Alberta households had the highest average current consumption spending among Canadian provinces in 2023, spending nearly $3,000 more than households in the next-highest province, according to revised Statistics Canada data.
Average current consumption spending in Alberta reached $85,585 per household, $9,439 above the national average of $76,146, StatCan said in its update.
Alberta households spent an average of $26,180 on shelter, $14,095 on transportation and $13,999 on food.
British Columbia had the next-highest average spending at $82,715 per household, $2,870 below Alberta’s average. B.C. households spent an average of $28,827 on shelter, $12,550 on transportation and $12,188 on food.
Ontario had the third-highest average current consumption spending in 2023 at $81,593 per household, followed by Saskatchewan at $70,384, Manitoba at $69,223, and Newfoundland and Labrador at $66,808
Other provincial averages included $66,059 per household in Prince Edward Island, $64,609 in Nova Scotia, $64,557 in Quebec, and $64,277 in New Brunswick
StatCan revised its 2023 household spending data to reflect updated demographic calibration. The agency said the original data, released May 21, 2025, used survey weights based on the 2016 Census of Population. The revised data use weights calibrated to demographic projections based on the 2021 Census.
Spending Allocation
Canadian households spent an average of $76,146 on current consumption in 2023, up substantially from $54,013 in 2010. Spending had reached $68,980 in 2019 before falling to $67,126 in 2021, and then climbing again in 2023.
Shelter accounted for the largest share of current consumption spending in 2023, averaging $24,501 per household. Transportation followed at $12,019, while food expenses averaged $11,933.
Some spending categories also shifted noticeably over the period. Households spent an average of $10,311 on food in 2019 and $10,305 in 2021. Transportation spending fell from $12,737 in 2019 to $10,099 in 2021, while restaurant spending dropped from $2,775 to $2,189. By 2023, restaurant spending had risen to $3,316.
Looking at total household expenditure—which includes expenses beyond current consumption—the national average reached $105,367 in 2023, compared with $92,500 in 2021 and $93,724 in 2019.
Alberta households recorded total expenditures of $116,577 in 2023, up from $103,472 in 2021 and $112,317 in 2019. In B.C., the average was $107,797, compared with $99,903 in 2021 and $102,091 in 2019.
Ontario households spent an average of $113,576 in 2023, compared with $97,357 in 2021 and $97,385 in 2019.
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