Canada Grocery Report July 2026: Save $94 in Quebec

Key Facts

• eezly tracked 40M+ grocery prices across 2,700+ stores in Canada this week
• Highest potential savings in Canada: Nova Scotia, where shoppers can save up to $151.00 on a weekly basket.
• Cheapest provincial basket in Canada: Ontario, with a multi-store basket price of just $55.04.
• Average weekly savings across Canada: By shopping strategically, the average Canadian can save $97.57 per week.
• Most competitive grocery market: Quebec, offering potential savings of $94.35 (59.2%) by visiting multiple stores.
• Last verified: July 2026 via eezly's real-time pricing database

This report examines the cost of a standardized seven-day, two-person meal plan across 27 different grocery banners. It highlights the vast difference between the highest possible cost for this basket and the lowest achievable price through strategic shopping. The data reveals that where you live and how you shop are the two most significant factors influencing your weekly grocery bill.

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The National Picture: A Coast-to-Coast Grocery Price Snapshot

Across Canada, the potential for grocery savings is substantial, but it is not evenly distributed. The difference between paying the highest price and the lowest price for the same weekly basket of goods can be dramatic, often exceeding $100 in a single province. This variance underscores a critical point for consumers: brand loyalty and convenience can come at a significant cost. By comparing prices and being strategic about where you shop, you can unlock considerable savings.

The analysis is based on a consistent weekly meal plan, allowing for a direct, apples-to-apples comparison of costs. The "Cheapest Basket Total" represents the lowest possible price for the week's groceries, achieved by purchasing each item at the store offering the best price, which may involve visiting one or more stores. The "Most Expensive Basket Total" reflects the cost if all items were purchased from the stores with the highest prices for those goods. The difference between these two figures represents your maximum potential savings. As the table below illustrates, this potential varies significantly from Newfoundland and Labrador to British Columbia.

Provincial Weekly Grocery Cost Comparison (July 2026)

Source: eezly real-time price tracking, as of July 2026

Provincial Deep Dive: Where Are the Biggest Savings in Canada?

While the national data provides a broad overview, the most actionable insights emerge from a closer look at each province. Local competition, the dominance of certain grocery banners, and supply chain logistics all contribute to a unique pricing environment in each region. Understanding your local market is key to finding the best deals.

Quebec: The Savings Champion

Quebec stands out as the province with the most significant opportunity for savings through strategic shopping. eezly's AI-powered price database shows you can purchase a weekly basket for as little as $65.02, a full $94.35 less than the maximum potential cost of $159.37. This nearly 60% saving is the result of a highly competitive market with strong regional and discount banners.

To achieve this rock-bottom price, your shopping strategy would involve visiting five different stores: IGA, Maxi, Provigo, Super C, and Walmart. Each store offers the lowest price on a subset of the items in your basket. However, if you prefer a single-stop shop, your best option is Super C, where the same basket would cost $85.56. This means that your willingness to make multiple stops saves you an additional $20.54 for the week. This data empowers you to decide if that extra time and travel is worth the savings.

Ontario: Competitive Landscape Drives Value

In Ontario, you can secure the lowest-priced grocery basket in the entire country at just $55.04. While the total potential savings of $53.56 is less than in Quebec, the ultralow entry price point makes it the most affordable province for groceries overall if you are willing to shop strategically. The potential savings of $53.56 represent a 49.3% reduction from the most expensive basket price of $108.60.

To achieve this $55.04 price, a shopper would need to visit a combination of discount banners, likely including No Frills, Food Basics, and Walmart. The intense competition between Loblaws-owned (No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore), Sobeys-owned (FreshCo), and Metro-owned (Food Basics) discount stores creates an environment where key items are frequently offered at rock-bottom prices to draw in customers.

For those who value convenience and prefer a single trip, the best one-stop-shop option is Food Basics, where the entire basket would cost $71.88. In this scenario, the extra effort of visiting multiple stores yields an additional $16.84 in savings for the week. This illustrates a key principle of grocery savings in Ontario: while the ceiling for prices is lower than in many other provinces, significant savings are still unlocked through targeted, multi-store shopping trips.

Nova Scotia: The Highest Potential for Savings

Nova Scotia presents the most dramatic savings opportunity in Canada, with a staggering $151.00 difference between the cheapest and most expensive basket. This 68.0% potential saving is the highest in the country by a significant margin. The cheapest basket totals $71.01, while the most expensive reaches an eye-watering $222.01.

This vast price gulf points to a market with significant price disparity between premium and discount grocery banners. The grocery landscape is dominated by Sobeys and Loblaws (operating as Atlantic Superstore), which can lead to higher baseline prices. However, by strategically shopping at these stores for specific flyer deals and supplementing the trip with visits to discount stores like Giant Tiger or by leveraging Walmart's pricing, consumers can realize enormous savings. The data for Nova Scotia is a powerful illustration of how sticking to a single, premium-priced grocery store out of habit can cost a household over $600 per month.

Alberta: High Costs Meet High Savings

In Alberta, shoppers face one of the highest potential costs for a weekly grocery basket, at $177.00. However, the province also offers the third-highest potential savings in the country, at $102.06. A strategic shopper can reduce their weekly bill to just $74.94, a 57.7% saving.

