Cost of Living

The essentials, side by side#

Every cost-of-living component on one chart, indexed to 2002 = 100. The grey line is where prices would sit had they grown at the Bank of Canada's 2% inflation target — everything above it has outrun the target.

Source: Statistics Canada (table 18-10-0004) · Updated October 14, 2026

CPI, all items#

The all-items Consumer Price Index, month by month. The headline measure of what a basket of everyday goods and services costs in Canada.

Source: Statistics Canada (table 18-10-0004) · Updated October 14, 2026

Food prices#

Consumer prices for food, at the store and in restaurants. The cost increase families feel most immediately and most often.

Shelter costs#

The full cost of keeping a roof overhead — rent, mortgage interest, utilities, taxes, and upkeep. The largest single item in most household budgets.

Source: Statistics Canada (table 18-10-0004) · Updated October 14, 2026

Rent#

Rented accommodation alone, separated from the broader shelter index. What the third of Canadian households who rent are actually paying.

Source: Statistics Canada (table 18-10-0004) · Updated October 14, 2026

Clothing and footwear#

Consumer prices for clothing and footwear — one of the few essentials where globalized supply chains have held prices nearly flat for decades.

Source: Statistics Canada (table 18-10-0004) · Updated October 14, 2026

Transportation#

The cost of getting around — vehicles, fuel, insurance, maintenance, and transit fares combined.

Source: Statistics Canada (table 18-10-0004) · Updated October 14, 2026

Gasoline#

Pump prices, month by month. The most volatile line in the index, and a swing factor in everything that moves by truck.

Source: Statistics Canada (table 18-10-0004) · Updated October 14, 2026

Energy#

Household energy overall — gasoline, natural gas, electricity, and heating fuel. What it costs to heat a home and power a life in a cold country.