Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Plaines, IL and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Toronto: $2,530 a month against $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Des Plaines, IL
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Des Plaines, IL Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Des Plaines, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,073

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL versus $2,530 in Toronto.

Des Plaines, IL $3,073
Toronto $2,530

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,412 in Des Plaines, IL versus $3,646 in Toronto.

Des Plaines, IL $4,412
Toronto $3,646

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,750 in Des Plaines, IL versus $4,761 in Toronto.

Des Plaines, IL $5,750
Toronto $4,761

Living in Des Plaines, IL is roughly 21% more expensive than in Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Des Plaines, IL 129% above, Toronto 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.88 $20.88

$17.67 CA$25.19

18.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 $89.5

$77.4 CA$110

15.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.87 $12.87

$10.47 CA$14.93

22.92%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$4.08 CA$5.81

38.48%

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

$2.59 $2.59

$2.12 CA$3.02

22.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.76 CA$2.51

31.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.95 $6.95

$6.17 CA$8.80

12.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.02 $8.02

$6.89 CA$9.82

16.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.43 CA$3.46

-60.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 $3.49

$2.75 CA$3.92

26.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$2.23 CA$3.18

89.69%

Eggs

$4.16 $4.16

$3.45 CA$4.91

20.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.67 $14.67

$8.93 CA$12.73

64.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$11.44 CA$16.31

13.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.95 $18.95

$14.61 CA$20.83

29.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$3.75 CA$5.34

26.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.15 CA$1.64

41.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$3.55 CA$5.06

17.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$4.28 CA$6.10

12.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.85 CA$2.63

43.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.67 CA$2.38

64.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.22 CA$3.16

-3.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.21 CA$1.72

99.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.65 $10.65

$13.88 CA$19.78

-23.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.86 $14.86

$14.25 CA$20.31

4.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.20 CA$3.13

15.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 $3.53

$2.42 CA$3.45

45.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.42 CA$3.44

-16.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 $60.8

$111 CA$158

-45.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.90 CA$4.13

9.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.26 CA$1.80

8.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.93 $24.93

$22.03 CA$31.40

13.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.22 CA$1.74

-13.93%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$27.6K CA$39.4K

30.01%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$19.8K CA$28.3K

25.25%

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

$195 $195

$122 CA$174

59.94%

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

$60.5 $60.5

$32.03 CA$45.66

88.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.2 $77.2

$47.92 CA$68.3

61.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$125 $125

$38.90 CA$55.5

220.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.72 $40.72

$23.24 CA$33.12

75.22%

Cinema Ticket

$15.16 $15.16

$12.61 CA$17.97

20.22%

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

$1,545 $1,545

$834 CA$1,189

85.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$23.3K CA$33.3K

0.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 $65.3

$52.6 CA$75.0

24.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 $51.0

$40.26 CA$57.4

26.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$96.2 CA$137

4.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$123 CA$175

-0.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,093 $2,093

$1,598 CA$2,278

30.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 $1,521

$1,435 CA$2,045

6.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,861 $3,861

$2,657 CA$3,787

45.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,536 $2,536

$2,096 CA$2,988

20.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,174 $3,174

$8,033 CA$11.5K

-60.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,521 $2,521

$6,557 CA$9,347

-61.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,220 $6,220

$3,743 CA$5,335

66.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

4.47

51.45%

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

Last update for Des Plaines, IL: October 4, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Des Plaines, IL

$1.5K 50.6%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4% 5.7% $86

Groceries & Markets

Des Plaines, IL

$419 14%

Toronto

$340 13.1% 18.8% $79

Eating Out

Des Plaines, IL

$344 11.5%

Toronto

$282 10.9% 18% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Des Plaines, IL

$333 11.1%

Toronto

$202 7.8% 39.3% $131

Sport & Entertainment

Des Plaines, IL

$155 5.2%

Toronto

$64 2.5% 58.6% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Des Plaines, IL

$153 5.1%

Toronto

$140 5.4% 8.1% $12

Getting Around

Des Plaines, IL

$79 2.6%

Toronto

$130 5% 64.3% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,093 in Des Plaines, IL and $1,598 in Toronto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Plaines, IL pays 66% 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: $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL vs $77.0 in Toronto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $419 vs $340 per month, with Toronto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Des Plaines, IL

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

18:02 6:02 PM

19:02 7:02 PM

1 h ahead of Des Plaines, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,675

2,731,571

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Des Plaines, IL Toronto 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Des Plaines, IL
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

Des Plaines, IL vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Des Plaines, IL and Toronto differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($3,073 vs $2,530 including rent). Toronto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 66% higher in Des Plaines, IL, 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: $2,093 in Des Plaines, IL versus $1,598 in Toronto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Des Plaines, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Toronto – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

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 Toronto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Des Plaines, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.