How Much Is a Carton of Cigarettes in Alberta?
Key takeaways
Alberta's tobacco tax is 30 cents per cigarette, which is $7.50 on a pack of 25 and $60.00 on a carton of 200, in force since 1 March 2024. With federal excise of about $38.92 per carton, government tobacco taxes come to about $98.92 per carton before sales tax. British Columbia charges $5.00 more per carton and Saskatchewan $2.00 less.
Alberta taxes tobacco per cigarette at 30 cents. The Government of Alberta’s rate table, effective 1 March 2024, lists $7.50 for a package of 25 and $60.00 for a carton of 200. Loose tobacco is taxed at 41.25 cents per gram.
Tax on a pack and a carton
| Item | Per pack of 20 | Per carton of 200 |
|---|---|---|
| Alberta tobacco tax | $6.00 | $60.00 |
| Federal excise duty (from 1 April 2026) | $3.89 | $38.92 |
| Combined, before sales tax | $9.89 | $98.92 |
The pack-of-20 column is our division of the carton figure. Federal excise is the CRA’s $0.97299 per 5 cigarettes, multiplied by 40.
This is the tax inside the price, not the price. We did not find an official source for typical shelf prices in Alberta, and we do not borrow figures from sellers or the press. What the table does tell you is a floor: of any carton sold legally in the province, roughly $98.92 goes to the two governments.
Alberta against its neighbours
British Columbia charges $65.00 per carton, $5.00 more than Alberta. Saskatchewan charges $58.00, $2.00 less. Manitoba is level with Alberta at $60.00. Ontario is far below at $36.95. Since federal excise is the same everywhere, those gaps are the whole difference in government tax between provinces. See the British Columbia page for the other side of the border, and the ranking of every province for the full picture.
When the rate changed
The provincial page gives March 2024 as the effective date of the current rates, and we did not find an earlier rate on it, so we cannot say what the change was. The federal side has moved more often: the duty went up on 1 April 2025 and again on 1 April 2026, from $38.16 to $38.92 per carton.
Related
The tax rates page lists every province and territory with its effective date. If you smoke daily, the cost of smoking calculator turns your own pack price into weekly and yearly spending.
Figures are estimates for planning. Actual prices and taxes vary by seller and date. Read the full disclaimer.
Frequently asked questions
What is Alberta's tobacco tax per pack?
Thirty cents per cigarette, which is $7.50 on a package of 25 and $6.00 on a pack of 20 (our arithmetic). The province's page lists the $60.00 carton and the 25-cigarette package.
Is Alberta's tax higher than Ontario's?
Yes. Ontario's tax is $36.95 per carton against Alberta's $60.00, a difference of $23.05 before the shared federal duty.
Do these figures include sales tax?
No. We did not find an official statement on how sales taxes apply to tobacco in Alberta, so the figures here are tobacco taxes only.
Sources
- Alberta: tax and levy rates — Government of Alberta. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Excise duty rates — Canada Revenue Agency. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- British Columbia: tobacco tax — Government of British Columbia. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Saskatchewan: tobacco tax — Government of Saskatchewan. Accessed October 27, 2026.