In this article, we are going to give you a list of 10 low-cost ETFs suitable for long-term growth in Canada. To be a successful long-term investor, you need to think in decades, not weeks or months. This means you must be patient and consistent with your savings and investing. There will be times where markets do not perform as well, and there will be times when markets perform extremely well. All of these low-cost ETFs can be suitable for long-term growth in Canada.
3 Important things to remember when it comes to investing:
- Always do your own research to make sure investments align with your goals and risk tolerance. You can use this as a starting space and go forward from there.
- Past performance does not guarantee future performance. We can use the past as a guide to help us make investing decisions, but that does not mean returns will be at the same level.
- High-fees will eat away at your returns and your ability to compound your wealth. All of these ETFs have lower fees. You will see these fees listed as MER in this article.
These 10 low-cost ETFs suitable for long-term growth in Canada are all traded in Canadian dollars, which means that you won’t lose money on converting your cash to USD or another currency. By investing in Canadian $ it can help you keep more of your money.
If you want help determining how much you need to be investing and saving for retirement, use our handy dandy calculators:
Retirement Drawdown Calculator
Note: The average annual returns and MER were last updated for the ETFs below on March 15, 2026.
10 Low-cost ETFs suitable for long-term growth in Canada:
#1. Vanguard All-Equity ETF Portfolio (VEQT.TO)
Average annual return (last 7 years): 13.99%
MER: 0.24%
Allocation: U.S. Total Market Index ETF 42.98%, FTSE Canada All Cap Index ETF 31.37%, FTSE Developed All Cap ex North America Index ETF 18.44%, FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap Index ETF 7.20%
#2. Vanguard FTSE Canada All Cap Index ETF (VCN.TO)
Average annual return (last 10 years): 13.51%
MER: 0.06%
Allocation: Canada 99.88, USA 0.12%
#3. Vanguard FTSE Global All Cap ex Canada Index ETF (VXC.TO)
Average annual return (last 10 years): 12.64%
MER: 0.22%
Allocation: United States of America 63.37%, Japan 5.97%, United Kingdom 3.54%, China 3.35%, Taiwan 2.52%, Switzerland 2.12%, Germany 2.04%, France 2.03%, Republic Of Korea 1.93%, India 1.86%, Australia 1.75%, Netherlands 1.13%, Sweden 0.87%, Spain 0.87%, Italy 0.79%
#4. Vanguard Growth ETF Portfolio (VGRO.TO)
Average annual return (last 8 years): 9.75%
MER: 0.24%
Allocation: U.S. Total Market Index ETF 35.02%, FTSE Canada All Cap Index ETF 25.36%, FTSE Developed All Cap ex North America Index ETF 15.31%, Canadian Aggregate Bond Index ETF 11.28%, FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap Index ETF 5.68%, Global ex-U.S. Aggregate Bond Index ETF (CAD-hedged) 3.73%, U.S. Aggregate Bond Index ETF (CAD-hedged) 3.54%
#5. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap Index ETF (VEE.TO)
Average annual return (last 8 years): 9.21%
MER: 0.25%
Allocation: China 31.81%, Taiwan 23.95%, India 17.61%, Brazil 4.65%, South Africa 4.25%, Saudi Arabia 3.45%, Mexico 2.25%, Malaysia 1.87%, United Arab Emirates 1.74%, Thailand 1.58%, Indonesia 1.23%, Turkey 1.05%, Greece 0.77%, Kuwait 0.77%, Chile 0.76%, Qatar 0.74%, Philippines 0.47%, Hungary 0.38%, Colombia 0.17%, Romania 0.15%, Czech Republic 0.14%, Egypt 0.11%, Iceland 0.09%, Other 0.02%, Russia 0.00%
Low-cost ETFs suitable for long-term growth in Canada.
#6. Vanguard FTSE Developed All Cap ex North America Index ETF (VIU.TO)
Average annual return (last 8 years): 10.56%
MER: 0.23%
Allocation: Japan 22.99%, United Kingdom 13.44%, Switzerland 8.14%, Germany 7.86%, France 7.80%, Republic Of Korea 7.43%, Australia 6.72%, Netherlands 4.35%, Sweden 3.34%, Spain 3.34%, Italy 3.06%, Hong Kong 1.97%, Denmark 1.80%, Singapore 1.35%, Israel 1.24%, Belgium 1.08%, Finland 1.03%, Norway 0.74%, Other 0.66%, Poland 0.56%, Austria 0.37%, Ireland 0.30%, New Zealand 0.23%, Portugal 0.19%
#7. iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF (XIU.TO)
Average annual return (last 8 years): 13.39%
MER: 0.18%
Allocation: 100% Canadian Equity, 60 of the largest publicly traded companies in Canada
#8. iShares Core S&P/TSX Capped Composite Index ETF (XIC.TO)
Average annual return (last 8 years): 13.64%
MER: 0.06%
Allocation: 100% Canadian Equity
#9. iShares MSCI EAFE Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) (XIN.TO)
Average annual return (last 8 years): 10.96%
MER: 0.49%
Allocation:
#10. iShares Core S&P U.S. Total Market Index ETF (XUU.TO)
Average annual return (last 8 years): 14.74%
MER: 0.07%
Allocation: USA equities 99.99%, USD Cash 0.1%
These are 10 low-cost ETFs suitable for long-term growth in Canada that can help you build a robust investment portfolio with solid diversification. This does not mean you need to be invested in each of the ETFs, but there are some good choices here to help you. If you are looking for one ETF that provides solid market diversification, consider VEQT.TO is a good choice due to the global exposure you get along with the low fees.
