Keys to Home Confidence: New Poll Finds Most Canadians Can’t Confidently Say What They Spend on Housing

Toronto, ON, September 16, 2026 — A new Harris Poll survey finds that 68% of Canadians can’t say with full confidence how much of their household income goes toward their biggest expense: housing costs, including rent or mortgage payments, condo fees, property taxes, and utilities. Only 32% strongly agree they can confidently estimate that number without checking a bill or paycheque. 

Among Canadians who are confident about their budget, the picture is troubling: 74% report spending 30% or more of gross household income on housing, the threshold the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) uses to define affordability. Nearly one-third (29%) spend at least half their income, and 16% spend 60% or more just to keep a roof over their head.

House Spending Worries are on the Rise

The poll was commissioned by Credit Canada, the country’s first and longest-standing non-profit credit counselling agency. It also found that more than half of Canadians (52%) reported being more concerned about their housing costs today than five years ago, including 28% who are much more concerned. Concern is highest in Alberta (61%), Ontario (56%), and British Columbia (55%), and is lowest in Quebec (41%), the province where households also report the lightest housing burden.

Full survey available on request
* Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Atlantic Canada are excluded because sample sizes in those regions were too small to produce reliable estimates.

Based on answers by those who could confidently estimate their housing costs, the burden is not spread evenly:

• Lower-income households are stretched furthest: 23% of households earning under $50,000 spend 60% or more of their income on housing, more than double the rate (10%) among six-figure households.
• Gen X is the most house-broke: Nearly one in four Gen X Canadians (24%) spends 60% or more of their income on housing, the highest of any generation.
• Albertans hardest hit: 80% of Albertans spend above the CMHC affordability threshold (vs. 74% nationally). Additionally, 61% of Albertans are more concerned about their finances than five years ago (vs. 52% nationally).
• Women are increasingly worried about their finances: 57% are more concerned than they were five years ago, compared with 48% of men.

“The environment is really, really tough for all Canadians right now," says Bruce Sellery, CEO of Credit Canada and host of the Moolala: Money Made Simple podcast. "Inflation is up, incomes haven’t kept pace, and that puts people in a very difficult position. A critical first step to building confidence is understanding what’s actually happening with your finances.”

New Program Set to Help Canadians Manage Housing Costs with Confidence

Today, Credit Canada launched “Keys to Home Confidence,” a national program designed to help Canadians understand, plan for, and manage housing costs, strengthen financial stability, and know what to do when the math stops working.

How Canadians Can Build Their Home Confidence:

Canadians can visit creditcanada.com/confidence for free resources specifically designed for renters, first-time home buyers, and homeowners, including:

• Free Renter’s Guide for Budgeting, along with a Monthly Rental Budget Template
• First-Time Home Buyer Guide to understand affordability and ask the right questions
• Homeowner Financial Planning Guide to manage ongoing costs and strengthen financial stability
• Guided videos to help make managing housing costs easier and less stressful
• Budget Planner to help track housing costs and other monthly expenses
• How to budget for a renovation
• How to finance unexpected home purchases

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Andrea Chrysanthou
Amplify
andrea@amplifyonline.ca
416-797-8194

Media kit available here.

About Credit Canada

Credit Canada is Canada’s first and longest-standing non-profit credit counselling agency. For more than 60 years, Credit Canada has been helping Canadians get out of debt and back into life through financial education and debt resolution.

About Bruce Sellery

Bruce Sellery is the CEO of Credit Canada, the country’s first and longest-standing non-profit credit counselling agency. He comes to the role after two decades as a business journalist and financial literacy consultant. He was an anchor for BNN Bloomberg in Toronto and New York City, the host of Million Dollar Neighbourhood on the Oprah Winfrey Network, and the author of two Globe & Mail bestsellers, including Moolala: Why smart people do dumb things with money (and what you can do about it). He is the Money Columnist for CBC Radio and hosts Moolala: Money Made Simple, a personal finance podcast and weekly radio show on SiriusXM.

* Methodology

This survey was undertaken by Credit Canada and conducted online by The Harris Poll Canada. It ran overnight on August 7^th, 2026, with 1,531 randomly selected Canadian adults who are online panelists.

The results have been weighted by age, gender, region, and education (and in Quebec, language) to match the population, according to Census data. This is to ensure the sample is representative of the entire adult population of Canada.

For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of ±2.5%, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals when compared to the data tables are due to rounding.