each province, per month, at September 2026 prices (each province with its own price change). Statistics Canada doesn't publish household type and province together, so this table mixes every kind of household.
| Province | Groceries | Eating out | All food |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $984 | $228 | $1,217 |
| Prince Edward Island | $746 | $354 | $1,113 |
| Nova Scotia | $706 | $262 | $972 |
| New Brunswick | $767 | $251 | $1,019 |
| Quebec | $770 | $227 | $998 |
| Ontario | $717 | $346 | $1,068 |
| Manitoba | $875 | $292 | $1,170 |
| Saskatchewan | $876 | $295 | $1,177 |
| Alberta | $915 | $366 | $1,285 |
| British Columbia | $783 | $332 | $1,118 |
| Canada | $776 | $308 | $1,087 |
One number down
Food is one line in a budget, and these averages are a rough guide. Budget Blueprint goes further: it breaks your spending down by type, with groceries and eating out each on their own line, and shows where each one stands for a household like yours, without judgement.
— The Sovereign Team