What It Actually Costs to Mail a Letter in Canada in 2026
A single domestic stamp costs $1.44 in 2026, or $1.24 each if you buy a booklet or coil. That covers a standard letter up to 30 grams going anywhere in Canada. Sending to the United States costs $1.75.
Canada Post rates in 2026
| What you're sending | Rate |
|---|---|
| Domestic letter, up to 30 g — single stamp | $1.44 |
| Domestic letter, up to 30 g — booklet or coil | $1.24 |
| To the United States, up to 30 g | $1.75 |
| To the United States, 30–50 g (metered) | $2.61 |
The domestic single-stamp rate rose from $1.15 to $1.44 in the most recent increase — just over 25% in one step, with booklet stamps moving from $0.99 to $1.24. Rates change periodically; the current table is always on Canada Post's stamp prices page.
The stamp is not the cost
The stamp is the part with a price on it. The actual cost of putting one letter in the mail yourself looks more like this:
| Item | Roughly |
|---|---|
| Stamp (booklet rate) | $1.24 |
| Envelope | $0.10–$0.20 |
| Paper and toner, one page | $0.15–$0.30 |
| Materials total | ~$1.50–$1.75 |
| Your trip to a mailbox | Free, if you were passing one |
So the honest comparison is not $1.44 against $3.79. It is about $1.60 in consumables — assuming you already own a working printer and have stamps in a drawer — against a service price that includes all of it.
If you have the printer, the envelopes, and the stamps, mailing it yourself is cheaper. That is true and no amount of marketing changes it. The calculation flips when you are missing one of the three, when the trip is not free, or when you are sending from a different country than the recipient.
What actually drives the price
- Weight. The 30 g threshold is the big one. That is roughly four or five sheets of standard paper plus an envelope, so a long letter can quietly cross into the next tier.
- Size and thickness. Standard lettermail rates assume a standard envelope. Anything rigid, lumpy, or oversized is priced differently, which is why a birthday card with something in it can cost more than the card alone.
- Destination. Domestic, US, and international are three separate rate tables.
Where online services land
Canadian print-and-mail services currently run from about $3.79 to $6 per letter for domestic delivery, with printing, envelope, postage, and tax included. That is a premium of roughly $2 to $4 over doing it yourself — the price of the printing and the errand.
For a business sending a handful of letters a month, that premium is almost always smaller than the staff time it replaces. For one birthday card a year, it is not. Both are fine answers.
Sending from outside Canada changes the maths substantially, because international postage is priced well above the domestic rate — that case is covered here.
Send a letter without leaving your desk
Write or upload it, add the addresses, and we print and mail it via Canada Post. From $3.79, printing and tax included.
Send a letter