Estimated total
Assumptions used
| Item | Mountain and resort towns | Cities and towns |
|---|
About these numbers
Typical costs come from the fall 2026 prices researched for our money guide, and they are set so that a day's spending lands inside its daily budgets: about C$140–200 per person for budget travel, C$300–450 mid-range and C$650–1,000 or more for comfort, for two people sharing a room. Hotel rates are for one room shared by two people; the calculator adds a room for every two travelers. They are averages: Banff and Lake Louise in July and August can run C$400–800 or more a night, and a small town in May far less.
Canadian prices are shown before tax, so the calculator adds the sales tax of the province you choose to meals, sights and the rental car, and the sales tax plus accommodation levies to hotel rooms. Food figures include a tip of 15–20% at sit-down meals. The car line covers the rental, the counter's insurance supplement and parking, plus gas at the price you enter and about 29 mpg (8 liters per 100 km); with the defaults it comes to the C$100–150 a day our money guide gives for a compact in peak summer.
Not included: travel insurance, one-way rental drop fees (which can run to several hundred dollars), highway 407 and bridge tolls, shopping, and big-ticket experiences such as the Rocky Mountaineer, a Churchill polar bear package or a northern-lights tour. See driving in Canada for rentals and tolls, and national parks for passes and shuttles.
Save money
The weak Canadian dollar is your biggest discount: at US$1 = C$1.40, every price tag is about 29% lower in US dollars. Pay in Canadian dollars on a card with no foreign transaction fee, travel in June or September instead of July and August, make lunch your big meal, buy groceries (mostly tax-free) for park picnics, and rent the car only for the days you leave the city, since downtown hotel parking often costs C$35–60 a night.