Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Toronto

For one person, living costs are similar in Edinburgh and in Toronto: $2,617 and $2,561 a month, rent and utilities included.

127

Cost of Living Index in Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Edinburgh

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,617

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,617 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,561 in Toronto, rent included.

Edinburgh $2,617
Toronto $2,561

A couple spends around $3,956 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,694 in Toronto, rent included.

Edinburgh $3,956
Toronto $3,694

A family of three spends $5,295 per month in Edinburgh vs $4,826 in Toronto, rent included.

Edinburgh $5,295
Toronto $4,826

Edinburgh costs about 2% more than Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Edinburgh and Toronto sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 94%, Toronto by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.64 £17.73

$17.18 CA$24.29

37.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.2

$76.0 CA$107

37.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 £7.86

$10.54 CA$14.89

-0.57%

Cappuccino

$5.08 £3.81

$4.02 CA$5.68

26.37%

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

$2.50 £1.87

$2.12 CA$3.00

17.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.61

$1.75 CA$2.48

22.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 £6.04

$6.24 CA$8.83

29.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 £6.10

$7.09 CA$10.02

14.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$2.44 CA$3.45

-31.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 £1.71

$2.68 CA$3.78

-14.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 £1.69

$2.24 CA$3.17

0.45%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.79

$3.56 CA$5.03

41.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 £6.79

$9.09 CA$12.85

-0.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 £7.12

$11.33 CA$16.01

-16.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.12 £12.10

$14.53 CA$20.55

10.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$3.62 CA$5.12

-15.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.21 CA$1.72

59.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 £2.52

$3.60 CA$5.09

-6.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 £2.76

$4.21 CA$5.96

-12.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.79 CA$2.53

15.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.59 CA$2.25

-3.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$2.27 CA$3.21

-44.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.25 CA$1.77

55.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.67 £17.76

$13.82 CA$19.53

71.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.35

$14.27 CA$20.18

-22.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.42

$2.20 CA$3.10

46.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 £2.40

$2.43 CA$3.44

31.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 £2.40

$2.39 CA$3.38

33.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.7 £72.6

$111 CA$157

-12.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$2.91 CA$4.12

78.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.20 CA$1.69

55.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.69 £21.52

$21.38 CA$30.23

34.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$1.21 CA$1.71

76.86%

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

$38.6K £29.0K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

37.15%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$20.3K CA$28.6K

103.21%

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

$330 £248

$120 CA$170

174.24%

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

$16.39 £12.30

$32.26 CA$45.60

-49.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.15 £31.63

$47.93 CA$67.8

-12.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.13 £33.11

$38.48 CA$54.4

14.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 £17.28

$22.96 CA$32.46

0.35%

Cinema Ticket

$14.30 £10.73

$12.38 CA$17.50

15.51%

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

$1,759 £1,319

$830 CA$1,173

111.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K £19.0K

$23.1K CA$32.6K

9.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 £60.4

$50.7 CA$71.7

58.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.45 £37.10

$40.02 CA$56.6

23.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.2

$98.0 CA$139

7.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 £86.0

$121 CA$171

-4.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,611 £1,209

$1,592 CA$2,251

1.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 £889

$1,410 CA$1,994

-16.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,738 £2,054

$2,670 CA$3,775

2.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,106 £1,580

$2,152 CA$3,042

-2.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,632 £4,976

$7,945 CA$11.2K

-16.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,609 £3,458

$6,542 CA$9,249

-29.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,522 £2,642

$3,727 CA$5,269

-5.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

4.47

6.71%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: 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

Edinburgh

$1.2K 45.3%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1% 19.1% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburgh

$389 14.9%

Toronto

$201 7.8% 48.4% $188

Eating Out

Edinburgh

$357 13.6%

Toronto

$278 10.9% 22% $78

Groceries & Markets

Edinburgh

$333 12.7%

Toronto

$340 13.3% 2.1% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburgh

$158 6%

Toronto

$139 5.4% 11.7% $18

Getting Around

Edinburgh

$124 4.7%

Toronto

$129 5.1% 4.4% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburgh

$73 2.8%

Toronto

$63 2.5% 13.1% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,611 in Edinburgh 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 6% 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 $104 in Edinburgh versus $76.0 in Toronto. Groceries tell a different story – $333 in Edinburgh vs $340 in Toronto – so Edinburgh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Edinburgh

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

11:08 11:08 AM

06:08 6:08 AM

5 h behind Edinburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,050

2,731,571

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

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).

USD to GBP in detail →

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Between locations

Edinburgh Toronto 5,340 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Edinburgh
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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

Edinburgh vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,925 per month in Edinburgh and $3,841 in Toronto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in Edinburgh and $76.0 in Toronto. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,617 in Edinburgh and $2,561 in Toronto. That's a gap of about 2%.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,617 in Edinburgh and $2,561 in Toronto. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Toronto. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Edinburgh makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.