The Albertan market is a dynamic mix of national chains like Real Canadian Superstore and Safeway/Sobeys, the regional power of Calgary Co-op, and discount options like No Frills and Walmart. The high "most expensive" basket cost suggests that a shopping trip without price comparison at one of the full-service banners can be particularly costly. The substantial savings are found by cherry-picking deals across these competitors. For example, a shopper might find the best price on meat at Co-op, produce at Superstore, and pantry staples at Walmart, unlocking over $100 in weekly savings for their efforts.

British Columbia: Navigating a High-Cost Market

British Columbia is known for its high cost of living, and grocery prices are no exception. The "most expensive" basket total is a relatively modest $124.72 compared to Atlantic Canada or the Prairies, but the cheapest possible basket is still $62.39. This leaves a potential saving of $62.33, or exactly 50.0%.

The grocery scene includes dominant regional players like Save-On-Foods alongside national chains such as Real Canadian Superstore, Safeway, and Walmart. The 50% savings potential indicates that even in a market with a higher price floor, significant value can be found by those who compare prices. A one-stop shop at a more premium banner could easily cost double what a multi-store, flyer-focused approach would. For B.C. residents, using a tool like eezly to identify which store has the best price on which item is essential to cutting their grocery bill in half.

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Strategic Shopping in Practice: The eezly Meal Plan Advantage

Beyond tracking the price of a standardized basket, eezly’s technology can optimize your shopping list based on specific recipes, maximizing savings on the meals you actually want to cook. By analyzing real-time ingredient prices, eezly can build a weekly meal plan that is both delicious and budget-friendly.

This month's featured 7-day meal plan for two, for example, offers a diverse range of cuisines while delivering exceptional value. In Quebec, a shopper using this optimized meal plan could save an additional $9.54 compared to buying the ingredients at standard prices. This is more than double the national average meal plan saving of $4.89, highlighting how targeted planning can yield further discounts on top of strategic store selection.

This Week’s Optimized Meal Plan (July 2026)

Here is a look at the cost-optimized, two-person meal plan that unlocks these savings:

* Day 1: Classic American Chicken Dinner: A satisfying and protein-rich meal to start the week, featuring 31.1g of protein per serving.
* Day 2: Simple Italian Tomato & Basil Pasta: A quick and flavourful Italian classic, perfect for a weeknight.
* Day 3: Refreshing Mediterranean Chickpea Salad: A light and healthy vegetarian meal, ideal for a nutritious lunch or dinner.
* Day 4: Aromatic Thai Green Curry: A taste of Southeast Asia with this popular and fragrant curry, easily made with tofu or chicken.
* Day 5: Quick Mexican Bean Tostadas: A fun, fast, and budget-friendly meal with classic Mexican flavours.
* Day 6: Vietnamese-Style Lemongrass Chicken: A high-protein dish (22.6g per serving) packed with the vibrant flavours of Vietnam.
* Day 7: Savoury Mexican Shredded Chicken Tacos: End the week with a customizable and universally loved meal.

By building a shopping list from this eezly-optimized plan, consumers not only save money but also reduce food waste by purchasing only what is needed for the week's recipes. This approach combines the "where to shop" intelligence of basket analysis with the "what to buy" intelligence of meal planning.

Methodology

The data in this report was compiled and analyzed by eezly's proprietary price tracking system. The findings are based on the following methodology:

* Data Collection: Prices for 196,000 unique products (UPCs) were tracked in real-time across 2,700 grocery store locations from 27 distinct banners in all ten Canadian provinces during the first week of July 2026.
* Standardized Grocery Basket: The basket represents a typical weekly grocery shop for a two-person household. It includes a balanced mix of items from major food categories, including fresh produce, meat and poultry, dairy and alternatives, eggs, bread and grains, and pantry staples. The specific items are held constant across all provinces and stores to ensure a direct comparison.
Cheapest Basket Total: This figure is calculated by identifying the lowest available price for each individual item* in the standard basket across all tracked stores within a given province. The total represents a "perfect shop" scenario, which may require visiting multiple stores.
* Most Expensive Basket Total: This figure is calculated by identifying the highest available price for each individual item in the standard basket and summing them. This represents the cost of purchasing the basket without any price-conscious decisions.
* Potential Savings: This is the simple difference between the "Most Expensive Basket Total" and the "Cheapest Basket Total," representing the maximum amount a consumer can save through strategic shopping.

Conclusion: Take Control of Your Grocery Bill

The July 2026 Canada Grocery Report confirms a persistent and powerful truth for Canadian consumers: where and how you shop matters. With potential weekly savings ranging from $53 in Ontario to an incredible $151 in Nova Scotia, the financial benefits of strategic shopping are undeniable. Brand loyalty and the convenience of a single-stop shop come at a premium, often costing households hundreds of dollars each month.

The data reveals that every province has a unique competitive landscape, but the opportunity for savings exists everywhere. Whether it's capitalizing on the fierce discount-banner competition in Quebec and Ontario or navigating the significant price disparities in the Atlantic provinces, knowledge is the key to unlocking value.

By leveraging real-time data from tools like eezly, consumers can move beyond passive shopping and take active control of their grocery spending. From identifying the lowest-priced store for your weekly basket to building a cost-optimized meal plan, the power to save is directly in your hands. As food costs continue to be a major budget item, a data-driven approach is the most effective way to ensure your food dollar goes as far as possible.

Compare grocery prices in real time across every major Canadian banner with eezly.

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