The short version
Bring one or two credit cards with no foreign transaction fee, a debit card for the occasional ATM withdrawal, and almost no cash. Canada is one of the most card-friendly countries you can visit; people tap for a C$2 coffee, a parking meter and a bus ride. You can go a week without touching a bill.
The two things that catch Americans are taxes and the exchange rate. Prices on menus, shelves and hotel sites are almost always shown before sales tax, and that tax ranges from 5% in Alberta to 15% in most of Atlantic Canada. And because US$1 buys about C$1.40 right now, a C$30 main course is about $21. Canada feels expensive on the sticker and less so on your statement.
This page uses US$1 = C$1.40 throughout and rounds conversions. On this site a bare "$" means US dollars and "C$" means Canadian dollars. Our converters handle currency, liters and kilometers, and the budget tool builds a trip total from the numbers below.
The Canadian dollar
Canadians call their dollar "the dollar" or "the loonie," after the loon on the C$1 coin. The C$2 coin is the toonie, a two-tone coin with a polar bear. Neither has a paper equivalent anymore, so you will end up with a pocket of heavy coins if you pay cash. Below those are the 25-cent quarter (a caribou), the dime and the nickel, all close in size to their US counterparts.
Bills come in C$5 (blue), C$10 (purple), C$20 (green), C$50 (red) and C$100 (brown). They are printed on polymer, a smooth plastic that survives the wash and has see-through windows. Each denomination has its own color and a raised-dot marking for blind users, so you are less likely to hand over the wrong one than with same-colored US bills.
No pennies, and how rounding works
Canada stopped making pennies in 2012 and stopped handing them out in 2013. Prices can still end in odd cents, but a cash total is rounded to the nearest 5 cents: totals ending in 1 or 2 cents round down, 3 or 4 round up to 5, 6 or 7 round down to 5, and 8 or 9 round up. Card payments are charged to the exact cent. Old pennies are still legal tender, but few cashiers will want them.
Different from home
The "dollar" signs in Canadian stores mean Canadian dollars. Canadians write their currency as a plain $, and you will rarely see "CAD" outside banks and airports. When a Canadian website shows a price with no currency code, assume Canadian dollars and do the conversion.
Cards, tap-to-pay and PINs
Visa and Mastercard work virtually everywhere that takes cards: restaurants, gas stations, parking machines, transit gates, farmers' market stalls with a card reader. American Express is accepted at most hotels, airlines, rental car counters and larger chains, but plenty of independent restaurants, cafes and shops do not take it, and some big retailers do not either. Loblaw-owned grocery chains such as Real Canadian Superstore and No Frills are known for refusing Amex, and Costco in Canada takes Mastercard as its only credit card. Discover acceptance is less reliable than at home; carry a Visa or Mastercard as your main card.
Tap is the default
Canadians tapped cards years before most Americans did. The payment terminal usually comes to your table at a restaurant, and you tap, insert or hold up your phone right there. Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay work wherever you see the contactless symbol. Banks cap tap payments with a physical card (commonly around C$250); above the cap, the terminal asks you to insert the chip. Phone wallets are generally treated as more secure and are less often capped the same way.
Chip and PIN
Canadian cards are chip-and-PIN, so terminals often prompt for a PIN. Most US credit cards have no PIN for purchases; the terminal will usually let you press OK or Enter to skip, or it moves on without one. Where it trips you up is at unattended machines: pay-at-the-pump gas, some parking kiosks, ticket machines and highway rest-stop chargers. Before you leave, ask your card issuer if you can set a PIN, and if a pump declines your card, prepay inside.
Interac and "debit only" signs
Canada's domestic debit network is Interac. Canadians pay with Interac debit cards everywhere, and some small businesses (corner stores, food trucks, small-town diners) take Interac and cash only. Your US debit card does not run on Interac. It works only where the merchant accepts Visa or Mastercard debit, so a "debit only" sign often means your card will not work there. Keep C$40–60 in cash for these spots.
Foreign transaction fees and surcharges
Many US cards add a foreign transaction fee of up to 3% on every purchase made in Canadian dollars. Over a week that adds up, so use a card that charges none; many travel cards and all Capital One cards skip it. Check your card's terms rather than assuming.
Since late 2022, businesses outside Quebec have been allowed to add a surcharge for paying by credit card, capped at 2.4% and disclosed before you pay, with a separate line on the receipt. Debit cannot be surcharged. Quebec's consumer protection law bans these surcharges. Most businesses still do not charge one, but you will see the occasional sign, especially at independent restaurants and service businesses.
Watch out
Call or message your card issuers before you go if they still ask for travel notices, and make sure you can approve purchases in their app. A fraud hold on your only card at a rental counter in Calgary is a bad start to a road trip. Carry two cards on different networks and keep them in different places.
