How Canadians spent their money in 2019

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Release date: January 22, 2021
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Infographic: How Canadians spent their money in 2019
Description: How Canadians spent their money in 2019

How Canadians spent their money in 2019

Average spending on goods and services per household

Total spending on goods and services: $68,980


Table 1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 1. The information is grouped by Category (appearing as row headers), Percentage (appearing as column headers).
Category Percentage
Shelter 29.3%
Transportation 18.5%
Food 14.9%
Household operations, furnishings and equipment 11.5%
Recreation 6.7%
Health and personal care 6.0%
Clothing and accessories 4.8%
Tobacco, alcohol, non-medical cannabis, and games of chance 2.9%
Education and reading materials 2.7%
Miscellaneous 2.7%

Average spending on principal accommodation

Households in Yellowknife spent more than twice as much on their principal accommodation as households in Saint John.


Table 2
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 2. The information is grouped by City (appearing as row headers), Average expenditure per household (appearing as column headers).
City Average expenditure per household
Saint John, N.B. $13,286
Charlottetown-Summerside, P.E.I. $13,545
Québec, Que. $15,875
Montréal, Que. $16,142
Winnipeg, Man. $16,799
St. John’s, N.L. $16,897
Halifax, N.S. $17,320
Whitehorse, Y.T. $18,898
Victoria, B.C. $19,247
Ottawa, Ont. $19,474
Regina, Sask. $19,515
Iqaluit, Nvt. $19,637
Edmonton, Alta. $20,367
Saskatoon, Sask. $20,578
Calgary, Alta. $22,797
Toronto, Ont. $24,441
Vancouver, B.C. $25,046
Yellowknife, N.W.T. $28,720

Households with Internet access at home

In 2019, 91.0% of Canadian households had Internet access at home, compared with 78.3% in 2010.

Cellphone and landline use

More households had cellphones than landlines in 2019.


Table 3
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 3. The information is grouped by Year (appearing as row headers), Cellphone and Landline (appearing as column headers).
Year Cellphone Landline
2019 91.3% 54.0%
2010 78.1% 89.3%

Household spending on meals at restaurants

Canadian households spent an average of $2,458 on meals at restaurants, nearly one-quarter of their total food expenditures.

  • Breakfast: $207
  • Lunch: $887
  • Dinner: $1,364

Notes:

  • National-level statistics include the provinces only.
  • Principal accommodation spending includes costs to rent or own a main place of residence.
  • Meals at restaurants include tips but exclude alcohol.

Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Household Spending, 2010 and 2019.

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Published by authority of the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada as represented by the Minister of Industry, 2021

Use of this publication is governed by the Statistics Canada Open Licence Agreement.

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