Destination: Canada

Money & Costs

Canada is fairly inexpensive, although regional variations exist. In general, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia are more costly than other provinces, but not as bad as the three northern territories (Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories and Nunavut). Your dollar will stretch furthest in Quebec, the Maritimes, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Discounts are widely available to children, students and seniors throughout the country.

In most regions, you can live quite comfortably on about $80 to $100 per day; double that and you'll be living it up. For mere survival, you'll need to budget about $50, but this will mean camping or sleeping in hostels, riding buses, preparing your own meals or eating take-out snacks and fast food, and limiting your entertainment.

Comfortable mid-range accommodations start at around $70 for a double room, usually including breakfast. Many properties have special 'family' rooms or can supply sleeping cots for a small fee. In some places, children under a certain age pay nothing if staying in their parents' room without requiring extra bedding.

A full restaurant meal with wine or beer generally costs between $20 and $30, plus tax of 7% to 17% and a tip. The bill is lower if you stick to cafes and casual restaurants and skip alcoholic drinks. Rental cars cost from $30 to $40 a day for a compact, not including gas.

Taxes are added to nearly all goods and services, but you can get at least a portion of them back through the Visitor Rebate Program.

HOW MUCH?

Hotel double room: $70-120
Pack of cigarettes: $5-7
Roll of 36-exposure print film: $6.50
Movie ticket: $8-9
Newspaper: $1
Liter/US gallon of gas: $0.84/3.17
Liter of bottled water: $0.90
Bottle of Molson Canadian: $2
Souvenir T-shirt: $10
Cup of coffee and a doughnut: $2