How much does it cost to make your favourite sandwich?

Different ingredients packed between two slices of bread—oh, the possibilities are endless! From the most famous, classic grilled-cheese to the triple-layer club sandwich, we’ve all got our go-to.

A meal enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner, the sandwich may be one of the most versatile options when it comes to dining, in or out. By looking at the prices of some of our favourite sandwich ingredients, we can calculate how much it might cost you to make yours at home.

How do we measure the retail prices for selected products?

Price changes in our current high-inflation environment are reported regularly in the news, often referencing Canada’s official measure of inflation: the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The CPI captures the pure price change between periods, ensuring quality and quantity of goods and services are the same over time (“apples to apples”). Changing prices often reflect factors such as supply chain issues, transportation costs, as well as seasonal and other considerations that affect prices to a different extent in each region of the country.

Complementing the CPI are the monthly average retail prices for selected products, which give us the actual dollar amounts for over 100 regularly purchased products using data from point-of-sale systems (barcode scanners) shared by retailers.

These are averages computed with thousands of transactions. Variations in average prices between periods and between regions may reflect differences in a product’s brand, detailed quality characteristics, and even the changing composition of sales within a product category (think of more Granny Smith apples being purchased one month, versus more Honeycrisp apples in another month). The CPI, on the other hand, measures price change while maintaining the product’s same brand and detailed quality characteristics from one month to another.

Prices for groceries decelerate in October 2023

While grocery prices remained at elevated levels in October, they also continued their trend of slower year-over-year growth, with a 5.4% increase following a 5.8% gain in September. While deceleration continued to be broad-based, fresh vegetables (+5.0%) contributed the most to the slowdown.

Essentially, the price of your sandwich is likely to vary from month to month, depending on what you put in it.

October sandwich price check

Let’s take a look at some of the most common ingredients we used to make sandwiches, and how much they cost on average, nationally, in October 2023.

Every good sandwich starts off with a basic base; for instance, a loaf of white bread (675 grams) retailed for $3.63 on average nationally in October.

Now, what’s your sandwich of choice?

BLT sandwich? Bacon (500 grams) retailed at $6.90, tomatoes at $4.79 a kilogram and romaine lettuce at $2.51 per unit. 

Egg salad sandwich? The national average for a dozen eggs was $4.47, paired with a jar of mayonnaise (890 millilitres) for $6.46.

Club sandwich? This option may be the most expensive of the bunch: chicken breasts retailed for $14.06 on average nationally in October 2023.

Tuna sandwich? The saver’s choice—this one may just be your cheapest option. A 170 gram can of tuna retailed for an average of $1.66.

Grilled cheese sandwich? For those that crave something classic, gooey cheese between two slices of bread never fails to disappoint. A block of cheese (500 grams)  cost you $6.50 in October.

Peanut butter? Simple yet delicious. If you enjoy this sweet and salty treat, it cost you $6.21 in October for a 1-kilogram jar of peanut butter.

Time to make your own!

We’ve touched on some favourites and classics, but when it comes to sandwiches, any ingredients can be packed between two slices of bread, so get creative and choose your own personal toppings.

Explore the complete list of Monthly average retail prices for selected products to calculate how much your own creations cost.

Check out the newly launched Food Price Data Hub  for all the latest news on food prices in Canada.