“Buy Canadian” Feels Good: But What Does it Cost? And Where Are People Going?

Canadians are pulling out of U.S. trips and booking at-home holidays faster than you can “Trump tariff.” But how much will it cost?

Using figures from KAYAK, the Globe and Mail came up with a list of the average cost a domestic flight from various cities in Canada. That’s a tricky thing, as it’s such a big country, and prices vary a good deal. A trip from Toronto to Montreal or Calgary to Edmonton would obviously be less than a flight from Vancouver to Halifax. Still, here’s what they came up with.

Average Domestic Flight Cost

Halifax, $421

Montreal, $419

Toronto, $333

Calgary, $316

Vancouver, $311

Edmonton, $308

Winnipeg, $269

If you fly out of Toronto, you pay almost $100 less for an average flight than do people in Halifax or Montreal. But you pay $64 more per average ticket than someone flying out of Winnipeg. 

Okay, how about a place to stay? Below, for both July and October, is the average price per night for a short-term rental in a variety of Canadian destinations. Note again the diversity of prices.

Average Short-Term Rental Price

Vancouver, $335 (July) and $250 (October)

Tofino, B.C. $487 and $377

Banff, $750 and $475

Jasper, $302 and $252

Saskatoon, $123 and $116

Winnipeg, $135 and $133

Toronto, $488 and $377

Elora, Ontario, $319 and $285

Montreal $299 and $227

Halifax, $238 and $205

Charlottetown, $271 and $203

Rocky Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador, $218 and $148 (CHECK)

Note that Banff is more than double the price of Jasper, which is also quite beautiful. Note also the price of a room in Saskatoon, a terrific and very much underrated Canadian city. A room in Saskatoon in July is roughly $625 less than one in Banff and $365 less than Toronto. If you really want to see Banff but are on a budget, I suggest staying in Canmore or on the west side of Calgary, where rooms are a fraction the price of our most famous national park.

Average Hotel Price (Average for the Year)

Tofino, $477

Banff, $407

Vancouver, $285

Toronto, $255

Quebec City, $238

Montreal, $231

Charlottetown, $210

Halifax Area, $197

Kelowna, $196

Winnipeg, $169

Sudbury, $158

Fredericton, $152

Saskatoon, $150

SO, WHERE ARE WE GOING?

AirBnB put out a news release on March 18 saying that Canadian searches for domestic AirBnB properties are up 20% as Canucks look to stay home this year.

They also put out a list of trending destinations, which was as follows

1. Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec
2. Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
3. Quebec City
4. Summerside, PEI
5. Sherwood Park, Alberta
6. Blue Mountain, Ontario
7. Lethbridge, Alberta
8. Elora, Ontario
9. Regina
10. Yellowknife
11. Campbell River, B.C.

AirBnB also listed top trending searches for destinations outside Canada. Perhaps surprisingly, the list includes two U.S. cities. Here’s their list.

1. Osaka
2. Columbus, Ohio
3. Florence
4. Thira, Greece
5. Kyoto
6. Medellin, Colombia
7. Detroit
8. Taito City, Japan
9. Noord, Aruba
10. Fort-de-France, Martinique