Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Louisville, KY and Scarborough

For one person, living is cheaper in Louisville, KY: $2,241 a month against $2,524 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Scarborough outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

108

Cost of Living Index in Louisville, KY
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Louisville, KY Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index

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Louisville, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,241

/mo nomad

Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Louisville, KY and in Scarborough

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Louisville, KY and in Scarborough actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,241 in Louisville, KY versus $2,524 in Scarborough.

Louisville, KY $2,241
Scarborough $2,524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,445 in Louisville, KY versus $3,455 in Scarborough.

Louisville, KY $3,445
Scarborough $3,455

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,648 in Louisville, KY versus $4,385 in Scarborough.

Louisville, KY $4,648
Scarborough $4,385

Living in Louisville, KY costs roughly 11% less than in Scarborough, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Louisville, KY 65% above, Scarborough 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.79 $14.79

$16.75 CA$23.68

-11.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.4 $71.4

$69.5 CA$98.3

2.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 $9.66

$10.46 CA$14.78

-7.65%

Cappuccino

$5.18 $5.18

$4.02 CA$5.68

28.86%

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

$2.19 $2.19

$2.09 CA$2.96

4.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.45 CA$2.05

9.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.93 $5.93

$6.45 CA$9.12

-8.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.05 $7.05

$7.22 CA$10.21

-2.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$2.53 CA$3.58

-70.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.62 CA$3.71

26.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$2.26 CA$3.20

126.99%

Eggs

$3.60 $3.60

$3.60 CA$5.08

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.38 $15.38

$9.44 CA$13.34

62.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.10 $12.10

$11.27 CA$15.93

7.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$12.91 CA$18.25

26.49%

Apples (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$3.32 CA$4.69

61.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.23 CA$1.73

30.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.33 CA$4.71

36.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$4.07 CA$5.75

11.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.63 CA$2.30

70.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.67 CA$2.37

80.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.31 CA$3.26

-2.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.26 CA$1.78

87.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.24 $9.24

$14.37 CA$20.31

-35.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.82 $15.82

$12.99 CA$18.37

21.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.23 CA$3.15

23.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.43 CA$3.44

62.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.37 CA$3.35

-28.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.6 $50.6

$105 CA$148

-51.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.10 CA$4.38

-10.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.22 CA$1.72

15.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.34 $30.34

$21.90 CA$30.96

38.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.22 CA$1.73

-22.13%

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

$33.9K $33.9K

$26.3K CA$37.2K

28.81%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$21.5K CA$30.4K

23.97%

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

$180 $180

$137 CA$193

31.61%

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

$60.2 $60.2

$34.57 CA$48.87

74.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.1 $68.1

$47.87 CA$67.7

42.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.34 $20.34

$35.03 CA$49.53

-41.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.45 $2.45

$35.57 CA$50.3

-93.11%

Cinema Ticket

$11.13 $11.13

$12.65 CA$17.88

-12.02%

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

$1,268 $1,268

$830 CA$1,174

52.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K $16.3K

$10.6K CA$15.0K

53.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.73 $49.73

$50.8 CA$71.8

-2.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.18 $41.18

$39.14 CA$55.3

5.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 $97.7

$87.6 CA$124

11.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$103 CA$146

7.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 $1,582

$1,705 CA$2,410

-7.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 $1,006

$1,390 CA$1,965

-27.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,971 $1,971

$2,142 CA$3,028

-7.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,923 $1,923

$1,784 CA$2,522

7.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,682 $2,682

$7,664 CA$10.8K

-65.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,779 $1,779

$6,200 CA$8,764

-71.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,973 $3,973

$2,970 CA$4,199

33.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

4.55

44.40%

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

Last update for Louisville, KY: October 17, 2026

Last update for Scarborough: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Louisville, KY

$1K 44.9%

Scarborough

$1.4K 55.1% 38.1% $384

Groceries & Markets

Louisville, KY

$414 18.5%

Scarborough

$331 13.1% 20.1% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Louisville, KY

$308 13.8%

Scarborough

$219 8.7% 28.9% $89

Eating Out

Louisville, KY

$268 12%

Scarborough

$274 10.9% 2.3% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Louisville, KY

$135 6%

Scarborough

$126 5% 6.1% $8.2

Getting Around

Louisville, KY

$67 3%

Scarborough

$123 4.9% 83.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Louisville, KY

$43 1.9%

Scarborough

$60 2.4% 41.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,582 in Louisville, KY and $1,705 in Scarborough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Louisville, KY pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $71.0 in Louisville, KY vs $70.0 in Scarborough for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $414 vs $331 per month, with Scarborough cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Louisville, KY

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

Same time as Louisville, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

612,780

29,960

💱 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Louisville, KY Scarborough 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Louisville, KY
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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

Louisville, KY vs Scarborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Louisville, KY wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Scarborough. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Louisville, KY the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Louisville, KY, 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: $1,582 in Louisville, KY versus $1,705 in Scarborough. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Scarborough pay roughly 25% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Louisville, KY – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $70.0 in Scarborough. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Louisville, KY is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Louisville, KY delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,241 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Louisville, KY hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Louisville, KY gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Scarborough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.