Find out how much Canadian spend on grocery each month.
About three m ont
hs ago, I posted an article on
Average Monthly Grocery Bill. I was hoping people would comment on that article, sharing how much they spend on grocery with me and the readers.
Sadly, people in Canada don’t like to share their thoughts, I suppose.
I know a lot of people come to my site for this info, but are unwilling to share.
So, I decided to find this information on my own, and certainly
I found it. So should I share it here??? 
The data include average annual household expenses for all provinces & territories in Canada: Yukon (YT), British Columbia (BC), Alberta (AB), Saskatchewan (SK), Manitoba (MB), Northwest Territories (NWT), Nunavut (NU), Ontario (ON), Québec (QC), Nova Scotia (NS), Prince Edward Island (PEI), New Brunswick (NB), Newfoundland and Labrador (NL).
The average annual food expesne for family in Canada ranges $6000 to $7000 (monthly $500 to $600). 
The statistics does not indicate how many people in each household, but my guess would be for a family of 2.5 persons. According to StatCan, the average number of persons per private household in year 2006, 2007, and 2008 is 2.5 persons. So, you can calculate the expense for families of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, so on.
My monthly grocery bill for me alone (I’m single still) is around $200; however, I include personal care and some health care as part of my grocery expesnes.
So I guess I’ m doing alright.
Example for the average Canadian:
$7305 ÷ 12months ÷ 2.5 persons = $244 per month per person
Note:
See how much Canadian pay for the government (tax) in relation to food/shelter!!!!
National Average Annual Household Expenses Year 2007
| NL | PEI | NS | NB | QC | ON | NU | |
| Total expenditures | 55,007 | 55,574 | 59,987 | 58,205 | 57,308 | 76,654 | 73,747 |
| Total current consumption | 40,332 | 40,922 | 44,145 | 42,285 | 41,100 | 53,938 | 54,400 |
| Food | 6,463 | 6,629 | 6,640 | 6,602 | 7,321 | 7,383 | 14,057 |
| Shelter | 8,985 | 10,137 | 10,815 | 10,031 | 10,167 | 16,341 | 11,547 |
| Household operation | 2,968 | 3,097 | 3,304 | 2,945 | 2,601 | 3,666 | 3,445 |
| Household furnishings & equipment | 1,719 | 1,424 | 1,784 | 1,567 | 1,543 | 2,136 | 2,082 |
| Clothing | 2,588 | 2,112 | 2,412 | 2,312 | 2,368 | 3,420 | 3,345 |
| Transportation | 8,392 | 8,039 | 8,820 | 9,137 | 7,542 | 9,600 | 5,456 |
| Health care | 1,582 | 1,994 | 1,868 | 1,817 | 2,067 | 1,721 | 874 |
| Personal care | 1,008 | 1,027 | 1,048 | 1,000 | 1,089 | 1,239 | 1,123 |
| Recreation | 3,305 | 3,019 | 3,329 | 3,215 | 3,055 | 4,133 | 6,855 |
| Reading materials & printed matter | 179 | 250 | 249 | 234 | 245 | 281 | 201 |
| Education | 579 | 797 | 1,055 | 1,005 | 633 | 1,220 | N/A |
| Tobacco & alcoholic beverages | 1,636 | 1,474 | 1,628 | 1,426 | 1,354 | 1,459 | 3,506 |
| Games of chance (net amount) | 247 | 195 | 253 | 191 | 178 | 283 | 465 |
| Miscellaneous | 681 | 727 | 939 | 804 | 936 | 1,055 | 1,144 |
| Personal income taxes | 10,466 | 9,504 | 10,585 | 10,610 | 11,739 | 16,403 | 13,312 |
| Personal insurance payments and pension contributions | 3,171 | 3,694 | 3,550 | 3,811 | 3,595 | 4,177 | 4,742 |
| Gifts of money and contributions | 1,038 | 1,454 | 1,708 | 1,499 | 874 | 2,137 | 1,293 |
| MB | SK | AB | BC | YT | NWT | Canada | |
| Total expenditures | 63,303 | 63,944 | 85,912 | 72,621 | 76,997 | 89,075 | 69,946 |
| Total current consumption | 44,701 | 46,089 | 59,288 | 53,394 | 53,929 | 63,369 | 49,766 |
| Food | 6,518 | 6,073 | 7,491 | 7,745 | 7,078 | 9,096 | 7,305 |
| Shelter | 10,852 | 10,711 | 14,955 | 15,056 | 14,058 | 18,249 | 13,643 |
| Household operation | 3,063 | 3,161 | 3,768 | 3,357 | 3,831 | 4,110 | 3,287 |
| Household furnishings & equipment | 1,715 | 1,873 | 2,608 | 2,036 | 2,707 | 2,466 | 1,964 |
