A pack of 20 cigarettes in Canada costs on average C$11.50 in CAD. About 12% of adults in Canada currently smoke (2022 data, Health Canada). A pack-a-day smoker spends roughly C$4198 per year at the register — and that is before you add the time, the health, or the compounding.
How the C$11.50 is built: tax and price structure
~60-70% of pack price
| Federal / national excise | C$0.0976 per cigarette (≈C$1.95 per 20 cigarettes) + 8.5% ad valorem, indexed annually to inflation |
| Provincial excise | Varies by province; Ontario adds ~C$0.355/cigarette (~C$7.10/pack); other provinces C$2.50-C$7.00 per pack |
| GST / HST / PST | 5% federal GST + provincial sales tax (5-15% HST/PST depending on province) |
Source: Canada Revenue Agency, Excise Act, 2001 (Schedule 1 – Tobacco); provincial Ministry of Finance tobacco tax notices.
What cigarettes cost in Canada: brand price ranges
The C$11.50 national average hides a wide spread — discount brands are noticeably cheaper than premium.
| Brand | Typical price per pack of 20 |
|---|---|
| Player's (Imperial Tobacco) | C$11-15 per pack |
| du Maurier (Imperial Tobacco) | C$11-15 per pack |
| Benson & Hedges (Philip Morris) | C$10-14 per pack |
| Export 'A' (JTI-Macdonald) | C$10-13 per pack |
| Discount / value brands | C$9-12 per pack |
Free help quitting in Canada
Canada has free, evidence-based programs. You do not need to quit alone.
1-866-366-3667 (pan-Canadian toll-free quitline, printed on all packs); province lines vary (Ontario Smokers' Helpline, AlbertaQuits 1-866-710-7848, BC Quitline 1-877-455-2233)
Free, confidential, staffed by trained counsellors.
Most provincial/territorial drug plans cover prescription cessation meds (varenicline/Champix, bupropion/Zyban) and/or NRT. The federal Non-Insured Health Benefits program covers NRT and prescription cessation meds for First Nations and Inuit.
What makes Canada different
- 01Canada was the first country in the world to mandate graphic picture-based health warnings on cigarette packs (2001).
- 02Canada was the first country to require health warnings printed directly on individual cigarettes (2024-2025).
- 03Mandatory plain (standardized) packaging began February 2020, two years after Australia (2012) and the UK (2017).
- 04Canada's Tobacco Strategy targets less than 5% tobacco use prevalence by 2035.
- 05Youth vaping among 15-19 year-olds reached 14% in 2022, prompting new federal restrictions on flavoured vape products in 2024.
In Canada, a pack of 20 cigarettes costs on average C$11.50 CAD as of 2026. About 12% of Canada adults smoke, down from historical highs. Tax accounts for ~60-70% of pack price of the pack price. Quitting saves the average smoker C$4198 per year.