Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burnaby and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Toronto: $2,589 a month against $2,678 in Burnaby, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Burnaby despite lower rent and utilities.

128

Cost of Living Index in Burnaby
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Burnaby Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Burnaby

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,678

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,678 in Burnaby versus $2,589 in Toronto.

Burnaby $2,678
Toronto $2,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,827 in Burnaby versus $3,710 in Toronto.

Burnaby $3,827
Toronto $3,710

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,976 in Burnaby versus $4,831 in Toronto.

Burnaby $4,976
Toronto $4,831

Living in Burnaby is roughly 3% more expensive than in Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burnaby 97% above, Toronto 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.23 CA$29.79

$17.60 CA$24.70

20.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 CA$121

$77.8 CA$109

11.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.53 CA$13.37

$10.59 CA$14.86

-10.01%

Cappuccino

$4.67 CA$6.56

$4.16 CA$5.83

12.26%

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

$2.45 CA$3.44

$2.04 CA$2.87

20.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 CA$2.52

$1.75 CA$2.46

2.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.57 CA$12.03

$6.58 CA$9.23

30.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.18 CA$8.67

$7.11 CA$9.98

-13.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 CA$3.28

$2.53 CA$3.56

-7.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 CA$3.88

$2.70 CA$3.79

2.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.52 CA$4.95

$2.24 CA$3.14

57.14%

Eggs

$3.17 CA$4.45

$3.48 CA$4.89

-8.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.05 CA$19.72

$9.38 CA$13.16

49.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.07 CA$19.75

$11.60 CA$16.28

21.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.31 CA$35.52

$14.68 CA$20.61

72.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.42 CA$6.20

$3.74 CA$5.26

18.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 CA$1.80

$1.22 CA$1.72

4.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.61 CA$6.47

$3.48 CA$4.88

32.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.61 CA$6.48

$4.32 CA$6.07

6.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 CA$3.95

$1.85 CA$2.60

51.89%

Onion (1kg)

$3.54 CA$4.96

$1.69 CA$2.37

109.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 CA$3.84

$2.23 CA$3.13

22.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 CA$2.95

$1.28 CA$1.79

64.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.23 CA$19.96

$14.04 CA$19.71

1.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.39 CA$18.79

$14.43 CA$20.25

-7.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 CA$2.88

$2.16 CA$3.03

-5.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 CA$3.27

$2.52 CA$3.54

-7.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 CA$3.56

$2.37 CA$3.32

7.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.6 CA$115

$112 CA$158

-27.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 CA$4.04

$3.04 CA$4.27

-5.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 CA$2.12

$1.24 CA$1.74

21.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.45 CA$37.12

$22.55 CA$31.65

17.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 CA$1.92

$1.24 CA$1.75

10.48%

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

$28.5K CA$40.1K

$26.9K CA$37.8K

6.10%

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

$20.9K CA$29.4K

$21.4K CA$30.0K

-2.06%

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

$126 CA$177

$125 CA$175

1.30%

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

$44.96 CA$63.1

$33.05 CA$46.39

36.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.7 CA$74.0

$47.96 CA$67.3

9.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.23 CA$43.83

$36.69 CA$51.5

-14.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.52 CA$14.77

$23.67 CA$33.22

-55.56%

Cinema Ticket

$14.23 CA$19.97

$13.08 CA$18.35

8.79%

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

$649 CA$910

$759 CA$1,065

-14.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K CA$33.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 CA$73.3

$53.5 CA$75.1

-2.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 CA$72.1

$40.44 CA$56.8

27.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$145

$100 CA$141

2.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 CA$111

$125 CA$176

-36.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 CA$2,376

$1,630 CA$2,287

3.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 CA$1,973

$1,416 CA$1,987

-0.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,623 CA$3,681

$2,694 CA$3,781

-2.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,985 CA$2,786

$2,101 CA$2,949

-5.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,886 CA$9,663

$7,551 CA$10.6K

-8.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,338 CA$7,491

$6,674 CA$9,366

-20.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,149 CA$4,419

$3,543 CA$4,973

-11.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

4.45

6.97%

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

Last update for Burnaby: October 26, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burnaby

$1.4K 52.5%

Toronto

$1.4K 54.7% 0.7% $9.7

Groceries & Markets

Burnaby

$431 16.1%

Toronto

$345 13.3% 20% $86

Eating Out

Burnaby

$327 12.2%

Toronto

$285 11% 12.8% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burnaby

$224 8.4%

Toronto

$206 7.9% 8.2% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Burnaby

$129 4.8%

Toronto

$144 5.6% 11.8% $15

Getting Around

Burnaby

$102 3.8%

Toronto

$131 5.1% 28.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Burnaby

$60 2.2%

Toronto

$63 2.4% 5.3% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,693 in Burnaby and $1,630 in Toronto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $87 in Burnaby vs $78 in Toronto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $431 vs $345 per month, with Toronto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Burnaby

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

14:34 2:34 PM

17:34 5:34 PM

3 h ahead of Burnaby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

249,125

2,731,571

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Burnaby Toronto 3,350 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Burnaby
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

Burnaby vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,678 in Burnaby and $2,589 in Toronto, so Toronto is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Burnaby. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,693 in Burnaby versus $1,630 in Toronto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $649 in Burnaby versus $759 in Toronto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Burnaby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Toronto is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.