Grocery prices in Nunavut are 1.5 times higher than in Ottawa, a Government of Nunavut study released on March 31 shows.
The 2025 Nunavut Food Price Survey Report reveals that the average grocery haul costs $198.75 in Nunavut, compared with $132.44 in Ottawa for the same items.
Though the significant difference highlights the food security challenges in Nunavut, the price differential is less than it was seven years ago.
Prices were highest in the Kitikmeot region, with an average grocery shop costing $204.31, Qikiqtani prices came in at $199.44 while the Kivalliq saw the cheapest average grocery prices at $192.49.
The GN used a food basket of 24 store-bought items, such as milk, noodles and meat to compare an average grocery bill.
While the Kivalliq had Nunavut’s cheapest groceries as a region, Resolute Bay is the most affordable community for groceries in Nunavut, with the average shopping trip totalling at $165.83.
Pond Inlet also has notably cheaper groceries than most places in the territory, with the bill there coming in at $172.45.
Other communities in Qikiqtani lift the average price higher for the region.
Clyde River has Nunavut’s most expensive groceries at $237.68.
Taloyoak is a close second, with residents there paying an average of $237.47.
The least expensive items in Nunavut are flour, potatoes, and macaroni and cheese.
Some of the most expensive items in Nunavut are tomatoes, spaghetti and noodles, cheddar cheese, skim milk powder, bacon, canned pink salmon and chocolate bars.
In 2018, carrots were 2.9 times more expensive in Nunavut than they were across Canada.
But in 2025, carrots are nearly the same price across the territory as they are in Ottawa.
The GN study indicates that significant global supply chain shifts following the Covid-19 pandemic had a major impact on how grocery prices work.
A 2018 GN study that compared Nunavut grocery prices to the rest of Canada, not just Ottawa, found Nunavummiut used paid 2.2 times what other Canadians spent on the same grocery items.
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Mar 31, 2026 at 16:59
Recent Comments