How Much Does a Locksmith Cost in Ontario?

Locksmith prices are hard to pin down because the same word covers very different jobs. Cutting a spare house key at a counter takes a few minutes. Opening a locked house means a visit. Programming a smart key to a car depends on the vehicle, and fitting a commercial exit device depends on the door. This guide collects the figures that Canadian cost guides publish, names where each one comes from, and explains what pushes a real quote up or down.

These are not our prices. Every figure below comes from a published cost guide, listed in the sources at the end. Cote Lock quotes each job individually, for reasons explained further down.

Published price ranges, job by job

House lockout

Experts.ca's 2026 Canadian guide puts a residential lockout at $100 to $250, often averaging $130 to $150 during regular hours. Green Building Canada lists unlocking a home at $50 to $150, and an emergency lockout at $100 to $250 depending on distance, time and difficulty. Fixr, a US guide, gives US$50 to $175 for a home lockout.

Rekeying

Experts.ca puts rekeying at $80 to $160 for the first lock, plus $25 to $50 for each additional lock while the locksmith is on site. Green Building Canada lists $40 to $90 to rekey a lock, with new keys extra. Fixr (US) gives US$70 to $160 to rekey a whole house. Our rekeying page explains what the job involves.

Lock change and deadbolt installation

Experts.ca lists a lock change or new lock install at $80 to $300 or more depending on brand and complexity, and deadbolt supply and installation at $100 to $250 per lock for homes. Green Building Canada puts replacing or installing a new lock at $75 to $200, higher for electronic and high-security locks. Fixr (US) gives US$100 to $300 for door lock installation and US$150 to $550 to change a house's locks.

Key cutting

Green Building Canada says a spare key is generally under $10 to cut. Fixr (US) lists US$10 to $25 for home key duplication. Restricted and high-security keys, such as Mul-T-Lock's, can only be cut by an authorized dealer, so they aren't priced like a standard house key.

Car keys and fobs

This is where prices spread the most. Experts.ca lists key and fob programming at $50 to $100 for basic fobs, $150 to $300 for laser-cut keys, and $220 to $500 or more for smart keys and luxury brands. Green Building Canada gives $10 to $50 for a basic metal vehicle key, up to $200 for a transponder key, and upwards of $500 for a smart key. Fixr (US) lists US$50 to $200 for key fob programming. Our car keys and fobs page covers what we supply.

Safe opening

We didn't find a Canadian cost guide that publishes safe opening prices. Fixr's US figures run from US$140 to $450: US$140 to $200 to open a safe by manipulation, US$200 to $250 to drill a fire safe, and US$300 to $450 for an in-floor safe.

Master key systems and commercial locks

Experts.ca says commercial high-security lock installs commonly run $250 to $600 or more per lock, plus master key and access systems. Green Building Canada doesn't give a figure, noting that a master key system's cost depends on the complexity of the building. Fixr (US) lists US$25 to $35 for a set of keys to a master key system.

Call-out fees and after-hours rates

Experts.ca says many locksmiths charge a service call or trip fee of roughly $50 to $100, that a standard callout in Canada averages about $150 (within $80 to $250), and that hourly labour runs $80 to $120. It adds that callouts in the Greater Toronto Area and Vancouver run closer to $170 and up, and that after-hours, weekend and holiday calls typically cost 50% to 100% more. Green Building Canada puts the average call-out fee at $50 to $100 and an after-hours or holiday call-out at $80 to $250.

What actually moves the price

• Store or site visit. Work done at a counter, like cutting a key, carries no travel. A visit to your door adds time on the road, which is why guides quote call-out and trip fees separately.
• Time of day. Every guide above charges more outside business hours. A lockout at 2 am costs more than the same lockout at 2 pm.
• How many locks. Rekeying gets cheaper per lock once the locksmith is there; Experts.ca's figures show the second and third locks costing a fraction of the first.
• Hardware grade. A residential deadbolt, a commercial-grade lockset and a Mul-T-Lock high-security cylinder are different products at different prices.
• The key itself. A standard brass key, a restricted key, a transponder key and a proximity smart key sit at very different price points.
• The door. Fitting a new lock to a door already drilled for it is quick. A damaged frame, a metal door that needs new preparation, or a narrow storefront stile adds work.

How to spend less

• Have a spare cut now. A spare key costs far less than a lockout, and the same goes for a spare car fob.
• Rekey instead of replacing when the hardware is in good shape. Our rekey vs replace guide explains when that works.
• Do several doors at once. Rekeying or re-hardwaring all the doors in one visit is cheaper per lock than doing them one at a time.
• Ask about keying alike. If your doors take the same keyway, they can be set up to work with one key, which cuts down on keys to copy and lose.

Why we quote each job

We don't publish a price list, because the figures above show how much the same job name can vary. A rekey of two deadbolts on a house in Kitchener, a master key system for a 40-door plant in Cambridge, and a factory original fob for a particular vehicle can't share one number. Instead, we ask what you need, how many doors or keys are involved, and what hardware is there now, then give you a price before we start. Call 519-894-7055 or request a quote.

Whoever you hire, Experts.ca's advice is sound: ask whether a quote is a flat rate or only a starting price, and confirm the price for your exact lock or vehicle before work begins.

Our store at 300 Manitou Drive, Unit D, Kitchener, is open Monday to Thursday from 8 am to 5 pm and Friday from 8 am to 4 pm. After-hours emergency service may be available: call the shop.