ATMs and cash
You need very little cash in Canada. Useful amounts are small bills for tips, a few loonies and toonies for laundry, lockers and shopping carts (many Canadian supermarkets lock carts with a C$1 coin deposit you get back), and a little for cash-only places. For most trips, C$100–200 per person is plenty.
Bank ATMs are everywhere in cities and towns. The big five banks are RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO and CIBC, plus Desjardins in Quebec. Expect up to three charges on a withdrawal: the Canadian bank's fee for non-customers (a few dollars, shown on screen before you confirm), your US bank's out-of-network fee, and your US bank's foreign transaction fee of up to 3%. Freestanding "white label" ATMs in bars, convenience stores and tourist strips usually charge the highest fees.
- Bank of America customers can use Scotiabank ATMs without the ATM operator's fee through the Global ATM Alliance, though BofA's own international transaction fee still applies. Confirm current terms with your bank.
- TD Bank in the US is part of the same group as TD Canada Trust; ask TD what you will pay at its Canadian machines before you rely on them.
- Some US checking accounts reimburse ATM fees worldwide, which makes the cheapest option simply withdrawing from any bank ATM.
Withdraw a larger amount once rather than C$40 several times, since the fixed fees apply per withdrawal. Avoid exchanging cash at airport currency counters or hotels; their rates are poor. If you have leftover Canadian bills, keep them for the next trip or spend them at the airport, since US banks give a weak rate when you sell them back.
Insider tip
If you carry C$10,000 or more (or the equivalent in US dollars or other forms) into or out of Canada, you have to declare it to the CBSA, and the US has its own $10,000 reporting rule on the way home. See entry requirements and bringing things home.
Paying in US dollars
Many businesses in Niagara Falls, border towns, duty-free shops and some resort areas will take US cash. Each one sets its own exchange rate, it is almost always worse than what your card gives you, and your change comes back in Canadian dollars. Away from the border and the big tourist strips, most businesses will not take US dollars at all, and you should not expect them to.
The worst deal is a sign promising "US dollars at par." Par means the store treats US$1 as C$1. With the real rate near C$1.40, you are paying about 40% more than the price in Canadian dollars. Even a store offering C$1.20 or C$1.25 for each US dollar is taking a healthy cut.
US coins are a nuisance for Canadian cashiers; do not try to spend them. Tolls on the bridges and tunnels between the two countries are different: most crossings into Ontario and from Ontario back into New York and Michigan post fares in both currencies and take both. See crossing the border.
Dynamic currency conversion: always choose Canadian dollars
Card terminals, hotel front desks, car rental counters and ATMs will often notice your US card and offer to charge you in US dollars. This is dynamic currency conversion, and it is a bad deal. The merchant or the terminal company sets the rate and usually builds in a markup of several percent, on top of any fee your bank charges.
- When the screen shows two amounts, pick the one in CAD (sometimes labeled "local currency" or "Canadian dollars").
- At an ATM, decline the "guaranteed conversion rate" and choose to be charged in CAD.
- At hotel checkout and car rental returns, look at the receipt before you sign. If it is in US dollars, ask them to rerun it in Canadian dollars.
- Let your card network do the conversion. Visa and Mastercard rates are close to the market rate.
Sales tax by province
As in most US states, the price you see is not the price you pay. Canada adds a federal Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 5%. Five provinces combine it with their own tax into one Harmonized Sales Tax (HST). Others charge a separate provincial sales tax (PST), called the QST in Quebec and the RST in Manitoba. Alberta and the three territories charge only the 5% GST.
| Province or territory | Taxes on most purchases | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Alberta | 5% GST only | 5% |
| British Columbia | 5% GST + 7% PST | 12% |
| Saskatchewan | 5% GST + 6% PST | 11% |
| Manitoba | 5% GST + 7% RST | 12% |
| Ontario | 13% HST | 13% |
| Quebec | 5% GST + 9.975% QST | 14.975% |
| New Brunswick | 15% HST | 15% |
| Nova Scotia | 14% HST (cut from 15% in April 2025) | 14% |
| Prince Edward Island | 15% HST | 15% |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 15% HST | 15% |
| Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut | 5% GST only | 5% |
What gets taxed
Restaurant meals, drinks, hotel rooms, attraction tickets, tours, gas, clothing and souvenirs are all taxed. Basic groceries (bread, milk, produce, meat) are generally exempt from GST and HST, which makes self-catering noticeably cheaper than eating out. Some provinces tax specific things at different rates. In British Columbia, for example, the PST is 8% on hotel rooms and 10% on alcohol.
Hotel bills carry extra
Accommodation usually has more on top. Alberta adds a 4% tourism levy to hotel stays. Quebec charges a lodging tax of 3.5% a night. Many cities, including Toronto, Ottawa, Niagara Falls and Vancouver, add a municipal or regional accommodation tax of a few percent, and some hotels add "destination marketing" or resort fees. Between sales tax and these levies, it is common for 15–20% to land on top of the room rate. Booking sites vary in whether they show the all-in price, so check the final screen. See where to stay.
