Utilities in Canada

In general, utilities in Canada are not overly expensive. If you’re renting a property, the costs may be included in your monthly rent. Check before signing your lease, and ask your landlord if they know of any special deals in the area.

Here’s a list of service providers for basic utilities in Canada.

Electricity

According to data from 2020, Canadians pay an average of CAD$174/month for a typical household consuming 1,000kWh. Here are the rates for a typical household, consuming 1,000 kWh per month, as of 2020.

• Alberta: $167
• British Columbia: $124
• Manitoba: $96
• New Brunswick: $127
• Newfoundland: $138
• Nova Scotia: $150
• Northwest Territories: $387
• Nunavut: $375
• Ontario: $125
• Prince Edward Island: $168
• Quebec: $73
• Saskatchewan: $182
• Yukon: $145

The differences are caused by a variety of factors, including the type of energy sources used in the area, population density, and the distance from generation source to household.

Canada’s rates are among the lowest in the world however, and household electricity is cheaper in Canada than the USA and many European countries.

• British Columbia: BC Hydro
• Ontario: several options, including Hydro One and Toronto Hydro
• Alberta: Energy Alberta
• Saskatchwean: SaskPower
• Manitoba: Manitoba Hydro
• Quebec: Hydro Quebec
• Prince Edward Island: Maritime Electric
• New Brunswick: NB Power
• Nova Scotia: Nova Scotia Power
• Newfoundland: Newfoundland & Labrador Hydro

Phone

Rogers, Bell, Telus, and Shaw are among the providers of landline home phone service. Availability will depend on your location.

For prepaid and postpaid cell service, visit our cell phone plan in Canada guide for a list of options and for guidance to help you choose your plan.

Phone Plans Specifically for Newcomers

CanadianSIM offers newcomers competitive phone plans (50GB for $30!) with the following included as standard:

• No cancellation fees and no contracts, so it doesn’t cost you hundreds of dollars to cancel.
• 1000 International minutes, unlimited Canada-wide calling, and plans that cover Canada and the USA.
• Unlimited international texting.
• Caller ID and voicemail, for no extra cost.
• Unlimited data allowances, so no charges for using extra data (you’ll just use a slower network if you go over your allowance).
• Free doorstop delivery of your SIM in certain countries — and eSIM availability, so you can connect when you land.
• Post-paid plans that help you build your credit history in Canada.

Step into Canada fully connected. Your SIM card, your way! Get started with CanadianSIM by completing this short form.

Internet Service Providers

The main internet service providers in Canada offer promotions to new customers, so be sure to see what savings you can receive.

There are a number of other considerations you’ll need to keep in mind also, including what technical support is available, usage caps and download / upload speeds, and any rental costs for equipment.

Visit our Internet Service Providers in Canada guide for more detail.

Cable TV

Cable TV services are offered by Bell, Rogers, Shaw, Telus, Novus, and others. Availability depends on your location in Canada. Since 2016, service providers must offer a package that costs no more than $25 per month, not including the rental or purchase of equipment. However, if you want to watch sports and movies, then you can expect to pay close to $100 a month, or more.

Another option is to buy an aerial (or ‘antenna’), and receive free ‘over-the-air (OTA)’ channels, similar to how you receive Freeview in the UK, or Saorview in Ireland. This isn’t a commonly used option in Canada however, so you’ll likely only pick up five or six channels (or none at all, if nearby environmental factors prevent you getting a signal). These will have some of the most popular news and entertainment programs, a few live hockey games, and will usually be in HD.

Many Canadians are opting for subscription streaming services like Netflix and Prime Video rather than traditional cable options.

Related: How to stream TV from home in Canada

To manage your finances well and make smart financial decisions once you move to Canada, it is important to keep track of your credit score. There are free tools and services available to support you in doing so. For instance, Borrowell’s free credit score tool can help you monitor your creditworthiness with financial institutions.