How Much Does Banff Cost per Day
A full breakdown of Banff prices: daily budgets by tier, every itemised cost from the guide, and where the money actually goes.
The short answer
Budget travellers in Banff spend around CAD 180 a day. Mid-range travel runs closer to CAD 380, and a splurge day lands around CAD 800. Per person per day in CAD, roughly USD 130 / 275 / 580 at roughly USD 1 = CAD 1.38. Banff runs more expensive than Toronto or Montreal, closer to Vancouver, since the townsite has a captive market and everything, including park entry, is an added cost.
Daily cost breakdown
- Stay
- Food
- Transport
- Activities
| Tier | Stay | Food | Transport | Activities | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | CAD 90 | CAD 50 | CAD 15 | CAD 25 | CAD 180 |
| Mid-range | CAD 220 | CAD 100 | CAD 30 | CAD 30 | CAD 380 |
| Splurge | CAD 500 | CAD 220 | CAD 60 | CAD 20 | CAD 800 |
A mid-range day: CAD 220 hotel room split two ways or solo in a basic motel, CAD 12.25 daily park pass, CAD 25 Roam Transit day pass covering the trip to Moraine Lake and back, CAD 20 breakfast, CAD 30 lunch in town, CAD 60 dinner with a drink. Comes to roughly CAD 370-400 without a gondola ticket or hot springs visit added in.
Every priced item in this guide
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Moraine Lake | no separate entry fee beyond the Banff National Park pass |
| Lake Louise | free to visit the lakeshore beyond the park pass; parking at the lake carries a fee roughly May to October, and canoe rental pricing should be checked on-site or at banfflakelouise.com before you go |
| Johnston Canyon | free beyond the park pass, since it's a trail inside the national park rather than a ticketed site |
| Lake Minnewanka | free to visit the lakeshore beyond the park pass; boat cruise pricing should be checked directly with the operator before you go |
| Alberta beef | CAD 40-70 for a steak entree |
| Poutine and pub fare | CAD 15-22 |
| Trail mix, baked goods, and coffee for the road | CAD 5-15 |
| Wild game and elevated Canadian dishes | CAD 45-80 |
| Bison burger | CAD 18-26 |
| Diner breakfast before a hike | CAD 14-20 |
How to spend less
- Buy the annual Discovery Pass (CAD 83.50 adult) instead of daily passes if you're combining Banff with any other Canadian national park within the year; it pays for itself after about 7 park-days
- Ride the Roam Transit day pass instead of parking fees and gas for a day trip to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake
- Lake Minnewanka, Johnston Canyon, and the Lake Louise and Moraine Lake shorelines are all free beyond the park pass; save paid tickets for the gondola or hot springs rather than assuming every stop costs extra
- Stay in Canmore, 20 minutes east and outside the park boundary, for noticeably cheaper rooms than Banff townsite at the cost of a short daily drive