Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington and Toronto

For one person, living costs are similar in Burlington and in Toronto: $2,634 and $2,561 a month, rent and utilities included.

Burlington
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,634
/mo nomad
Toronto
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,561
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Burlington 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 and in Toronto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,634 per month in Burlington vs $2,561 in Toronto, rent included.

  • Burlington $2,634
  • Toronto $2,561

A couple spends around $3,790 per month in Burlington vs $3,694 in Toronto, rent included.

  • Burlington $3,790
  • Toronto $3,694

A family of three spends $4,946 per month in Burlington vs $4,826 in Toronto, rent included.

  • Burlington $4,946
  • Toronto $4,826

Burlington costs about 3% more than Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Burlington and Toronto sit above the global median – Burlington by 95%, Toronto by 90%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Burlington
Toronto
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.10 CA$29.82
$17.18 CA$24.29
22.82%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.3 CA$101
$76.0 CA$107
-6.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.70 CA$15.13
$10.54 CA$14.89
1.52%
Cappuccino
$3.40 CA$4.81
$4.02 CA$5.68
-15.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 CA$2.80
$2.12 CA$3.00
-6.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.53 CA$2.16
$1.75 CA$2.48
-12.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.52 CA$7.81
$6.24 CA$8.83
-11.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.16 CA$8.71
$7.09 CA$10.02
-13.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Burlington
Toronto
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.63 CA$3.72
$2.44 CA$3.45
7.79%
White Bread (500g)
$2.78 CA$3.93
$2.68 CA$3.78
3.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.71 CA$5.24
$2.24 CA$3.17
65.62%
Eggs
$3.51 CA$4.97
$3.56 CA$5.03
-1.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.94 CA$14.05
$9.09 CA$12.85
9.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.43 CA$14.75
$11.33 CA$16.01
-7.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.22 CA$20.10
$14.53 CA$20.55
-2.13%
Apples (1kg)
$3.56 CA$5.03
$3.62 CA$5.12
-1.66%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 CA$2.13
$1.21 CA$1.72
24.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.72 CA$3.84
$3.60 CA$5.09
-24.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.53 CA$4.99
$4.21 CA$5.96
-16.15%
Potato (1kg)
$1.92 CA$2.71
$1.79 CA$2.53
7.26%
Onion (1kg)
$1.84 CA$2.61
$1.59 CA$2.25
15.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.05 CA$2.89
$2.27 CA$3.21
-9.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.47 CA$2.08
$1.25 CA$1.77
17.60%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.04 CA$18.44
$13.82 CA$19.53
-5.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.57 CA$14.94
$14.27 CA$20.18
-25.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.61 CA$3.69
$2.20 CA$3.10
18.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 CA$4.02
$2.43 CA$3.44
17.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Burlington
Toronto
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.55 CA$3.61
$2.39 CA$3.38
6.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$97.3 CA$138
$111 CA$157
-12.31%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.96 CA$7.01
$2.91 CA$4.12
70.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.39 CA$3.38
$1.20 CA$1.69
99.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$42.21 CA$59.7
$21.38 CA$30.23
97.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 CA$1.63
$1.21 CA$1.71
-4.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.2K CA$38.5K
$28.2K CA$39.8K
-3.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.2K CA$28.5K
$20.3K CA$28.6K
-0.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Burlington
Toronto
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$143 CA$202
$120 CA$170
18.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$44.20 CA$62.5
$32.26 CA$45.60
37.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$66.7 CA$94.3
$47.93 CA$67.8
39.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Burlington
Toronto
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.3 CA$72.5
$38.48 CA$54.4
33.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.46 CA$41.65
$22.96 CA$32.46
28.31%
Cinema Ticket
$15.93 CA$22.51
$12.38 CA$17.50
28.68%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Burlington
Toronto
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,151 CA$1,628
$830 CA$1,173
38.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.2K CA$27.1K
$23.1K CA$32.6K
-17.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Burlington
Toronto
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.0 CA$96.1
$50.7 CA$71.7
34.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$63.8 CA$90.1
$40.02 CA$56.6
59.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.1 CA$137
$98.0 CA$139
-0.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.0 CA$137
$121 CA$171
-19.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Burlington
Toronto
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,617 CA$2,286
$1,592 CA$2,251
1.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,393 CA$1,969
$1,410 CA$1,994
-1.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,558 CA$3,616
$2,670 CA$3,775
-4.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,136 CA$3,019
$2,152 CA$3,042
-0.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,013 CA$7,087
$7,945 CA$11.2K
-36.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,029 CA$5,696
$6,542 CA$9,249
-38.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Burlington
Toronto
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,161 CA$4,468
$3,727 CA$5,269
-15.19%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.52
4.47
1.12%

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

Last update for Burlington: October 11, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Burlington
$1.4K
Toronto
$1.4K 1.3% $18
Groceries & Markets
Burlington
$338
Toronto
$340 0.5% $1.6
Eating Out
Burlington
$296
Toronto
$278 5.9% $17
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Burlington
$254
Toronto
$201 20.9% $53
Clothing & Footwear
Burlington
$147
Toronto
$139 5.1% $7.4
Getting Around
Burlington
$124
Toronto
$129 4% $5
Sport & Entertainment
Burlington
$83
Toronto
$63 23.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,617 in Burlington versus $1,592 in Toronto. 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 18% higher in Toronto, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Burlington versus $76.0 in Toronto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $338 vs $340 – making Burlington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Burlington
🇨🇦 Toronto
🕒 Local time
17:25 5:25 PM
17:25 5:25 PM
Same time as Burlington
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
183,314
2,731,571
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Burlington Toronto 49 km
From you
  • Burlington
  • 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 vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Toronto cheaper than Burlington?
Yes – Burlington is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,952 per month in Burlington and $3,841 in Toronto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Toronto, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,151 per month in Burlington and $830 in Toronto. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Burlington and in Toronto?
Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Burlington – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Is $2,500 enough to cover costs in Burlington or in Toronto?
$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,634 in Burlington and $2,561 in Toronto. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Burlington or Toronto more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Toronto – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Toronto. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Burlington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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