The Price of Love: What Does a Typical Date Night Cost?

JLo once sang about how her love don’t cost a thing, and the Beatles famously declared that money can’t buy them love. However, for most people in the dating game, it turns out that romance does in fact come at a price – our latest data analysis has shown that a typical Canadian date night in 2019 will set you back an average of $127.

Calculating the cost of a date night

In 2017 and 2018, EliteSingles dove into the cost of love and discovered how much Canadians can expect to spend on a typical date night.

Now, the 2019 figures are in – and that means we know how much dating currently will cost you in Canada and around the world.

While free date ideas do exist, we decided to define a ‘typical date night’ as one that includes a mid-range dinner for two, a shared bottle of wine, two movie tickets, and an 8km taxi ride home, we looked at the average prices for each item to determine that a date night in Canada will set you back $127¹ – a $2 increase on our findings from 2018 (and $12 more than 2017!)

Of course, there are places in this country where dating is a bit more costly. We applied the method above to find out the average cost for a date in 15 major Canadian cities.

How much does it cost to date in Canada?

And Canada’s priciest big city for romance is…. Toronto!

That’s right, Toronto has knocked Vancouver off the #1 position that it held in 2018 – but only just. A 2019 date night in Toronto will set you back $150. The cost of the same date night in Vancouver is $149 – a difference of only a dollar.

That means a date in Toronto costs $23 more than an average date in Canada, while Vancouver is $22 more expensive. And they’re not the only cities sitting above the middle line. Dates in Ottawa, Victoria, Edmonton, Hamilton, and St Catharines all cost more then the average.

At the other end of the scale is Quebec City, which has replaced Winnipeg as the chepeast date night city on the list. Indeed, for those looking to save a few loonies, Québec might be the dating destination of choice: an average date night there is only $112. Not only is that $15 less than the average, it also means those dating in Quebec City are spending around $38 less than those in Toronto – that’s enough left over for a coffee date the next day!

Other wallet-friendly cities that cost less than the average include Montreal ($119), and Winnipeg and Oshawa (both $116).

2019 Cost of a Date in 15 Major Canadian Cities

1. Toronto, ON: $150
2. Vancouver, BC: $149
3. Ottawa, ON: $138
4. Victoria, BC: $133
5. Edmonton, AB: $131
6. Hamilton, ON: $130
7. St Catharines, ON: $130
8. London, ON: $125
9. Calgary, AB: $123
10. Kitchener, ON: $120
11. Halifax, NS: $120
12. Montreal, QC: $119
13. Oshawa, ON: $116
14. Winnipeg, MB: $116
15. Quebec City, QC: $112

​Figures are rounded: a date in Hamilton is $0.48 more than one in St Catharines, a Kitchener date night is $0.18 more than Halifax, and an Oshawa date night is $0.30 more than one in Winnipeg.

The Cost of a Date Night Around the World

As well as analyzing Canadian dating costs, we decided to make a global comparison. For 2019, we’ve examined the average cost of a date night in 30 capital cities from around the world.

To make the comparison a fair one, we used the same criteria to describe a ‘typical date night’ (the meal, the wine, the movie, the cab) and converted global prices into CAD. Doing so we discovered that the average cost of a date worldwide in 2019 is $113. That’s $14 less than the Canadian average of $127 – but still a little more expensive than a date night in Quebec City!

The World’s Most Expensive City for Dating

It may seem that, Quebec City aside, Canadians are paying a hefty price for dating, with the average cost of a date night in most cities well above the international average. However, Canadian romantics can still be glad of one thing – at least they’re not trying to pay for a date in Norway!

Those who are dating in Norway will soon discover that the capital city, Oslo, is the world’s most expensive capital city for a romantic date night. In fact, a typical date in Oslo costs an eye-watering $211, making it more expensive than any city in the study – capital or not!

In second place is London, UK, where a date night costs $188. Washington DC is the world’s third most expensive capital city to date in, with a night out in the US capital setting you back $179. Tokyo, Japan takes 4th place with $178, and Stockholm, Sweden, rounds out the top 5 with a $168 date night.

At $138, an Ottawa date night might sounds steep, but in fact Canada’s capital is only #10 on the list. Capital cities where you’ll pay more for a date include the five above, as well as Amsterdam, Dublin, Canberra, and Paris.

Of course, there are also global cities where dating is cheaper than Canada. The least expensive capital city to date in is Ankara, Turkey. A romantic night in Ankara is just $48 – less than the price that Canadians typically pay for dinner alone. Other wallet-friendly capital cities include Hanoi, Vietnam ($49), New Delhi, India ($50), and Manila, The Philippines and Cairo, Egypt (both $54).

Cost of a date (in CAD) in 25 major global cities

1. Oslo, Norway: $211
2. London, UK: $188
3. Washington DC, USA: $179
4. Tokyo, Japan: $178
5. Stockholm, Sweden: $168
6. Amsterdam, the Netherlands: $167
7. Dublin, Ireland: $165
8. Canberra, Australia: $155
9. Paris, France: $147
10. Ottawa, Canada: $138
11. Rome, Italy: $135
12. Wellington, New Zealand: $127
13. Berlin, Germany: $125
14. Madrid, Spain: $111
15. Singapore: $109
16. Seoul, South Korea: $106
17. Nairobi, Kenya: $97
18. Taipei, Taiwan (ROC): $90
19. Lima, Peru: $86
20. Beijing, China (PRC): $85
21. Moscow, Russia: $81
22. Brasilia, Brazil: $78
23. Cape Town, South Africa: $72*
24. Bogotá, Colombia: $64
25. Mexico City, Mexico: $58
26. Cairo, Egypt: $54
27. Manila, The Philippines: $54
28. New Delhi, India: $50
29. Hanoi, Vietnam: $49
30. Ankara, Turkey: $48

* Cape Town is South Africa’s legislative capital.
​Figures are rounded: a date in Cairo is $0.52 more than one in Manila.

This piece was originally published in August 2017, and updated in October 2018. Most recent update: August 2019.

If you’d like to know more about this analysis, don’t hesitate to get in touch! You can comment below or email us at [email protected]

About the author: Sophie Watson

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