Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ajax, ON and Preston

For one person, living is cheaper in Preston: $2,114 a month against $2,515 in Ajax, ON, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Ajax, ON
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Ajax, ON Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Preston
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Preston Living Index

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Ajax, ON

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,515

/mo nomad

Preston

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ajax, ON and in Preston

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ajax, ON and in Preston actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,515 per month in Ajax, ON vs $2,114 in Preston, rent included.

Ajax, ON $2,515
Preston $2,114

A couple spends around $3,611 per month in Ajax, ON vs $3,021 in Preston, rent included.

Ajax, ON $3,611
Preston $3,021

A family of three spends $4,707 per month in Ajax, ON vs $3,928 in Preston, rent included.

Ajax, ON $4,707
Preston $3,928

Ajax, ON costs about 19% more than Preston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ajax, ON and Preston sit above the global median – Ajax, ON by 85%, Preston by 55%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.19 CA$25.53

$15.89 £11.96

14.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.8 CA$75.5

$74.3 £55.9

-27.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.50 CA$14.73

$9.20 £6.93

14.13%

Cappuccino

$3.76 CA$5.28

$4.24 £3.19

-11.32%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 CA$2.56

$2.31 £1.74

-20.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.13

$1.83 £1.38

-16.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.52 CA$4.93

$5.39 £4.06

-34.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 CA$7.89

$5.20 £3.91

8.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 CA$2.83

$1.49 £1.12

35.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 CA$4.20

$1.43 £1.08

109.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.79

$1.60 £1.21

113.12%

Eggs

$3.87 CA$5.43

$3.59 £2.70

7.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 CA$14.81

$5.30 £3.99

99.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.77 CA$16.52

$9.53 £7.17

23.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.12 CA$24.02

$12.68 £9.54

35.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 CA$5.81

$2.59 £1.95

59.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 CA$2.43

$1.72 £1.29

0.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.42

$2.57 £1.93

22.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.73

$3.96 £2.98

-14.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 CA$3.24

$2.06 £1.55

12.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 CA$3.46

$2.25 £1.70

9.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CA$3.09

$1.17 £0.88

88.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 CA$2.72

$1.65 £1.24

17.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 CA$19.81

$21.56 £16.23

-34.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.79 CA$19.35

$9.14 £6.88

50.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 CA$2.98

$3.18 £2.39

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 CA$3.58

$3.25 £2.45

-21.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 CA$3.47

$3.92 £2.95

-36.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.5 CA$121

$98.5 £74.1

-12.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 CA$4.75

$2.60 £1.96

30.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 £1.58

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.55 CA$34.45

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.66

$1.99 £1.49

-40.70%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.2K CA$39.5K

$37.9K £28.5K

-25.72%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$21.8K CA$30.6K

$41.1K £31.0K

-47.08%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$128 CA$179

$439 £330

-70.90%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$29.35 CA$41.18

$14.86 £11.19

97.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 CA$82.6

$43.51 £32.75

35.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.96 CA$47.66

$41.40 £31.16

-17.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 CA$15.06

$16.80 £12.64

-36.13%

Cinema Ticket

$10.33 CA$14.50

$17.83 £13.42

-42.06%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$522 CA$732

$1,512 £1,138

-65.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K CA$23.5K

$8,738 £6,576

91.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.9 CA$72.9

$75.7 £57.0

-31.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 CA$72.8

$26.16 £19.69

98.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 CA$133

$65.4 £49.21

45.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 CA$151

$66.4 £49.97

61.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 CA$2,119

$969 £729

55.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 CA$1,928

$767 £578

79.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,351 CA$3,299

$1,608 £1,210

46.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,173 CA$3,050

$1,211 £911

79.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,634 £2,735

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,379 £1,790

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,081 CA$4,323

$2,994 £2,253

2.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

4.93

-2.64%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ajax, ON: October 27, 2026

Last update for Preston: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ajax, ON

$1.4K 54.6%

Preston

$767 36.3% 44.2% $607

Groceries & Markets

Ajax, ON

$369 14.7%

Preston

$281 13.3% 23.9% $88

Eating Out

Ajax, ON

$264 10.5%

Preston

$260 12.3% 1.8% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ajax, ON

$216 8.6%

Preston

$497 23.5% 130% $281

Clothing & Footwear

Ajax, ON

$138 5.5%

Preston

$105 5% 23.7% $33

Getting Around

Ajax, ON

$100 * 4%

Preston

$127 6% 27.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Ajax, ON

$55 2.2%

Preston

$77 3.6% 41.1% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,510 in Ajax, ON versus $969 in Preston. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 3% higher in Ajax, ON, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Ajax, ON versus $74 in Preston. Groceries tell a different story – $369 in Ajax, ON vs $281 in Preston – so Preston wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Ajax, ON

🇬🇧 Preston

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

22:07 10:07 PM

4 h ahead of Ajax, ON

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,677

114,300

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ajax, ON Preston 5,420 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ajax, ON
Preston

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ajax, ON vs Preston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ajax, ON is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,773 per month in Ajax, ON and $3,172 in Preston. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Preston, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $969 there versus $1,510 in Ajax, ON.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,515 in Ajax, ON and $2,114 in Preston. That makes Preston about 16% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 12% less in Ajax, ON. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Preston, where all-in costs run around $2,114, than in Ajax, ON at $2,515. In Preston it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ajax, ON it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Preston has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,114 in Preston to $2,515 in Ajax, ON. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Preston. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ajax, ON makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.