Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Angeles, CA and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Toronto: $2,530 a month against $4,259 in Los Angeles, CA, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

203

Cost of Living Index in Los Angeles, CA
Learn more

Los Angeles, CA Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
Learn more

Toronto Living Index

Jump to prices

Los Angeles, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,259

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,259 in Los Angeles, CA versus $2,530 in Toronto.

Los Angeles, CA $4,259
Toronto $2,530

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,260 in Los Angeles, CA versus $3,646 in Toronto.

Los Angeles, CA $6,260
Toronto $3,646

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,260 in Los Angeles, CA versus $4,761 in Toronto.

Los Angeles, CA $8,260
Toronto $4,761

Living in Los Angeles, CA is roughly 68% more expensive than in Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Los Angeles, CA 218% above, Toronto 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.00 $27.00

$17.67 CA$25.19

52.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$77.4 CA$110

57.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.98 $14.98

$10.47 CA$14.93

43.08%

Cappuccino

$5.84 $5.84

$4.08 CA$5.81

43.14%

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

$3.77 $3.77

$2.12 CA$3.02

77.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.76 CA$2.51

51.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.17 CA$8.80

30.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.84 $9.84

$6.89 CA$9.82

42.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$2.43 CA$3.46

-46.50%

White Bread (500g)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.75 CA$3.92

76.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.23 CA$3.18

100.90%

Eggs

$6.14 $6.14

$3.45 CA$4.91

77.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.32 $11.32

$8.93 CA$12.73

26.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.78 $15.78

$11.44 CA$16.31

37.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.94 $19.94

$14.61 CA$20.83

36.48%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$3.75 CA$5.34

39.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.15 CA$1.64

102.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$3.55 CA$5.06

32.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$4.28 CA$6.10

32.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$1.85 CA$2.63

77.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.67 CA$2.38

72.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.22 CA$3.16

-5.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.21 CA$1.72

101.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.78 $12.78

$13.88 CA$19.78

-7.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$14.25 CA$20.31

5.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.20 CA$3.13

34.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.42 CA$3.45

16.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 $1.79

$2.42 CA$3.44

-26.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 $104

$111 CA$158

-6.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.90 CA$4.13

6.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.26 CA$1.80

49.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.58 $31.58

$22.03 CA$31.40

43.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.22 CA$1.74

32.79%

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

$37.7K $37.7K

$27.6K CA$39.4K

36.32%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$19.8K CA$28.3K

32.86%

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

$288 $288

$122 CA$174

136.24%

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

$77.9 $77.9

$32.03 CA$45.66

143.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.5 $80.5

$47.92 CA$68.3

68.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.2 $74.2

$38.90 CA$55.5

90.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 $11.90

$23.24 CA$33.12

-48.80%

Cinema Ticket

$19.79 $19.79

$12.61 CA$17.97

56.94%

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

$1,678 $1,678

$834 CA$1,189

101.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K $31.9K

$23.3K CA$33.3K

36.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.3 $91.3

$52.6 CA$75.0

73.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.7 $65.7

$40.26 CA$57.4

63.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$96.2 CA$137

26.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$206 $206

$123 CA$175

67.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,545 $2,545

$1,598 CA$2,278

59.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,443 $2,443

$1,435 CA$2,045

70.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,518 $5,518

$2,657 CA$3,787

107.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,275 $4,275

$2,096 CA$2,988

103.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,211 $7,211

$8,033 CA$11.5K

-10.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,930 $6,930

$6,557 CA$9,347

5.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,173 $4,173

$3,743 CA$5,335

11.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

4.47

53.47%

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

Last update for Los Angeles, CA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Los Angeles, CA

$2.4K 57.8%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4% 41.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Los Angeles, CA

$467 11.1%

Toronto

$340 13.1% 27.2% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Angeles, CA

$446 10.6%

Toronto

$202 7.8% 54.8% $245

Eating Out

Los Angeles, CA

$417 9.9%

Toronto

$282 10.9% 32.4% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Los Angeles, CA

$218 5.2%

Toronto

$140 5.4% 35.5% $77

Getting Around

Los Angeles, CA

$124 2.9%

Toronto

$130 5% 4.9% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Los Angeles, CA

$114 2.7%

Toronto

$64 2.5% 43.6% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,545 in Los Angeles, CA and $1,598 in Toronto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Angeles, CA pays 11% 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: $122 in Los Angeles, CA vs $77.0 in Toronto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $467 vs $340 per month, with Toronto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Angeles, CA

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

09:47 9:47 AM

3 h ahead of Los Angeles, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,030,904

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Los Angeles, CA Toronto 3,490 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Los Angeles, CA
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

Los Angeles, CA vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 68% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 11% higher in Los Angeles, CA, 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: $2,545 in Los Angeles, CA versus $1,598 in Toronto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Toronto runs roughly 7% less than in Los Angeles, CA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,678 in Los Angeles, CA versus $834 in Toronto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

For families, Toronto is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Los Angeles, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Toronto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Los Angeles, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.