Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Iowa City, IA: $2,368 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Iowa City, IA
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Iowa City, IA Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Iowa City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,368

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,368 in Iowa City, IA versus $2,561 in Toronto.

Iowa City, IA $2,368
Toronto $2,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,367 in Iowa City, IA versus $3,694 in Toronto.

Iowa City, IA $3,367
Toronto $3,694

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,366 in Iowa City, IA versus $4,826 in Toronto.

Iowa City, IA $4,366
Toronto $4,826

Living in Iowa City, IA costs roughly 8% less than in Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Iowa City, IA 75% above, Toronto 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.24 $14.24

$17.18 CA$24.29

-17.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 $68.1

$76.0 CA$107

-10.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 $8.74

$10.54 CA$14.89

-17.08%

Cappuccino

$5.78 $5.78

$4.02 CA$5.68

43.78%

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

$2.76 $2.76

$2.12 CA$3.00

30.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.75 CA$2.48

24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 $4.90

$6.24 CA$8.83

-21.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 $6.80

$7.09 CA$10.02

-4.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$2.44 CA$3.45

-65.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.68 CA$3.78

2.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.24 CA$3.17

-9.82%

Eggs

$3.60 $3.60

$3.56 CA$5.03

1.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.51 $9.51

$9.09 CA$12.85

4.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 $10.32

$11.33 CA$16.01

-8.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.56 $20.56

$14.53 CA$20.55

41.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$3.62 CA$5.12

-8.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.21 CA$1.72

1.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$3.60 CA$5.09

-23.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$4.21 CA$5.96

15.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.79 CA$2.53

13.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.59 CA$2.25

49.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.27 CA$3.21

-25.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.25 CA$1.77

94.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.79 $8.79

$13.82 CA$19.53

-36.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.27 $13.27

$14.27 CA$20.18

-7.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.20 CA$3.10

-19.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.43 CA$3.44

77.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 CA$3.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.96 $15.96

$111 CA$157

-85.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.91 CA$4.12

36.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.20 CA$1.69

65.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.23 $43.23

$21.38 CA$30.23

102.20%

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)

$36.0K $36.0K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

27.93%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$20.3K CA$28.6K

24.61%

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

$266 $266

$120 CA$170

120.66%

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

$53.3 $53.3

$32.26 CA$45.60

65.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.9 $81.9

$47.93 CA$67.8

70.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.68 $48.68

$38.48 CA$54.4

26.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.82 $19.82

$22.96 CA$32.46

-13.68%

Cinema Ticket

$13.74 $13.74

$12.38 CA$17.50

10.99%

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

$1,285 $1,285

$830 CA$1,173

54.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$23.1K CA$32.6K

2.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 $64.3

$50.7 CA$71.7

26.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 $50.1

$40.02 CA$56.6

25.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$98.0 CA$139

2.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$121 CA$171

-6.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 $1,179

$1,592 CA$2,251

-25.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 $1,096

$1,410 CA$1,994

-22.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,297 $2,297

$2,670 CA$3,775

-13.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 $1,671

$2,152 CA$3,042

-22.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,825 $3,825

$7,945 CA$11.2K

-51.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,963 $1,963

$6,542 CA$9,249

-70.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,701 $3,701

$3,727 CA$5,269

-0.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.47

44.30%

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

Last update for Iowa City, IA: 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

Iowa City, IA

$1.1K 46.3%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1% 28.7% $314

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iowa City, IA

$401 16.9%

Toronto

$201 7.8% 50% $200

Groceries & Markets

Iowa City, IA

$350 14.8%

Toronto

$340 13.3% 3% $11

Eating Out

Iowa City, IA

$267 11.3%

Toronto

$278 10.9% 4.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Iowa City, IA

$148 6.2%

Toronto

$139 5.4% 5.6% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Iowa City, IA

$76 3.2%

Toronto

$63 2.5% 17% $13

Getting Around

Iowa City, IA

$30 * 1.3%

Toronto

$129 5.1% 333% $100

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Iowa City, IA and $1,592 in Toronto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto 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: $68.0 in Iowa City, IA vs $76.0 in Toronto. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $340, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Iowa City, IA

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

14:53 2:53 PM

15:53 3:53 PM

1 h ahead of Iowa City, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,828

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Iowa City, IA Toronto 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Iowa City, IA
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

Iowa City, IA vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iowa City, IA is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and transport. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 1% lower in Toronto. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Iowa City, IA versus $1,592 in Toronto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Iowa City, IA runs roughly 595% less than in Toronto. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,285 in Iowa City, IA versus $830 in Toronto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,368 in Iowa City, IA versus $2,561 in Toronto, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Iowa City, IA but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Iowa City, IA 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.

Safety-wise, Iowa City, IA and Toronto are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Iowa City, IA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.