For many Canadians, the amount of money they spend on their personal well-being is eating into their budgets for daily essentials, according to a Leger survey conducted on behalf of Capital One Canada.
More than two-fifths of Canadians (43%) said they felt spending on products and services to support their well-being put a strain on their budgets. However, the same proportion of respondents said they limited their spending on personal well-being, such as gym memberships, wellness apps or social activities.
“Financial well-being is inseparable from personal well-being,” Becca Mintz, vice-president and head of credit and data at Capital One, said in an interview. “It can feel like it’s a choice between those two things, but in fact they’re actually incredibly interconnected.”
The ability to spend on well-being differs by age. Among those aged 18 to 24, 55% found it hard to prioritize their well-being. But this age group also led all generations when it came to well-being spending, with 13% spending upwards of $1,000 on active lifestyle subscriptions — four times the rate of those aged 55 and over.
But people don’t have to spend a lot of money to achieve well-being goals, Mintz said. For example, jogging and exercising outdoors can be cheaper than buying equipment for hockey.
Those slightly older — aged 25 to 34 — were the most likely to trade essential spending for well-being spending, with 31% of respondents in this age group reporting doing so.
Making a budget for well-being spending and sticking to it can help people feel more in control, Mintz said. It’s important that these expenses aren’t taking precedence over basics like paying for rent or damaging credit scores.
“It could be that you are justifying purchases by calling them well-being purchases when in fact they’re actually purchases outside of your means,” she added.
The survey also found that 24% of Canadians were forced to cut back on well-being subscriptions due to cost. Those aged 18–34 (44%) were more than twice as likely than those over 35 (18%) to have done so.
The survey used Leger’s LEO panel from Dec. 12 to 15, 2025. It involved 1,519 Canadian adults. Responses were weighted by gender, age, region, education and language.