How Much Should a Canadian Household Spend on Entertainment?

There is no official right amount, but you can compare with what Canadians actually spend. Statistics Canada's Survey of Household Spending puts the average household's recreation spending at $5,175 in 2023, about $431 a month and roughly 6.8% of total current consumption. Within that, the narrower entertainment category, which covers things like movies, live events and museums, averaged $880, or about $73 a month. The best budget starts from your own last three months: total what you spent, split fixed costs such as subscriptions from outings, and set a monthly cap you can keep.

What Canadians spend

These figures are from Statistics Canada table 11-10-0222-01, Household spending, Canada, regions and provinces. The 2023 data were re-released on 18 September 2026 with survey weights calibrated to the 2021 Census, so they differ slightly from the first 2023 release. Recreation is a broad category: it includes recreational vehicles, equipment and services, not just outings.

The monthly column is the yearly figure divided by 12, rounded. Averages include households that spend nothing in a category and households that spend a lot, so a typical household may be well above or below in any one line.

Inside the entertainment category

Live events are the largest single entertainment line, which matches what many households find: one concert or game can equal several months of streaming. If your spending is high, look there first. See ticket fees and all-in pricing.

Home entertainment is smaller than many expect at the national level: $297 a year on average, of which $260 is equipment such as TVs and audio, and $37 is services, as Statistics Canada classifies them. Streaming and other subscriptions may be counted elsewhere in the survey, so do not read the $37 as a typical streaming bill. Your own statements are the better guide for that line.

By province

Alberta households spent the most on entertainment, $1,067, and British Columbia households the most on recreation overall. Differences reflect incomes, prices and what is nearby, so use your province as a rough guide only.

Setting your own budget

Averages tell you what is common, not what is right for you. A better method is to look at your own spending. Pull three months of bank and card statements and list every entertainment-related charge. Then sort them into fixed and variable.

Add up the monthly average of each type. Decide which fixed costs you would keep if you started from zero, then set a monthly cap for variable spending. Many households find a separate account or prepaid card for entertainment keeps the cap visible. For subscriptions, see a household subscription budget cap.

Where entertainment fits in the whole budget

Entertainment competes with every other want, so decide it alongside them rather than alone. If you use the 50/30/20 method, entertainment sits in the wants share with dining out, travel and shopping; raising one means lowering another. See the 50/30/20 budget adjusted for Canadian cities. If you use zero-based budgeting, give entertainment its own line each month and assign every dollar before the month starts; see zero-based budgeting.

Two signs the entertainment budget is too high: you are carrying a credit card balance while spending on outings, or you are not putting anything toward an emergency fund. In either case, cut variable entertainment first and keep one or two low-cost habits you value, so the budget lasts.

Cutting without losing the fun

Example with made-up inputs: from tracking to a cap

These numbers are an example with made-up inputs. A couple's three-month average is $520 a month: $95 in subscriptions, $60 in gym memberships, $210 in concerts and games, $90 in restaurant meals tied to outings and $65 in impulse purchases. They cancel two subscriptions they rarely use, saving $30, plan one ticketed event a month instead of two, saving $85, and remove saved cards from game stores, cutting impulse spending to $40. New cap: $380 a month, about $4,560 a year.

Steps

1. Download three months of statements.
2. List every entertainment charge and sort into fixed, planned, impulse and hobbies.
3. Compare your totals with the Statistics Canada averages for context.
4. Cancel or rotate fixed costs you would not choose again.
5. Set a monthly cap for variable spending and track it.
6. Review every three months.

For cheaper ideas, see date night ideas on a budget and cheap hobbies for adults.