Changing CAD to USD in Canada: the cheapest way, and what the rest cost you
The spread takes 8.05 CAD if you convert inside your account with Tangerine, and 10.44 CAD at ATB Financial's banknote desk, up to 16.01 CAD at National Bank of Canada.
Same money, same day — a 2.39 CAD difference for choosing how you pay rather than where.
Every figure is read from a bank's own published board, or derived from a margin it discloses — named in the evidence column, never inferred. We do not rank by any commercial relationship; the order below is the rate, and nothing else.
Which method costs least
This is the choice worth the most money, and the one most comparisons skip. Cash desks sit several points above card and transfer rates in every country we measure.
| Method | Cheapest here | Costs you | How we know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transfer / account conversion What the bank converts at when the money moves between accounts. |
Tangerine | 8.05 CAD | read from www.tangerine.ca |
| Buy banknotes at a branch The bank's own banknote board — the widest spread of the three, everywhere we measure. |
ATB Financial | 10.44 CAD | read from www.atb.com |
Cash withdrawals at an ATM are left out on purpose: they carry a per-withdrawal fee we do not collect, so listing them beside the others would flatter them.
Every bank's cash / banknotes rate
If you have to use a branch anyway, this is the order to try them in — 4 banks, cheapest first. The dearest takes 1.2% more than the cheapest.
| Bank | Buys USD | Sells USD | Costs you |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATB Financial own board | 1.3631 | 1.4229 | 10.44 CAD |
| Read from the board this bank publishes at www.atb.com. | |||
| Scotiabank own board | 1.3530 | 1.4300 | 12.87 CAD |
| Read from the board this bank publishes at dmtsms.scotiabank.com. | |||
| Desjardins own board | 1.3556 | 1.4308 | 13.14 CAD |
| Read from the board this bank publishes at www.desjardins.com. | |||
| National Bank of Canada own board | 1.3473 | 1.4393 | 16.01 CAD |
| Read from the board this bank publishes at www.nbc.ca. | |||
Every bank's transfers rate
If you have to use a branch anyway, this is the order to try them in — 4 banks, cheapest first. The dearest takes 1.1% more than the cheapest.
| Bank | Buys USD | Sells USD | Costs you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tangerine own board | 1.3710 | 1.4160 | 8.05 CAD |
| Read from the board this bank publishes at www.tangerine.ca. | |||
| National Bank of Canada own board | 1.3603 | 1.4262 | 11.57 CAD |
| Read from the board this bank publishes at www.nbc.ca. | |||
| Desjardins own board | 1.3583 | 1.4279 | 12.15 CAD |
| Read from the board this bank publishes at www.desjardins.com. | |||
| TD Canada Trust own board | 1.3525 | 1.4316 | 13.41 CAD |
| Read from the board this bank publishes at ix0.apps.td.com. | |||
Tell me when this changes
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Rates are CAD per 1 USD; "costs you" is the part of your amount the spread absorbs, against 1.3932, the reference these banks price from. Collection began 2026-06-24. Indicative information for comparison, not financial advice. What each country's rates are officially anchored to is on the references page. Generated 2026-08-11.