A September 2026 Canadian price snapshot covering eight price engines other than the publisher found that roughly year-long merchandise baskets for two eyes ranged from $148 to $320 for monthly spherical lenses and $476 to $1,264 for daily spherical lenses. Toric lenses ranged from $200 to $424 monthly and $864 to $2,128 daily. Multifocals ranged from $300 to $520 monthly and $1,120 to $1,848 daily.
Those are observed ranges, not market averages, and they are only the merchandise layer. Shipping, processing fees, promotions, subscriptions, rebates and prescription-dependent tax treatment can materially change what a Canadian shopper pays.
Estimated Yearly Contact Lens Costs
The table translates competitor-only matched Canadian box prices into a transparent two-eye supply basket. It does not pretend that “a year” always means the same number of boxes.
| Lens type and pack | Observed price per box | Two-eye supply used | Estimated merchandise cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly spherical, 6-pack | $36.95–$79.99 | 4 boxes; 12 monthly cycles | $148–$320 |
| Biweekly spherical, 12-pack | $59.95–$109.99 | 4 boxes; 336 days | $240–$440 |
| Daily spherical, 90-pack | $59.49–$157.99 | 8 boxes; 360 days | $476–$1,264 |
| Monthly toric, 6-pack | $49.95–$105.99 | 4 boxes; 12 monthly cycles | $200–$424 |
| Daily toric, 90-pack | $107.94–$266.00 | 8 boxes; 360 days | $864–$2,128 |
| Monthly multifocal, 6-pack | $74.95–$129.99 | 4 boxes; 12 monthly cycles | $300–$520 |
| Daily multifocal, 90-pack | $139.95–$230.99 | 8 boxes; 360 days | $1,120–$1,848 |
Prices for 18 Common Contact Lens Products
These are exact matched-pack one-time prices per box across eight competing price engines, not delivered totals. The median describes the observed retailer prices for that product; it is not weighted by Canadian sales.
| Type | Exact product and pack | Lowest | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily spherical | 1-DAY ACUVUE MOIST 90 | $79.04 | $106.50 | $119.99 |
| Daily spherical | ACUVUE OASYS 1-Day 90 | $94.95 | $130.00 | $151.50 |
| Daily spherical | DAILIES AquaComfort PLUS 90 | $59.49 | $82.50 | $116.70 |
| Daily spherical | PRECISION1 90 | $87.95 | $109.99 | $130.99 |
| Daily spherical | DAILIES TOTAL1 90 | $98.95 | $134.50 | $157.99 |
| Daily spherical | MyDay 90 | $87.95 | $130.00 | $152.99 |
| Daily spherical | Biotrue ONEday 90 | $68.84 | $89.00 | $95.99 |
| Biweekly spherical | ACUVUE OASYS 12 | $59.95 | $85.00 | $109.99 |
| Monthly spherical | Biofinity 6 | $36.95 | $56.00 | $79.99 |
| Monthly spherical | AIR OPTIX plus HydraGlyde 6 | $37.95 | $54.98 | $72.99 |
| Monthly spherical | Bausch + Lomb ULTRA 6 | $49.95 | $66.00 | $74.99 |
| Daily toric | ACUVUE OASYS 1-Day for ASTIGMATISM 90 | $132.95 | $171.80 | $195.99 |
| Daily toric | DAILIES TOTAL1 for Astigmatism 90 | $159.95 | $175.00 | $266.00 |
| Daily toric | Biotrue ONEday for Astigmatism 90 | $107.94 | $124.99 | $145.99 |
| Monthly toric | Biofinity toric 6 | $49.95 | $86.83 | $105.99 |
| Daily multifocal | ACUVUE OASYS MAX 1-Day MULTIFOCAL 90 | $144.95 | $190.00 | $221.00 |
| Daily multifocal | DAILIES TOTAL1 Multifocal 90 | $139.95 | $186.00 | $230.99 |
| Monthly multifocal | Biofinity multifocal 6 | $74.95 | $107.00 | $129.99 |
Price Differences for the Same Product
Across the 18 products, the highest observed competitor price was between 35% and 116% above the lowest. The median product-level high-to-low spread was 62%, and 14 of the 18 products had a spread of at least 50%. These are advertised one-time box prices, not delivered totals or guaranteed savings.
The largest absolute spread was $106.05 per box for DAILIES TOTAL1 for Astigmatism 90. Exact pack matching is therefore more useful than a broad “average price of contacts” that mixes different products and quantities.
