Canadian Grocery Prices Up 31.5% Since 2020, Outpacing Overall Inflation

By data_explorer · August 9, 2026

Grocery costs in Canada have climbed nearly a third since the pandemic began, far exceeding the overall inflation rate. The sharpest price spikes hit in…

How the Cost of Groceries Has Changed in Canada Since 2020

Groceries have become dramatically more expensive in Canada since the start of the pandemic — outpacing already-elevated overall inflation. Drawing on StatCan Table 18-10-0004 (Consumer Price Index, monthly) and StatCan Table 18-10-0245 (Monthly average retail prices for selected products), here's what the data shows.

The headline: groceries are up ~31.5% since January 2020

Category Jan 2020 CPI Mar 2026 CPI Total change

Food purchased from stores (groceries) 151.6 199.4 +31.5%

Food purchased from restaurants 158.2 205.6 +30.0%

All-items CPI (overall inflation) 136.8 167.4 +22.4%

Grocery prices have risen roughly 9 percentage points faster than the overall cost of living over this period. A grocery basket that cost $200 in January 2020 now costs about $263 .

Year-over-year grocery inflation tells the story of when prices spiked:

- Grocery inflation accelerated through 2021 and peaked at 11.4% YoY in November 2022 — the highest rate in over 40 years.

- Throughout 2022 and most of 2023, groceries rose roughly twice as fast as overall CPI .

- It has since cooled to 4.4% YoY as of March 2026 , but that's still well above the Bank of Canada's 2% target and the current 2.4% headline rate — meaning groceries are still getting more expensive faster than other things.

Inflation hit very unevenly across the grocery aisle (Table 18-10-0004):

In dollars: actual shelf prices for everyday staples

The CPI is an index, but Table 18-10-0245 tracks the actual average retail price Canadians pay. The differences are striking:

Ground beef nearly doubled in price — a far larger jump than the meat-category CPI suggests, partly because beef rose faster than other meats. A few items (notably potatoes and field tomatoes) actually became cheaper in nominal terms, showing that the grocery-inflation story isn't uniform.

Since January 2020, Canadian groceries have risen about 31–32% on average , with the steepest climb between mid-2021 and late 2023, peaking at 11.4% YoY in November 2022 (Table 18-10-0004). The pain has been worst on animal-protein and dairy aisles — meat, eggs, and butter — and on packaged beverages. Inflation has slowed but not reversed: as of March 2026, groceries are still rising at 4.4% per year , nearly double the overall inflation rate, meaning real grocery costs continue to creep upward even as the broader inflation crisis has eased.

Sources: Statistics Canada Table 18-10-0004 (Consumer Price Index, monthly, not seasonally adjusted) and Table 18-10-0245 (Monthly average retail prices for selected products).