Certification Cost Calculator: What 17 Tech Certifications Cost in Canada
Oct 30, 2026By Stephen Adindu, CBAP, PMP, Lead Coach at The Career Accelerators. Last updated October 2026. Fees checked 30 October 2026.
The exam and first-year fees for a tech certification in Canada run from about C$196 (Microsoft's PL-300) to about C$1,236 (the CISSP exam plus ISC2's first annual fee), at the Bank of Canada's rate of US$1 = C$1.3985 (29 October 2026). Course-based certifications such as the CSM depend mostly on the course price. Pick a certification below to add membership, retakes, renewals and your own training costs, and see the total in Canadian dollars.
The calculator covers 17 certifications in business analysis, project management, Agile and Scrum, cybersecurity and data analysis. Every fee comes from the certifying body's own pages where we could confirm it there. A few figures (PMP and PMI-ACP retake and renewal fees, PMI membership renewal and CompTIA vouchers) we couldn't confirm on the issuer's site, so we use what training providers report and label them.
Key takeaways
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Certification cost calculator
Choose a certification and how you'll get it. The total updates as you go. Fees are in US dollars and converted at the rate shown; change the rate if you like. The card fee starts at 2.5%, a common charge on US-dollar purchases; set it to 0 if your card doesn't charge one. Training is in Canadian dollars because you enter your own figure.
Counts yearly fees and any renewal due in that time.
1 to 24 months.
Bank of Canada, 29 October 2026
Set 0 if your card has no foreign transaction fee.
| What you pay | US$ | C$ |
|---|
How much does each certification cost?
These tables show the cheapest usual route for someone who isn't already a member, with one exam attempt and no training. Canadian dollar figures use the Bank of Canada rate for 29 October 2026 (US$1 = C$1.3985), before any card fee, rounded to the nearest dollar. They're regular prices: during a promotion, such as IIBA's 20% off exam fees until 31 December 2026, you may pay less.
Business analysis
| Certification | Experience needed | To get it (US$) | About C$ | To keep it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IIBA Entry Certificate in Business Analysis (ECBA) Entry | None: no work experience or training hours needed | US$395 exam (non-member price, includes a year of IIBA membership) | C$552 | Never expires: no renewal |
| IIBA Certification of Capability in Business Analysis (CCBA) Mid-level | 3,750 hours of business analysis work in the last 7 years, 21 professional development hours, 2 references | US$145 application + US$405 exam (non-member price, includes a year of IIBA membership) | C$769 | Every 3 years: 60 CDUs plus US$85 (members) or US$120 |
| IIBA Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) Advanced | 7,500 hours of business analysis work in the last 10 years, 35 professional development hours, 2 references | US$145 application + US$505 exam (non-member price, includes a year of IIBA membership) | C$909 | Every 3 years: 60 CDUs plus US$85 (members) or US$120 |
Project management
| Certification | Experience needed | To get it (US$) | About C$ | To keep it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PMI Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) Entry | None: a secondary diploma and 23 hours of project management education | US$300 exam (non-member) | C$420 | Every 3 years: 15 PDUs plus US$60 (members) or US$150 |
| PMI Project Management Professional (PMP) Advanced | 36 months leading projects with a bachelor's degree, 48 with an associate's degree, 60 with a secondary diploma, or 24 with a GAC-accredited degree, all within the last 10 years | US$169 PMI membership + US$405 exam (joining PMI first) | C$803 | Every 3 years: 60 PDUs plus US$60 (members) or US$150 |
| PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) Mid-level | 2 years of agile experience in the last 5 (less with some degrees or certifications) | US$495 exam (non-member) | C$692 | Every 3 years: 30 PDUs plus US$60 (members) or US$150 |
Agile and Scrum
| Certification | Experience needed | To get it (US$) | About C$ | To keep it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scrum Alliance Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) Entry | None | Course fee set by the trainer (no separate exam fee) | Depends on the course | Every 2 years: 20 SEUs plus US$100 |
| Scrum Alliance Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) Entry | None | Course fee set by the trainer (no separate exam fee) | Depends on the course | Every 2 years: 20 SEUs plus US$100 |
| Scrum.org Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) Entry | None; a course is recommended but not required | US$200 exam | C$280 | Lifetime: no renewal fee |
| Scrum.org Professional Scrum Product Owner I (PSPO I) Entry | None; a course is recommended but not required | US$200 exam | C$280 | Lifetime: no renewal fee |
| SAFe Agilist (Leading SAFe) Entry | None | Course fee with the exam included, or US$495 plus tax for the exam alone | C$692 (exam alone) | Every year: US$195 plus tax (12 CEUs a year from 1 October 2027) |
Cybersecurity
| Certification | Experience needed | To get it (US$) | About C$ | To keep it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) Entry | None | US$199 exam + US$50 first annual fee | C$348 | US$50 a year, plus 45 CPE credits every 3 years |
| CompTIA Security+ Entry | None required (CompTIA suggests about 2 years in security or systems administration) | US$439 exam (reported US price) | C$614 | Every 3 years: 50 CEUs plus US$150, or renew another way with no fee |
| CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) Mid-level | None required (CompTIA suggests about 4 years in a security analyst role) | US$439 exam (reported US price) | C$614 | Every 3 years: 60 CEUs plus US$150, or renew another way with no fee |
| ISC2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Advanced | 5 years of paid work in 2 or more of the 8 CISSP domains (1 year can be waived) | US$749 exam + US$135 first annual fee | C$1,236 | US$135 a year, plus 120 CPE credits every 3 years |
Data analysis
| Certification | Experience needed | To get it (US$) | About C$ | To keep it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst (PL-300) Mid-level | None required | US$140 exam (Microsoft's price for Canada) | C$196 | Every year: free online renewal assessment |
| Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate Entry | None | US$49 a month on Coursera (about US$294 over six months) | C$69 a month | No expiry stated |
What do the calculator's totals include?