The replacement schedule is the big structural cost driver. One 90-pack of daily lenses covers one eye for 90 wear days, so two eyes need eight boxes for 360 days. A 6-pack of monthly lenses covers one eye for six replacement cycles, so two eyes need four boxes for 12 cycles. Never compare a six-pack with a 90-pack, or a one-eye price with a two-eye budget.
The Cost of Ordering Contact Lenses Online
The delivered-cost test used the same product in two non-personal baskets: Biofinity 6 monthly spherical lenses.
- Two-box refill: one box per eye.
- Four-box supply: two boxes per eye, covering 12 monthly replacement cycles.
“Known total” means merchandise plus the shipping and mandatory charges visible or calculable under the retailer’s published policy at the furthest safe checkout step. It is not called a guaranteed final charge where prescription, address, account or tax fields remained unresolved.
| Retailer | Two-box known total | Four-box known total | Evidence and important condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clearly | $81.58 | $163.16 | Policy estimate; current 20% Biofinity offer plus free shipping; prescription-gated |
| Contact Lens King | $88.85 | $162.75 | Cart observed; includes $14.95 Canadian shipping |
| ContactsExpress | $126.35 | $225.95 | Shipping-stage cart observed; includes processing fees |
| FYidoctors | $129.98 | $259.96 | Policy estimate; free shipping and handling; prescription-gated |
| KITS | $126.00 | $252.00 | Policy baseline; free-shipping rule applied; a separate new-customer offer is discussed below |
| PerfectLens | $100.95 | $178.00 | Policy estimate; account-gated; two-box basket landed exactly on a strict threshold |
| ContactsForLess | Not shown | Not shown | Ordinary merchandise was visible, but a numeric destination shipping total was not resolved |
Six competitor totals were calculable for each basket, while one retailer remained unresolved. This is deliberately not a cheapest-retailer ranking: some rows are cart observations, others are policy estimates, and Clearly’s result includes a time-limited offer. The comparison demonstrates why the advertised box price and the known checkout total must be reported separately.
Small Orders and Shipping Fees
Fixed shipping matters most when the order is small. In the standardized test:
- Contact Lens King’s $14.95 shipping added 20.2% to the two-box merchandise subtotal, but 10.1% to the four-box subtotal.
- ContactsExpress added 17.0% to the two-box subtotal through $12.95 shipping and a $5.40 processing line. On four boxes, shipping fell to $0, but a $9.95 processing line still added 4.6%.
- PerfectLens’s published $11.95 standard shipping added 13.4% to the two-box estimate. The four-box basket cleared its free-shipping threshold.
The practical takeaway: compare the total for the quantity you will actually buy. A low per-box price can lose its advantage on a small refill; a larger order may unlock free shipping but ties up more money and can create return or prescription-change risk.
How a $108 Order Became $126.35
The processing line is worth noticing. It was $5.40 on $108 of merchandise and $9.95 on $216. Because those amounts do not behave like one constant percentage, the dataset stores the observed fee rather than extrapolating a formula.
There was also a policy-versus-cart conflict: ContactsExpress’s shipping page said Canadian orders over $99 shipped free, while the observed cart required $179 and charged $12.95 on a $108 basket. For that basket, the study used the cart, the price a shopper was actually shown.
Shipping Policies by Retailer
| Retailer | Published or observed rule | What a shopper should verify |
|---|---|---|
| ContactsExpress | Policy said free over $99; observed cart said $179 | Trust the current cart for the exact basket and save a screenshot |
| Contact Lens King | $14.95 Canadian expedited-post shipping | Include the fixed charge before comparing small baskets |
| KITS | Free shipping over $99; policy notes processing may be included | Check whether any processing line appears after prescription and address steps |
| Clearly | Ordinary contact-lens free shipping at $179; current offers can include free shipping | Separate the ordinary rule from promotional or subscription shipping |
| PerfectLens | $11.95 standard shipping; free on orders over $89 | Exactly $89 may not qualify because “over” is a strict boundary |
| FYidoctors | Free shipping and handling on all orders | Remote delivery may take longer even where the charge is $0 |
| ContactsForLess | Free-shipping minimum varies by province | A product surface also disclosed a $3.99 northern charge; verify the destination cart |
The Competition Bureau’s drip-pricing guidance explains why mandatory non-government charges matter: an advertised price should be attainable rather than becoming unavailable only after unavoidable fees are added. The comparison therefore keeps shipping, retailer fees and government tax in separate fields.