Different from home
A C$100 dinner for two in Toronto becomes C$113 with HST. Add an 18% tip on the pre-tax amount and you pay C$131 (about $94). The same meal in Calgary comes to C$123, and in Montreal, C$133. Do this math in your head before ordering a C$90 bottle of wine.
No tax refund for most visitors
Canada ended its general visitor tax rebate on April 1, 2007. If you are an independent traveler buying your own hotel, meals and souvenirs, you cannot claim back GST, HST or provincial tax when you leave, and there are no tax-free shopping counters like the ones in Europe. Anyone at a mall or airport offering to process a "visitor tax refund" for a fee is selling something you are not owed.
What survives is the Foreign Convention and Tour Incentive Program. Non-residents who buy an eligible tour package (short-term or camping accommodation in Canada bundled with at least one other service, such as a tour, meals or transportation, for one price) can claim a rebate of part of the GST or HST on it, generally half the tax on the accommodation part. Non-resident businesses can claim on certain conventions. Claims go to the Canada Revenue Agency on form GST115 within a year, with original receipts; some tour operators credit it at the time of sale instead. Most people booking a few nights in a hotel and a separate tour will not qualify.
For what you can bring home duty-free and US customs limits, see shopping and bringing things home.
Tipping
Tipping in Canada works much as it does in the US, and Canadian servers depend on tips in the same way. The Quebec French phrase you will see on bills is service non compris (service not included), so leave a tip in Montreal and Quebec City as you would in Toronto. One difference: Canadians traditionally tip on the pre-tax amount, while many payment terminals now calculate the suggested percentages on the after-tax total.
| Who | Usual tip |
|---|---|
| Sit-down restaurant | 15–20% of the pre-tax bill; 18% is a common middle ground |
| Large groups | Check the bill: an automatic gratuity is often added for parties of six to eight or more |
| Bar | C$1–2 a drink, or 15–20% when you run a tab |
| Coffee shop or counter service | Optional; a loonie or 10% when they make something to order |
| Taxi or ride hailing | 10–15%; round up for short rides, more for help with bags |
| Hotel housekeeping | C$3–5 a night, left daily with a note |
| Bellhop or porter | C$2–5 a bag |
| Tour guide or driver | 10–20% of the tour price for small-group and private tours |
| Fishing, ski or hiking guide | 15–20% |
| Hair, spa, delivery | 15–20% for salons and spas; 10–15% for food delivery |
Insider tip
When the terminal arrives at your table, the preset buttons often start at 18% or 20% and may include tax in the base. If you want to tip a specific amount, press "custom" or "other" and enter a percentage or a dollar figure. Nobody will think twice. See etiquette for more on table manners and service.
What things cost
The prices below are typical ranges in big cities in fall 2026, before tax, with rounded US dollar equivalents. Smaller towns run cheaper, while Banff, Whistler, Tofino and anywhere in the North run higher. Prices that are fixed and published, such as transit fares and Parks Canada fees, are exact.
| Item | Typical price | About in US$ |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee at Tim Hortons | C$2–3 | $1.50–2 |
| Latte at an independent cafe | C$5–7 | $3.50–5 |
| Pint of local beer in a bar | C$8–12 | $6–9 |
| Glass of wine in a restaurant | C$12–18 | $9–13 |
| Poutine at a casual spot | C$10–18 | $7–13 |
| Fast-food combo meal | C$13–17 | $9–12 |
| Main course, mid-range restaurant | C$25–40 | $18–29 |
| Toronto TTC single fare (tap or PRESTO) | C$3.30 | $2.40 |
| Toronto TTC PRESTO day pass | C$13.50 | $10 |
| Single transit fare, Montreal or Vancouver | About C$3–4 | $2–3 |
| Gas, national average (mid-Oct 2026) | C$1.86 a liter | About $5 a US gallon |
| Banff daily park admission, adult | C$12.25 | $9 |
| Parks Canada Discovery Pass, family or group | C$167.50 | $120 |
| Mid-range downtown hotel, Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal, summer | C$250–450 a night | $180–320 |
| Same hotel, November to March | C$170–300 a night | $120–215 |
| Banff or Lake Louise hotel, July and August | C$400–800+ a night | $285–570+ |
Gas in 2026
Gas has been volatile this year. The national average swung from about C$1.22 a liter early in 2026 to over C$1.80 after the oil price shock in the spring, and it sat near C$1.86 a liter in mid-October. Alberta is the cheapest province (about C$1.56 a liter, or $4.20 a US gallon), and Newfoundland and Labrador the most expensive (about C$2.23, or $6). Rural and northern stations charge more than city ones. To convert at the pump: multiply the price per liter by 3.785 for the price per US gallon, then divide by 1.4. See driving in Canada.