| Clothing | 2,482 | 2,434 | 3,548 | 2,818 | 2,915 | 3,844 | 2,948 |
| Transportation | 9,651 | 10,412 | 12,678 | 9,896 | 10,775 | 11,439 | 9,395 |
| Health care | 1,786 | 1,738 | 2,259 | 2,177 | 1,603 | 1,306 | 1,932 |
| Personal care | 1,102 | 1,082 | 1,288 | 1,135 | 1,193 | 1,351 | 1,167 |
| Recreation | 3,607 | 4,387 | 5,387 | 4,577 | 4,860 | 6,132 | 3,976 |
| Reading materials & printed matter | 267 | 218 | 291 | 233 | 415 | 312 | 260 |
| Education | 869 | 804 | 1,176 | 1,215 | 739 | 503 | 1,017 |
| Tobacco & alcoholic beverages | 1,441 | 1,615 | 2,124 | 1,624 | 2,236 | 2,792 | 1,536 |
| Games of chance (net amount) | 311 | 286 | 340 | 223 | 308 | 653 | 251 |
| Miscellaneous | 1,037 | 1,293 | 1,374 | 1,303 | 1,212 | 1,116 | 1,081 |
| Personal income taxes | 12,411 | 12,215 | 19,766 | 13,297 | 16,437 | 17,751 | 14,447 |
| Personal insurance payments and pension contributions | 4,003 | 3,923 | 4,331 | 3,850 | 4,961 | 6,228 | 3,946 |
| Gifts of money and contributions | 2,188 | 1,716 | 2,527 | 2,080 | 1,670 | 1,727 | 1,788 |
Reference: Statistics Canada
thanx so much for all dis info iv been searching for awhile as me and my family (2ad+4ch) r moving to Canada next month and i wanted to know what to expect foodwise and compared to Ireland (where we live now) it doesnt seem too bad x
We are a family of 2 (living in downtown TO) and our bill per week ranges from $75 to $100. The groceries cover breakfast, lunch and dinners. We eat out once a week (dinner) and that costs anywhere from $25 to $50. We plan our weekly menue around sale items at the grocery store and this has cut down on cost and waste. Our meals are well balanced with milk, meats and lots of fruits and veggies.
We are a family of 3. 2 adults with a 6 month old baby living in BC. We spend $900-1100 on groceries in the winter and maybe a few 100 less in the summer when the farmers markets are open. Choosing to eat gluten free and organic produce seems to cost more than the processed genetically modified crap that i used to buy. I’d like to know where you shop that will cost you $250 a month as a single person. Thats what i spent every 2 weeks or so when i was single. Then again that was city life. Hmmm i think its time to start growing my own food…. lol!!
iam a new commer who will live in missisuaga canada,
i have a family of four,2 adults and two kids 8,6 years,how much i need per month to start a new life,including rental cost,food ,car,and all necessary toiletries.
try being a family of 3 celiacs… paying an average of 243% more for breads & baking supplies ( premade bread costs about $7 …it costs about $5 a loaf to make …on an income of $36,000!! ( Before taxes!) & they wonder why consumers can’t float the economy anymore! lol!
Great website!
We are family of 2(both adults no kids)living in Alberta.We spend around $250 per month on groceries.I usually buy most of our groceries when they are on sale and I always try to save on food as much as I can.We both have full time jobs so cook only on weekends and freeze all the leftovers.lot of my friends think its not a good idea to freeze food but, I really find it very effective to save money on groceries.I always buy veggies when they are cheap and wash,cut and freeze them so taht i have them handy for fried rice or stir fry.Will love to hear advice from you guys.
What grocery stores do you go to for such a low grocery bill? I would love to know. Thank you.
I would just like to say what a great site. We are a family of four (two children 11/9) living in England at present my husband has been offered a transfer with his current employer. I am trying to work out if we can afford to live with the salary that he has been offered. So this has been really useful to see what it would roughly cost each month for food.