- Included: fees you pay to the certifying body (exam, application, membership if your route or choice includes it, extra attempts, renewal and annual fees) for the years you choose.
- Timing: the exam and any first-year fee count at the start. ISC2's annual fee counts from the first year, so three years means three fees. Scaled Agile's renewal starts in the second year, because the exam covers the first 12 months, so three years means two renewals. A renewal on a two- or three-year cycle counts only if its due date falls inside the years you pick: a three-year certification kept for three years shows no renewal fee, so pick four years or more to include it.
- Not included: sales tax (several bodies add it at checkout), study materials, practice exams and training, unless you enter a training figure.
- Exchange and card fees: the Bank of Canada publishes one rate per business day, and your card's rate will differ a little. In its review of debit card fees, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada found most banks charge between 2.5% and 3.5% on foreign transactions, and 2.5% is the figure it saw most often. Check what your own card charges.
- Labels: each fee in the calculator says where it comes from: the issuer's own page; the issuer's page checked in a browser from Canada (the CAPM fee on 29 October 2026, and the PMP fee and first-year PMI membership on 30 October); an older issuer document (PMI's 2020 CAPM renewal fees); or training providers, where we couldn't confirm the fee on the issuer's site.
How can you pay less for a certification?
- Check for promotions before you buy. For example, IIBA cut exam and rewrite fees by 20% (not the application fee) for 29 October to 31 December 2026.
- Do the membership sum. With PMI, membership pays for itself on the PMP exam but not on the CAPM (US$394 as a member against US$300) or PMI-ACP (US$604 against US$495). Members also pay less to renew, but yearly dues usually cost more than that saving.
- Use the attempts you've paid for. A CSM course includes two test attempts within 90 days, a SAFe course includes two exam attempts within 60 days, and every Scrum.org class includes one assessment attempt.
- Renew the cheap way. Microsoft renewals are free online. CompTIA waives its renewal fee if you pass the latest exam version or earn a higher CompTIA certification instead.
- Check your card. Paying a US-dollar fee with a card that charges no foreign transaction fee saves you that percentage.
Training for these certifications at TCA
The Career Accelerators runs programs in all five areas. In the calculator, any course, ours included, is a cost you enter yourself; the fees above go to the certifying bodies.
- Business analysis: our business analyst course.
- Project management: our project management course.
- Agile and Scrum: our Scrum Master course, plus certification courses for the CSM and the CSPO.
- Cybersecurity: our cybersecurity course.
- Data analysis: our data analyst course.
How to cite this page
You're welcome to use the calculator and quote the tables. Please link to this page, for example:
The Career Accelerators, "Certification Cost Calculator", https://www.thecareeraccelerators.ca/blog/certification-cost-calculator, fees checked 30 October 2026.
Certification costs: FAQs
Do Canadians pay certification fees in US or Canadian dollars?
Mostly in US dollars. IIBA, PMI, Scrum.org, Scaled Agile, ISC2 and Coursera list prices in US dollars. Microsoft sets its exam prices by country and lists the Canadian price in US dollars too. CompTIA sells vouchers by country, so check its store with Canada selected.
Is sales tax added to certification fees?