Discounts Subscriptions and Rebates
The biggest percentage on a page is not necessarily the saving available to a returning customer today.
| Saving type | When it reduces cost | How to compare it |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate sale | In the product price or cart now | Use the dated sale price; keep the crossed-out reference price separate |
| First-order code | At checkout, for eligible new customers | Show beside, not instead of, the returning-customer total |
| Subscription or AutoShip | Only after accepting recurring deliveries | Include later-order price, shipping, skip/cancel terms and quantity risk |
| Manufacturer rebate | After purchase and successful submission | Report “net if redeemed” separately from “amount due today” |
Observed examples show how large the distinction can be:
- A KITS four-box cart was $252 before its first-order code. The code removed $75.60 and produced a conditional $176.40 total with free shipping. That is useful for a new customer, but it is not the repeat-order baseline.
- Clearly’s current Biofinity offer applied 20% off plus free shipping; its subscription offer also advertised a discount and free shipping. Both need their own labels and dates.
- FYidoctors advertised a 10% subscription saving. ContactsForLess exposed a SAVE30 price and free-shipping claim, but its application could not be reproduced in the cart, so it was not converted into a delivered total.
A post-purchase rebate is not cash off today. Keep the arithmetic honest:
Paid today = merchandise − instant discounts + shipping + mandatory fees + tax actually shown
Net if redeemed = paid today − eligible post-purchase rebate
Before relying on a rebate, check the product, box quantity, seller or channel, purchase window, submission deadline, required documents and payment form.
Taxes on Contact Lenses in Canada
They can be zero-rated for GST/HST when the applicable prescription or assessment-record conditions are met. Canada Revenue Agency guidance ties the treatment of corrective eyewear, including contact lenses, to supply under the required written order for a named consumer.
That does not mean every unexplained checkout charge is tax, or that a price study should mechanically add a provincial rate. The study did not submit a shopper’s prescription, full address or payment, so unresolved tax stayed unresolved. A retailer’s combined “taxes & fees” label also stayed unallocated unless the tax component was identified.
Northern and Remote Delivery Costs
The study did not publish a Toronto-versus-Yellowknife dollar comparison because a clean like-for-like result required full-address or retailer-specific gated steps. The evidence supports a narrower conclusion: remote shoppers should check for destination surcharges and longer delivery times. ContactsForLess disclosed a $3.99 northern charge on an observed product surface, while FYidoctors warned that remote delivery may take longer.
About the Canadian Contact Lens Price Study
The study locked 18 specific products and pack sizes across daily, biweekly and monthly spherical, toric and multifocal lenses. In each wave, eight competing Canadian public price engines contributed 136 accepted exact matched-pack prices. Across three waves, the public analysis contains 408 competitor price observations.
Price Changes During the Study
Of 136 like-for-like competitor observations common to the final two waves, 23 changed (16.9%) and 113 did not. All 23 changes were concentrated at ContactsExpress, KITS and Clearly, while ordinary prices at five of the eight engines did not change. The lesson is simple: a dated price study can describe the market; it cannot crown a permanent winner.
Methodology and Limitations
Prices were observed in Canadian dollars on September 2, 2026. The advertised-price module covered 18 locked products across eight public price engines other than the publisher; the delivered-cost module used Biofinity 6 in two standardized baskets across seven competing retailers. The public analysis contains 408 exact matched-pack price observations from three waves. Retailers were a purposive sample, not a probability sample of all Canadian sellers or consumer purchases. No order was placed, and no false identity, prescription, complete delivery address or payment information was submitted. Cart-observed totals and policy estimates are labelled separately. Examinations, fittings, accessories, insurance reimbursements, medical-expense tax credits and clinic/store quotes are outside scope.
Publisher disclosure: VisionPros.ca commissioned and hosts this research. To avoid comparing the publisher with its competitors, its prices, promotions and shipping terms are excluded from the article’s calculations, tables and conclusions.
Medical note: Contact lenses are medical devices. Use a valid prescription and follow the replacement, wear and care advice of your eye-care professional. Price comparisons do not establish clinical interchangeability.
Correction policy: Retailers may submit dated factual corrections with supporting evidence. Material corrections should be logged without silently replacing the original observation date.
