Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge and Sault Ste. Marie

For one person, living is cheaper in Sault Ste. Marie: $2,059 a month against $2,466 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Sault Ste. Marie
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Sault Ste. Marie Living Index

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Cambridge

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,466

/mo nomad

Sault Ste. Marie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cambridge and in Sault Ste. Marie

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,466 in Cambridge versus $2,059 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Cambridge $2,466
Sault Ste. Marie $2,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,468 in Cambridge versus $3,008 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Cambridge $3,468
Sault Ste. Marie $3,008

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,471 in Cambridge versus $3,956 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Cambridge $4,471
Sault Ste. Marie $3,956

Living in Cambridge is roughly 20% more expensive than in Sault Ste. Marie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cambridge 82% above, Sault Ste. Marie 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.84 CA$25.22

$17.17 CA$24.28

3.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.6 CA$81.5

$70.6 CA$99.8

-18.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.21 CA$14.44

$10.23 CA$14.46

-0.20%

Cappuccino

$3.58 CA$5.06

$3.47 CA$4.90

3.17%

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

$2.00 CA$2.83

$1.64 CA$2.32

21.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 CA$1.86

$1.35 CA$1.91

-2.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.08 CA$7.18

$4.68 CA$6.62

8.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.38 CA$9.03

$5.00 CA$7.07

27.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 CA$2.89

$2.42 CA$3.43

-15.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 CA$3.44

$2.14 CA$3.02

13.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.18 CA$4.49

$3.27 CA$4.63

-2.75%

Eggs

$3.34 CA$4.72

$2.98 CA$4.22

12.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 CA$15.68

$8.32 CA$11.76

33.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$9.97 CA$14.10

14.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 CA$20.42

$10.51 CA$14.86

37.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 CA$5.64

$3.14 CA$4.43

27.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$0.99 CA$1.40

22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.93 CA$5.55

$3.06 CA$4.33

28.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.23

$3.54 CA$5.01

4.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$1.97 CA$2.79

33.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CA$2.75

$1.69 CA$2.39

14.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 CA$2.90

$2.77 CA$3.92

-25.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CA$1.82

$1.27 CA$1.79

1.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.91 CA$18.25

$15.75 CA$22.26

-18.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.49 CA$17.66

$10.67 CA$15.08

17.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$1.84 CA$2.60

44.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 CA$5.65

$2.28 CA$3.23

75.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 CA$3.52

$2.24 CA$3.16

11.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.6 CA$91.3

$57.5 CA$81.2

12.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 CA$3.54

$3.47 CA$4.91

-27.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 CA$2.45

$2.31 CA$3.26

-24.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.92 CA$32.40

$22.97 CA$32.47

-0.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.65

$1.08 CA$1.52

8.33%

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

$26.6K CA$37.5K

$26.5K CA$37.5K

0.23%

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

$20.6K CA$29.1K

$20.3K CA$28.6K

1.71%

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

$152 CA$215

$174 CA$246

-12.53%

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

$41.25 CA$58.3

$44.36 CA$62.7

-7.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.58 CA$70.1

$76.7 CA$108

-35.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.12 CA$41.16

$50.3 CA$71.0

-42.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.62 CA$24.90

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 CA$14.73

$11.18 CA$15.80

-6.80%

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

$488 CA$690

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K CA$22.5K

$4,984 CA$7,046

219.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 CA$88.1

$45.63 CA$64.5

36.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.09 CA$45.37

$35.58 CA$50.3

-9.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.1 CA$116

$74.8 CA$106

9.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 CA$151

$120 CA$170

-11.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,365 CA$1,929

$893 CA$1,262

52.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,344 CA$1,900

$931 CA$1,316

44.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,602 CA$3,678

$1,325 CA$1,873

96.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 CA$2,826

$1,455 CA$2,057

37.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,318 CA$6,104

$1,868 CA$2,640

131.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,952 CA$5,587

$5,432 CA$7,679

-27.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,091 CA$4,370

$3,049 CA$4,310

1.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.22

5.53

-5.61%

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

Last update for Cambridge: October 17, 2026

Last update for Sault Ste. Marie: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge

$1.3K 54.5%

Sault Ste. Marie

$931 45.2% 30.7% $413

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge

$347 14.1%

Sault Ste. Marie

$299 14.5% 13.9% $48

Eating Out

Cambridge

$268 10.9%

Sault Ste. Marie

$255 12.4% 4.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge

$243 9.9%

Sault Ste. Marie

$295 14.3% 21.4% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge

$127 5.2%

Sault Ste. Marie

$124 6% 2.5% $3.2

Getting Around

Cambridge

$86 3.5%

Sault Ste. Marie

$81 4% 5.1% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge

$50 2%

Sault Ste. Marie

$73 3.5% 45.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,365 in Cambridge and $893 in Sault Ste. Marie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge pays 1% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $58.0 in Cambridge vs $71.0 in Sault Ste. Marie. Groceries flip the comparison at $347 vs $299, with Sault Ste. Marie cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Cambridge

🇨🇦 Sault Ste. Marie

🕒 Local time

09:12 9:12 AM

Same time as Cambridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,479

73,368

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Cambridge Sault Ste. Marie 470 km

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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

Cambridge vs Sault Ste. Marie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sault Ste. Marie is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1% higher in Cambridge, 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: $1,365 in Cambridge versus $893 in Sault Ste. Marie. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Cambridge. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,466 per month in Cambridge versus $2,059 in Sault Ste. Marie – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,059 in Sault Ste. Marie versus $2,466 in Cambridge, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Sault Ste. Marie but tight or insufficient in Cambridge. The gap between the two cities makes Sault Ste. Marie 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.

Expats usually find Sault Ste. Marie gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Cambridge. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.