Alcohol
Drinks cost more than in most of the US, mainly because of provincial taxes and markups. Liquor sales are tightly managed by the provinces: government stores such as the LCBO in Ontario and the SAQ in Quebec sell most wine and spirits, and Ontario now also sells beer and wine in many grocery and convenience stores. Details by province are on drinks.
Daily budgets
These are per person, per day, for two people traveling together and sharing a room, in a big city or a busy national park in summer. They include lodging, food, local transport, one or two paid sights and taxes. They do not include flights, a rental car or long-distance trains. Knock off 20–30% for small towns or for November through April outside ski resorts.
| Style | Per person per day | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| $ Budget | C$140–200 (about $100–145) | Hostel private room, budget motel or campground; transit and walking; grocery breakfasts, food halls and casual lunches; one paid sight or a park day |
| $$ Mid-range | C$300–450 (about $215–320) | A C$250–350 hotel room shared; sit-down dinner with a drink; a couple of attractions; the odd taxi or Uber |
| $$$ Comfort | C$650–1,000+ (about $465–715+) | Four-star hotel or a mountain lodge; tasting menus or top restaurants; private tours, spa, guided activities |
Add a car rental if you are driving: compact rentals plus gas and parking easily add C$100–150 a day in peak summer, and downtown hotel parking often runs C$35–60 a night. Our budget tool puts your own numbers together, and planning your trip helps you decide how many days you need.
Ways to save
National parks
A Parks Canada Discovery Pass covers admission to national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas for 12 months. In 2026 it costs C$83.50 (about $60) for an adult, C$71.50 (about $51) for a senior, and C$167.50 (about $120) for a family or group of up to seven people in one vehicle. A day in Banff costs C$24.50 for a family or group, so the pass pays for itself in about seven park days. Admission is free for anyone 17 and under. Buy it on the Parks Canada admission page before you go, or at the park gate. The free-admission Canada Strong Pass ran in summer 2026 and has ended. See national parks and the Rockies.
Eating and drinking
- Make lunch your big meal. Many restaurants offer lunch specials or a set-price table d'hôte in Quebec at well below dinner prices.
- In Montreal, look for restaurants marked Apportez votre vin (bring your own wine). Buy a bottle at an SAQ store or a dépanneur (corner store) and skip the restaurant markup. See Montreal and food.
- Happy hours exist in most provinces, though provinces set minimum drink prices, so the deals are more modest than in many US cities.
- Groceries are mostly tax-free and supermarkets have good prepared food. A picnic in a national park beats a C$30 burger at the lodge.
Sights and transport
- Attraction bundles such as Toronto CityPASS (CN Tower plus several big sights) can save money if you were going to see most of what is included. Check the current lineup and price, and compare it to the sights you actually want.
- Many large museums have free or discounted evenings or free admission for young visitors. Check each museum's site before you go.
- Some of the best things in Canada are free: Parliament tours in Ottawa (book ahead), the public markets, city waterfronts, and most provincial and city parks.
- Use transit day passes when you will ride four or more times. In Toronto, the PRESTO day pass pays off on the fifth ride. See getting around.
- Fill up the tank in Alberta when you can, and fill up on the US side before driving north if gas is cheaper there. Warehouse-club gas stations are usually the cheapest in town.
Timing
Hotel rates in Banff, Whistler, Tofino and the big cities can drop by a third or more outside July and August. Late May, June, September and early October often give you good weather at lower prices. Big events such as the Calgary Stampede, Grand Prix weekend in Montreal and TIFF in Toronto push rates sharply up. See when to go and festivals.
Save money
The weak Canadian dollar is your biggest discount. At US$1 = C$1.40, every Canadian price is about 29% lower in US dollars than the number on the tag. Pay in Canadian dollars on a no-fee card and you keep all of it.
Before you go
- Pack a Visa or Mastercard with no foreign transaction fee, plus a backup card on another network.
- Ask your issuer about a PIN for your credit card, for gas pumps and kiosks.
- Check your debit card's ATM and foreign transaction fees, and whether any Canadian bank is fee-free for you.
- Set up your banking app so you can approve or unblock transactions from Canada. See staying connected.
- Plan to withdraw C$100–200 per person in cash on arrival, or get it from your US bank before you go.
- Buy a Parks Canada Discovery Pass if you will spend a week or more in national parks.
- Budget for sales tax and accommodation levies of 5–20% on top of posted prices.
- Always choose to pay in Canadian dollars at terminals and ATMs.
Questions we hear often are collected in the FAQ, and our trip planning service can build a budget around your route.
Add it to a route in the trip builder, or ask us to plan the hotels, trains and guides for you.