Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Evanston, IL and Toronto

For one person, living costs are similar in Evanston, IL and in Toronto: $2,592 and $2,561 a month, rent and utilities included.

125

Cost of Living Index in Evanston, IL
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Evanston, IL Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Evanston, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,592

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,592 per month in Evanston, IL vs $2,561 in Toronto, rent included.

Evanston, IL $2,592
Toronto $2,561

A couple spends around $4,449 per month in Evanston, IL vs $3,694 in Toronto, rent included.

Evanston, IL $4,449
Toronto $3,694

A family of three spends $6,305 per month in Evanston, IL vs $4,826 in Toronto, rent included.

Evanston, IL $6,305
Toronto $4,826

Evanston, IL costs about 1% more than Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Evanston, IL and Toronto sit above the global median – Evanston, IL by 92%, Toronto by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.26 $21.26

$17.18 CA$24.29

23.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.6 $85.6

$76.0 CA$107

12.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.75 $12.75

$10.54 CA$14.89

20.97%

Cappuccino

$5.68 $5.68

$4.02 CA$5.68

41.29%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$2.12 CA$3.00

26.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.75 CA$2.48

29.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.12 $7.12

$6.24 CA$8.83

14.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.19 $8.19

$7.09 CA$10.02

15.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.44 CA$3.45

-57.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.68 CA$3.78

46.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.24 CA$3.17

92.86%

Eggs

$4.82 $4.82

$3.56 CA$5.03

35.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.41 $14.41

$9.09 CA$12.85

58.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.93 $14.93

$11.33 CA$16.01

31.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.11 $20.11

$14.53 CA$20.55

38.40%

Apples (1kg)

$5.33 $5.33

$3.62 CA$5.12

47.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.21 CA$1.72

38.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$3.60 CA$5.09

11.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$4.21 CA$5.96

13.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.79 CA$2.53

49.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.59 CA$2.25

79.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.27 CA$3.21

-7.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.25 CA$1.77

88.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.66 $10.66

$13.82 CA$19.53

-22.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.98 $14.98

$14.27 CA$20.18

4.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.20 CA$3.10

16.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.43 CA$3.44

39.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.39 CA$3.38

2.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.2 $75.2

$111 CA$157

-32.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.91 CA$4.12

40.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.20 CA$1.69

19.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.26 $43.26

$21.38 CA$30.23

102.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.21 CA$1.71

-17.36%

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

$35.4K $35.4K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

25.59%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$20.3K CA$28.6K

23.21%

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

$192 $192

$120 CA$170

59.46%

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

$61.6 $61.6

$32.26 CA$45.60

90.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.2 $72.2

$47.93 CA$67.8

50.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.1 $76.1

$38.48 CA$54.4

97.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$60.8 $60.8

$22.96 CA$32.46

164.59%

Cinema Ticket

$14.83 $14.83

$12.38 CA$17.50

19.79%

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

$1,516 $1,516

$830 CA$1,173

82.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$23.1K CA$32.6K

36.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.7 $64.7

$50.7 CA$71.7

27.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 $50.8

$40.02 CA$56.6

27.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$98.0 CA$139

10.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 $126

$121 CA$171

4.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 $1,645

$1,592 CA$2,251

3.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,118 $1,118

$1,410 CA$1,994

-20.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,989 $3,989

$2,670 CA$3,775

49.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,954 $2,954

$2,152 CA$3,042

37.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.6K $14.6K

$7,945 CA$11.2K

83.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.8K $12.8K

$6,542 CA$9,249

95.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,335 $5,335

$3,727 CA$5,269

43.14%

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 Evanston, IL: October 12, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Evanston, IL

$1.1K 43.1%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1% 26.2% $293

Groceries & Markets

Evanston, IL

$441 17%

Toronto

$340 13.3% 23% $101

Eating Out

Evanston, IL

$348 13.4%

Toronto

$278 10.9% 20.1% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Evanston, IL

$326 12.6%

Toronto

$201 7.8% 38.4% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Evanston, IL

$157 6.1%

Toronto

$139 5.4% 11.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Evanston, IL

$106 4.1%

Toronto

$63 2.5% 40.2% $43

Getting Around

Evanston, IL

$96 3.7%

Toronto

$129 5.1% 34.4% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,645 in Evanston, IL 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 43% higher in Evanston, IL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86.0 in Evanston, IL versus $76.0 in Toronto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $441 vs $340 – making Toronto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Evanston, IL

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

19:52 7:52 PM

20:52 8:52 PM

1 h ahead of Evanston, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,486

2,731,571

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Evanston, IL Toronto 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,592 in Evanston, IL, $2,561 in Toronto – roughly 1% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,888 per month in Evanston, IL 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.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Evanston, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86.0 in Evanston, IL and $76.0 in Toronto. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,592 in Evanston, IL 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, Evanston, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.