It can be. Scrum.org and Scaled Agile say tax may be added at checkout, and ISC2 says its pricing and taxes depend on where you take the exam. The calculator leaves tax out.
Which certification is cheapest to get?
Of the 17, Microsoft's PL-300 has the lowest exam fee (US$140 in Canada). The ISC2 CC exam (US$199, plus a US$50 annual fee) and the PSM I and PSPO I assessments (US$200 each) are close. Course-based certifications such as the CSM depend on what the trainer charges.
Which certifications never need renewing?
PSM I, PSPO I and the ECBA don't expire, and Google doesn't state an expiry for its Data Analytics certificate. Microsoft's PL-300 expires each year, but renewing is a free online assessment.
How current are these prices?
We checked the fees on 30 October 2026 (the CAPM fee on 29 October 2026). The CAPM and PMP fees and PMI membership were checked in a browser from Canada. Fees labelled as reported by training providers aren't confirmed by the issuer. Certifying bodies change prices without much notice, so check the issuer's page before you pay; the sources below link to each one.
Not sure which certification to start with?
The right first certification depends on your experience and the job you want, not only the price. Book a free call and we'll talk it through.
Related reading: tech salaries in Canada by province, ways to save on PMP certification costs and business analysis certifications compared.
Sources
- Exchange rate and card fees: Bank of Canada: daily exchange rates (US$1 = C$1.3985 on 29 October 2026), Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: cross-border debit fees (debit card fees on transactions abroad)
- IIBA (ECBA, CCBA, CBAP): IIBA: certification fees (exam, rewrite and recertification fees, and the promotion), IIBA: ECBA (member and non-member prices), IIBA: CCBA (application fee, exam fees and eligibility), IIBA: CBAP (exam and rewrite fees and eligibility), IIBA: recertification (CDUs and terms), IIBA: individual membership (Region 1 price, which includes Canada)
- PMI (CAPM, PMP, PMI-ACP): PMI: CAPM (exam fees), PMI: PMP (exam fees, checked from Canada), PMI: membership (first-year price, checked from Canada), PMI: maintaining your CAPM (2020) (CAPM renewal fees), PMI: PMP examination content outline (2026) (PMP eligibility), PMI: what's new in the PMP exam (the live-training rule), PMI: PMI-ACP (exam fees), PMI: PMI-ACP requirements (eligibility and training hours), PMI: Continuing Certification Requirements handbook (PDUs per cycle)
- Scrum Alliance, Scrum.org and Scaled Agile: Scrum Alliance: becoming a CSM (course price range and attempts), Scrum Alliance: the CSM test (attempts and the US$25 fee), Scrum Alliance: earning the CSPO (course and membership), Scrum Alliance: renewing certifications (US$100 and 20 SEUs every two years), Scrum.org: PSM I (US$200 per attempt, lifetime certification), Scrum.org: PSPO I (US$200 per attempt, lifetime certification), Scaled Agile: proctored exams (US$495 plus tax), Scaled Agile: SAFe Agilist exam (attempts and retake fees), Scaled Agile: SAFe Scrum Master exam (the same exam fees), Scaled Agile: certification tiers (US$195 yearly renewal), Scaled Agile: CEU policy (CEUs from 1 October 2027)
- ISC2 and CompTIA: ISC2: exam pricing (CC and CISSP exam fees), ISC2: CISSP (experience requirement), ISC2: certification maintenance handbook (CPE credits), ISC2: annual maintenance fees (US$50 and US$135), ISC2: Associate of ISC2 (Associate fees and timeline), ISC2: free CC program (closed to new people on 20 May 2026), CompTIA: retake policy (full price for each attempt), CompTIA: CE program fees (US$150 per three-year cycle), CompTIA: Security+ V8 (launch date), CompTIA: Security+ V7 (recommended experience and retirement dates), CompTIA: CySA+ V4 (recommended experience), CompTIA: renew by earning a higher-level certification (CySA+ renews Security+)
- Microsoft and Google: Microsoft: certification exam prices (effective 1 November 2024) (Canada price), Microsoft: retake policy (paid retakes and limits), Microsoft: renew your certification (free yearly renewal), Google: Data Analytics certificate (US$49 a month in the US and Canada), Coursera: Google Data Analytics (price and typical total)
- Training providers (for fees the issuer doesn't show publicly): Rosemet: PMP certification cost (October 2026) (PMP retake and renewal fees and PMI membership renewal), Simpliaxis: PMI certification cost (September 2026) (PMI-ACP retake and renewal fees), Total Seminars: CompTIA exam price change 2026 (Security+ and CySA+ voucher prices)
