From $55 to $130: Which Canadians plan to spend the most this Valentine's Day?

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As Valentine's Day approaches, many Canadians are preparing to celebrate by taking their loved ones to dinner and buying them gifts, but how much are we spending on this day coast to coast?

A new survey by Time2play reveals that, depending on where they live, Canadians in relationships are planning to spend between $55 and $130, on average, whether it’s on dates, presents or other activities on Valentine’s Day.

People in British Columbia plan to spend the most on Valentine’s Day this year with an average of about $129.43, according to the survey.

Quebec residents are the second biggest spenders on love and plan to spend an average of about $115.20. Albertans came in third, considering $111.66 in spending on average for love. Ontarians are the fourth biggest spenders with an average budget of $104.26.

According to the survey, Prince Edward Island residents will be spending the least this year on Valentine’s Day at an average of $55.

When it comes to who should pay for the Valentine’s Day date, 60.1 per cent of respondents said they believe that both parties should split the cost.

When respondents were asked “who should plan the Valentine’s Day?” 70.5 per cent of them said they prefer both partners should plan the date together.

When it comes to a preferred Valentine’s Day activity, 39.1 per cent of respondents said they believe a romantic evening at home is a perfect activity, while 31.2 per cent prefer to go out for dinner and 15.3 per cent want to do an activity with their partner over a shared interest.

Fewer people, 12.4 per cent, said they prefer a weekend getaway, and only 1.8 per cent want to go out to a movie theatre.

Breaking things down by generation, the silent generation (1928-1945) is the biggest spender, planning to spend an average of about $333.33 on Valentine’s Day.

Gen Xers (1965-1980) are the second biggest spenders and plan to spend an average of $124.90. Baby Boomers (1946-1964) plan to spend about $100.66, while Gen Z (1997-2012) plan to spend about $97.50 and Millennials (1981-1996) plan to spend about $97.05 on Valentine’s Day this year.

Methodology:

The survey was conducted in January among 1,000 Canadians that are currently in a relationship, engaged, and married. The average age in years is 35.1. 58 per cent of respondents were women, 39.3 per cent of respondents were men and 2.7 per cent identified as non-binary.

Reporting for this story was paid for through The Afghan Journalists in Residence Project funded by Meta.