Wages and prices › Canada
Canada: a wage buys 5.8% more than in 2019
Prices are 24.1% higher than in August 2019. Average weekly earnings rose 31.1% between the second quarter of 2019 and the second quarter of 2026, while prices rose 23.9% over the same quarters. Wages have more than caught up.
How much have prices risen since 2019?
Prices in Canada are 24.1% higher than in August 2019. What cost C$100 then costs C$124.12 now.
Price rise since August 2019, by what people buy. The red mark is all items, +24.1%.
- Food and restaurants+34.0%
- Housing and energy+32.0%
- Transport+29.6%
- Health and personal care+24.3%
- Alcohol, tobacco and cannabis+19.2%
- Leisure and education+13.4%
- Household goods, phone and internet+8.8%
- Clothing and shoes0.0%
Have wages kept up?
Average weekly earnings rose 31.1% between the second quarter of 2019 and the second quarter of 2026. Prices rose 23.9% over the same quarters, so a wage buys 5.8% more than in 2019.
How does Canada compare with its neighbours?
- European UnionPrices +30.0%, wages +30.0%, a wage buys +0.1%
- CanadaPrices +23.9%, wages +31.1%, a wage buys +5.8%
- United StatesPrices +30.5%, wages +34.5%, a wage buys +3.0%
- United KingdomPrices +32.0%, wages +40.3%, a wage buys +6.2%
Work out your own inflation
Your prices depend on what you buy. Put in what you spend each month and see your own rate beside the official one: your inflation in Canada.
Sources and method
Prices: Statistics Canada, Table 18-10-0004-01, August 2026 against August 2019. Wages: Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0223-01, average weekly earnings including overtime, all employees, seasonally adjusted, the second quarter of 2026 against the second quarter of 2019. For the comparison, prices are the average of the same months. The figures are as published on 6 October 2026.