Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, IA and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Burlington, IA: $1,769 a month against $2,610 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, IA
Learn more

Burlington, IA Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
Learn more

Toronto Living Index

Jump to prices

Burlington, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,769

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,610

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Burlington, IA and in Toronto

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,769 in Burlington, IA versus $2,610 in Toronto.

Burlington, IA $1,769
Toronto $2,610

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,675 in Burlington, IA versus $3,727 in Toronto.

Burlington, IA $2,675
Toronto $3,727

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,580 in Burlington, IA versus $4,844 in Toronto.

Burlington, IA $3,580
Toronto $4,844

Living in Burlington, IA costs roughly 32% less than in Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burlington, IA 31% above, Toronto 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.35 $11.35

$17.59 CA$24.87

-35.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$78.8 CA$111

-25.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 $8.84

$10.73 CA$15.16

-17.61%

Cappuccino

$4.74 $4.74

$4.09 CA$5.78

15.89%

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

$1.95 $1.95

$2.10 CA$2.97

-7.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.72 CA$2.43

17.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 $3.41

$6.36 CA$8.99

-46.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 $4.58

$7.08 CA$10.01

-35.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$2.54 CA$3.59

-68.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.72 CA$3.85

3.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.18 CA$3.09

99.08%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$3.63 CA$5.13

-19.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.37 $11.37

$9.46 CA$13.37

20.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 $11.93

$11.54 CA$16.32

3.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 $14.20

$14.37 CA$20.32

-1.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.70 CA$5.23

8.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.19 CA$1.68

66.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.46 CA$4.90

33.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$4.22 CA$5.97

10.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.79 CA$2.52

53.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.65 CA$2.33

57.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.20 CA$3.11

-30.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.26 CA$1.78

63.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 $8.16

$13.97 CA$19.75

-41.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.29 $16.29

$14.20 CA$20.07

14.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$2.25 CA$3.18

-16.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.53 CA$3.58

-10.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.32 CA$3.28

-16.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.76 $15.76

$112 CA$158

-85.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.67 $4.67

$3.06 CA$4.33

52.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.22 CA$1.72

-16.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.19 $22.19

$21.69 CA$30.66

2.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.21 CA$1.72

-22.31%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$26.1K CA$37.0K

-13.04%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$21.1K CA$29.9K

18.27%

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

$184 $184

$120 CA$169

53.90%

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

$47.16 $47.16

$32.21 CA$45.54

46.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 $59.2

$48.88 CA$69.1

21.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.42 $42.42

$39.34 CA$55.6

7.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.58 CA$33.34

Cinema Ticket

$11.92 $11.92

$12.58 CA$17.79

-5.25%

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

$1,210 $1,210

$832 CA$1,176

45.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K $13.3K

$23.6K CA$33.4K

-43.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.72 $44.72

$52.3 CA$73.9

-14.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.53 $30.53

$39.44 CA$55.8

-22.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$99.0 CA$140

-12.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.90 $37.90

$122 CA$172

-68.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 $754

$1,631 CA$2,306

-53.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 $707

$1,448 CA$2,048

-51.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 $1,172

$2,737 CA$3,869

-57.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 $1,280

$2,129 CA$3,010

-39.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,026 $1,026

$8,206 CA$11.6K

-87.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,033 $1,033

$6,838 CA$9,666

-84.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,446 $4,446

$3,520 CA$4,976

26.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

4.47

46.31%

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

Last update for Burlington, IA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burlington, IA

$707 40%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.5% 105% $742

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, IA

$366 20.7%

Toronto

$343 13.1% 6.3% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, IA

$290 16.4%

Toronto

$201 7.7% 30.9% $90

Eating Out

Burlington, IA

$216 12.2%

Toronto

$283 10.9% 30.9% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, IA

$90 5.1%

Toronto

$141 5.4% 56.2% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, IA

$66 3.7%

Toronto

$65 2.5% 2.7% $1.8

Getting Around

Burlington, IA

$33 1.9%

Toronto

$130 5% 291% $97

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $754 in Burlington, IA and $1,631 in Toronto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington, IA pays 26% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59.0 in Burlington, IA vs $79.0 in Toronto. Groceries flip the comparison at $366 vs $343, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, IA

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

1 h ahead of Burlington, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

2,731,571

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Burlington, IA Toronto 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Burlington, IA
Toronto

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

Burlington, IA vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burlington, IA wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Toronto. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Burlington, IA the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 26% higher in Burlington, IA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $754 in Burlington, IA versus $1,631 in Toronto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,210 in Burlington, IA versus $832 in Toronto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Toronto pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,769 in Burlington, IA versus $2,610 in Toronto, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Burlington, IA but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Burlington, IA the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Burlington, IA and Toronto are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Burlington, IA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.