Dont forget the amount of taxes that will be taken! depending on his salary and if you will be working here more than 6 months get ready for a serious take home cut. Lets just say gov took 50,000 in taxes last year from my husbands income. The more money you make the more they take.
We are a family of 7 – 2 adults, 5 kids (4, 7, 10, 12, 14)living in Ontario. We spend on average $1800 per month on all food, toiletries, household supplies (laundry detergent) and alcohol (12-18 beer per month). This also includes take-out coffee (Tims)several times per week asmy husband is on the road all day as part of his job, and pizza at least once a week ($26 each time) as we are in constant motion with kids active in sports, clubs and after-school jobs.
We must buy specifically labelled nut-free snack-foods for packed lunches as per our school-board policy, so the cost of these prepackaged foods adds up. Having multiple children in school really increases the food costs over simple home lunches, as we’ve found.
I’m curious as to how others on the go with older kids (i.e. not just single or couples at home) who juggle programming and multiple “tastes” in food. Stews are lovely … but I can’t even imagine trying to throw it all together as I prepare 5 lunches in the morning or juggle after-school activities, jobs, homework & bed-times at night.
family of 4(8yrs & 6yrs.) in Montreal. We buy very few processed foods and make much of our food from scratch. We buy alot of organic fruit and veggies, we shop at costco for half of our household goods. we are still around 1000$ to 1150$ a month for food/goods. we still struggle with this!
We are a family of 3 in Montreal. Two adults and one 2 year old. I buy at the cheapest supermarket and there is no way I can get down on the budget of 600$/month. That does not include diaper and personal/house supplies. Our eating out on weekends is around 30$-40$/week. I thought we were overspending but I see now it’s getting hard for every family to keep the budget on. Thank you for this article.
I’d like to add that I find that buying every 10 days instead of 7 (weekly) helps a lot!
Hey we live in Alberta. We are a family of 5, kids 8, 2 and 9mnths. All in all, diapers,formula, personal care, dog food (1dog) we spend from $600-$800 per month.
What is the average monthly food expense for a single adult renting at 541 dollars a month? This is info for a health plan called “Compassionate Care” in California. Thanks!
My husband gives me heck if I spend more than 300 dollars a month for food for our family if 3. Thank you for the stats. Now I know I’m not crazy and it is near impossible to feed 3 people on 300 dollars a month unless we want to eat kraft dinner every day.
For four of us in downtown Toronto if I fight tooth and nail I can get our grocery bill down to $1200 a month. Our fruits and veg are mostly organic, I buy few saturated fats, few prepared foods, and we eat quality meat or fish maybe three times a week. Add about $200 of take out to that so I don’t have to spend every moment of my life cooking, and there’s an average month – roughly $1400.
I hear you, Shannon. I always pore over these sites wondering if we’re doing something wrong, too!
We are a family of 3 with two dogs and our grocery bill for the month used to exceed $1200 for which we’ve budgeted. We’ve now tapered it down to around $ 600 which is $ 400 for groceries and a $ 200 miscellaneous fund for meals out, etc. We just never paid attention to what we were spending, I guess. It’s really not that hard to do.
We have a family of 6, 2 adults and 4 kids ages 9, 12, 13, and 17. Our food budget has always been a area of tension between me and my husband, he cannot seem to understand why it costs so much. I try to buy in bulk and keep meals simple, but we still end up spending alot.
Usually around 1200 a month, and that includes toiletries and pet supplies too.
I keep wondering if I’m doing something wrong and what everyone else out there is doing.
Thanks for posting. It’s interesting to see how we measure up. We are a family of 2 adults, 4 kids age 1 -15, a dog and a cat. We spend between 800 and 1000 a month on food, diapers & pet stuff. I think we are doing ok but would still like to see it go down
)
Thanks for the stats, been looking for awhile for info. I thought we spent way too much but compared to the stats and comments we’re not doing too bad. 2 adults and 2 kids (3 & 1), $670 per months on groceries plus $25 per month to eat out (Nova Scotia).
Adding my two cents: just discovered that my family of four is spending close to $900 a month on food (this doesn’t include eating out or the $1000 a year spent on delivered organic vegetables). Wanted to see if this was as outrageous as it seemed, but I guess not!
