Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hay River, NT and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Hay River, NT: $2,228 a month against $2,610 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Hay River, NT
Learn more

Hay River, NT Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
Learn more

Toronto Living Index

Jump to prices

Hay River, NT

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,228

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,610

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,228 per month in Hay River, NT vs $2,610 in Toronto, rent included.

Hay River, NT $2,228
Toronto $2,610

A couple spends around $3,228 per month in Hay River, NT vs $3,727 in Toronto, rent included.

Hay River, NT $3,228
Toronto $3,727

A family of three spends $4,227 per month in Hay River, NT vs $4,844 in Toronto, rent included.

Hay River, NT $4,227
Toronto $4,844

Hay River, NT is about 15% cheaper than Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Hay River, NT and Toronto sit above the global median – Hay River, NT by 64%, Toronto by 93%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.76 CA$25.11

$17.59 CA$24.87

0.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 CA$91.1

$78.8 CA$111

-18.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 CA$14.67

$10.73 CA$15.16

-3.26%

Cappuccino

$3.54 CA$5.01

$4.09 CA$5.78

-13.45%

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

$2.03 CA$2.87

$2.10 CA$2.97

-3.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.27

$1.72 CA$2.43

-6.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.28 CA$7.46

$6.36 CA$8.99

-16.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 CA$8.01

$7.08 CA$10.01

-19.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 CA$2.82

$2.54 CA$3.59

-21.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 CA$3.53

$2.72 CA$3.85

-8.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 CA$4.63

$2.18 CA$3.09

50.46%

Eggs

$3.44 CA$4.86

$3.63 CA$5.13

-5.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 CA$14.19

$9.46 CA$13.37

6.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$11.54 CA$16.32

-1.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.79 CA$20.91

$14.37 CA$20.32

2.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.24

$3.70 CA$5.23

0.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 CA$1.87

$1.19 CA$1.68

10.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.29

$3.46 CA$4.90

8.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 CA$5.35

$4.22 CA$5.97

-10.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 CA$3.46

$1.79 CA$2.52

36.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 CA$3.17

$1.65 CA$2.33

36.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 CA$3.42

$2.20 CA$3.11

10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.29

$1.26 CA$1.78

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.17 CA$20.03

$13.97 CA$19.75

1.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.77 CA$18.05

$14.20 CA$20.07

-10.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$2.25 CA$3.18

16.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CA$4.38

$2.53 CA$3.58

22.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 CA$3.20

$2.32 CA$3.28

-2.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.1 CA$87.7

$112 CA$158

-44.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 CA$3.95

$3.06 CA$4.33

-8.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 CA$2.07

$1.22 CA$1.72

19.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.52 CA$31.83

$21.69 CA$30.66

3.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 CA$1.62

$1.21 CA$1.72

-4.96%

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

$28.0K CA$39.6K

$26.1K CA$37.0K

7.09%

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

$19.1K CA$27.1K

$21.1K CA$29.9K

-9.37%

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

$131 CA$186

$120 CA$169

9.89%

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

$37.62 CA$53.2

$32.21 CA$45.54

16.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.7 CA$74.4

$48.88 CA$69.1

7.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.43 CA$57.2

$39.34 CA$55.6

2.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.00 CA$25.45

$23.58 CA$33.34

-23.66%

Cinema Ticket

$10.86 CA$15.35

$12.58 CA$17.79

-13.67%

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

$760 CA$1,074

$832 CA$1,176

-8.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K CA$18.5K

$23.6K CA$33.4K

-44.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 CA$74.4

$52.3 CA$73.9

0.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.34 CA$54.2

$39.44 CA$55.8

-2.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 CA$119

$99.0 CA$140

-15.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 CA$147

$122 CA$172

-14.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 CA$1,597

$1,631 CA$2,306

-30.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 CA$1,584

$1,448 CA$2,048

-22.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,928 CA$2,725

$2,737 CA$3,869

-29.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,716 CA$2,426

$2,129 CA$3,010

-19.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,164 CA$5,887

$8,206 CA$11.6K

-49.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,582 CA$5,065

$6,838 CA$9,666

-47.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,273 CA$6,041

$3,520 CA$4,976

21.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.66

4.47

4.25%

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

Last update for Hay River, NT: October 18, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hay River, NT

$1.1K 50.3%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.5% 29.3% $328

Groceries & Markets

Hay River, NT

$349 15.7%

Toronto

$343 13.1% 1.9% $6.6

Eating Out

Hay River, NT

$268 12%

Toronto

$283 10.9% 5.7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hay River, NT

$222 10%

Toronto

$201 7.7% 9.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Hay River, NT

$125 5.6%

Toronto

$141 5.4% 12.2% $15

Getting Around

Hay River, NT

$81 3.7%

Toronto

$130 5% 60.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Hay River, NT

$62 2.8%

Toronto

$65 2.5% 3.8% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,130 in Hay River, NT versus $1,631 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 21% higher in Hay River, NT, 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 $64.0 in Hay River, NT versus $79.0 in Toronto. Groceries tell a different story – $349 in Hay River, NT vs $343 in Toronto – so Toronto wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hay River, NT

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

07:28 7:28 AM

09:28 9:28 AM

2 h ahead of Hay River, NT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,600

2,731,571

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hay River, NT Toronto 3,060 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hay River, NT
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

Hay River, NT vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto costs about 17% more than Hay River, NT, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,342 per month in Hay River, NT and $3,916 in Toronto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hay River, NT, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,228 in Hay River, NT and $2,610 in Toronto. That's a gap of about 17%.

Public transport costs about 80% less in Hay River, NT. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hay River, NT, where all-in costs run around $2,228, than in Toronto at $2,610. In Hay River, NT it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hay River, NT – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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