How much does a website cost in Canada in 2026?

The short answer: most small business websites in Canada cost between $1,500 and $15,000 to build in 2026, plus somewhere between $300 and $1,500 a year to keep running. A single landing page sits at the bottom of that range. A custom five-page site from a small studio usually lands between $4,000 and $15,000. Larger agency builds with custom functionality start around $15,000 and climb quickly past $50,000.

Those are the ranges we see quoted across the Canadian market, including in Vancouver and the rest of BC. Here's what sits behind each one, and how to tell whether a quote is fair.

What do the price tiers actually get you?

Do it yourself ($0 upfront, roughly $20 to $60 a month). Builders like Squarespace and Wix are genuinely good now. You pay a monthly subscription and you supply the time, the writing and the design judgement. This works well for a brand-new business testing an idea. It works less well for an established business whose website needs to convince people who are comparing you to three competitors.

A freelancer working from a template ($1,500 to $5,000). A theme, your logo and your content poured in. Quality varies widely. The questions to ask are who writes the copy, who owns the accounts, and what happens when the freelancer moves on.

A small studio, custom design ($4,000 to $15,000). Design built around your business rather than a theme, clearer messaging, and a site you can edit yourself. This is where most established small businesses get the best return. For reference, Pacific Standards publishes its prices: $1,490 for a single landing page and $4,900 for up to five core pages, both delivered in five business days, in Canadian dollars plus tax.

An agency build ($15,000 and up). Multi-phase discovery, larger teams, custom features, e-commerce, integrations with booking or inventory systems, and big content migrations. Worth it when the scope genuinely needs it. Overkill when it doesn't.

What ongoing costs should you budget for?

Your domain: a .ca domain typically costs around $15 to $40 a year. Hosting: anywhere from free on some platforms to $50 a month for managed hosting. A content management system subscription, if your platform charges one. Paid tools such as booking software, email marketing or form services. And optional care: a maintenance plan, or an hourly rate for changes you don't want to make yourself. Ask for these numbers before you sign. A good studio confirms them upfront.

What actually moves the price of a website?

Five things, roughly in order. Page count and how different each page is. Who writes the words, because full copywriting is real work and is often priced separately. Custom functionality: e-commerce, member areas, calculators or complex integrations. Migration, meaning how much existing content and how many old URLs need to move safely. And the number of revision rounds, because open-ended feedback is where timelines and budgets quietly double.

How do you compare two website quotes?

Line them up on the same five questions. How many pages, and which ones? Who writes the copy? Can I edit text and images myself, and is training included? Who owns the domain, hosting and files when it's done? What happens after launch, and for how long are defects fixed? A quote that can't answer these clearly is not cheaper. It's just less specific.

If you want a fixed answer for your own business, that's the point of a short call. We'll tell you which tier fits, and if a $20-a-month builder is honestly the right call, we'll say so.