Thanks for your info, my husband and I have 2 little ones and have just be re-evaluating our bills, it is definitely shocking to see we are spending over 1000 a month on groceries…need to cut back!!
Wow I wonder what the high spenders are spending their money on. We spend about $800 per month on groceries including about $180 per week in the supermarket and about $100 per month on costco. Additionally we spend about $400 per month for weekend eating out at Wendy’s and the like.
We are 2 adults & very active (high calorie needs). We stick to organics and hi-vegetable + quality protein diet. Except for oats, honey/stevia, nuts, & frozen veggies– minimal packaged anything. Have been tracking grocery for years…watched our same diet jump from $400/mo when we live in SE US to $600/mo when we moved to NW US (2003)…since then steady increase to $900/mo for the same foods, despite tighter budgeting and increase consumer demand ???
We’re a family of 3, with one young child (7 years old). We average about $800/month, with peaks >$1000 at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Great information! I’m a manager in a BC hotel and they provide lunch and/or dinner 5 days a week. Being a single male, I don’t have a family to feed either. I always gripe about not making enough money, so I wanted to research how much this benefit is worth. I buy groceries once a month and always on the first tuesday to get the 10% off deal at Safeway. That bill with the milk and fruit that I buy throughout the month probably totals $50 to $75 on actual food. Considering what the average person seems to be spending, I figure this benefit is probably saving me $2,000+ per year.
I was curious how I fare against the average BC couple. There are 2 of us, no kids and we seem to spend around $700. Doesn’t include eating out. When I read about the single guy who spends $600/mo, (but not sure where he lives) I think, we are doing great! But then you can read the opposite, a family spends $600. Regardless, it feels like there is never enough money, and I was hoping to shop a bit more wisely and thus save some of that money for something fun like a vacation!
Thanks for the stats. I am most interested in these responses. I am a single woman and rarely dine out. My monthly food bills are close to $600, mostly due to the higher cost of organic food and vitamins. What’s healthy for my body is hard on the budget, I guess!
I’m a single guy. I don’t eat out at all. Grocery bill is about $600 per month. I used to eat out all the time, 2 – 3 times per day. Food bill exceeded $1400 per month. $600 is a steal.
Great information – thanks. I tried to find the table you used. Is it posted with Stats Canada? Is there a more recent one, where did you find this table? We are a family of 4 and we spend an average of $570 per month, without coupons but try to buy things on sale. This does not include restaurants, which averages once a week about $260 per month. Cheers
How do you manage to spend so little? Please do tell. We have two toddlers and the grocery bill is outrageous.
We (family of two adults) spend less than $400 per mo at the grocery store. This takes careful planning (menu), buying specials, keeping the extras to a minimum. We eat the produce that is “in season”. This means that I do not buy fresh strawberries in November!! We fill up on nutritious foods that are less costly, savour the treats. Almost nothing is pre-packaged: macaroni comes in a 5-pound box, no KD. We also have dinner parties in this budget. Plan, plan, plan.
we are a family of two. no kids. we spend around $500 a month on groceries. we are not including eating out which modestly comes in around $150 and the odds and ends we pick up which comes in around $175 so the total would be $825 a month for the two of us. and this is us on a budget.
I just did a total for my household of two and I was SHOCKED! We are running around $900 a month! This includes groceries and eating out. Crazy!
hi I live in Alberta calgary we are a family of 6 and we spend 1000-1300 a month we do not eat out we have found food has really gone up
we are a family of 6 in b.c. who rarely eat out… we spend between $1300 – 1500/ mo on food! (our food budget does include toiletries etc that we can pick up at costco)
we are a family of 4 and our grocery bill is over 1400 a month. we make multiple trips to the store between grocery days. this is a great resource to get some perspective.
Thank you for this information. I have been looking for this type of info for some time now. We are a family of 4, I make most things from scratch, even the kids granola bars, bread, yogurt, buy almost everything on sale, and i still can’t seem to get my food bill under $700-800 per month!
We are a family of 2 in our mid fifties with 6 grown children all living on their own. I am retired my wife would like to retire in the next few years so last night we went over our bills for the year in order to figure out a monthly budget. I was astounded at what we spent and decided to find out what the average was for other Ontartio families.Your site was very helpful and I’d like to share with you our costs per month which turns out to fit your average.Our monthly average was $4,468. your monthly average was $4,949.a difference of only -$27.