Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Normal, IL and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Normal, IL: $2,269 a month against $2,610 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Toronto outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

111

Cost of Living Index in Normal, IL
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Normal, IL Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Normal, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,269

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,610

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,269 in Normal, IL versus $2,610 in Toronto.

Normal, IL $2,269
Toronto $2,610

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,356 in Normal, IL versus $3,727 in Toronto.

Normal, IL $3,356
Toronto $3,727

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,443 in Normal, IL versus $4,844 in Toronto.

Normal, IL $4,443
Toronto $4,844

Living in Normal, IL costs roughly 13% less than in Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Normal, IL 67% above, Toronto 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.29 $11.29

$17.59 CA$24.87

-35.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.5 $50.5

$78.8 CA$111

-35.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 $9.82

$10.73 CA$15.16

-8.48%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$4.09 CA$5.78

25.67%

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

$3.40 $3.40

$2.10 CA$2.97

61.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.72 CA$2.43

-8.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.27 $5.27

$6.36 CA$8.99

-17.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 $6.08

$7.08 CA$10.01

-14.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$2.54 CA$3.59

-68.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.72 CA$3.85

-3.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.18 CA$3.09

47.71%

Eggs

$3.84 $3.84

$3.63 CA$5.13

5.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.95 $8.95

$9.46 CA$13.37

-5.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.56 $12.56

$11.54 CA$16.32

8.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.70 $18.70

$14.37 CA$20.32

30.13%

Apples (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$3.70 CA$5.23

77.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.19 CA$1.68

3.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.54 $6.54

$3.46 CA$4.90

89.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$4.22 CA$5.97

21.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.79 CA$2.52

89.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.23 $3.23

$1.65 CA$2.33

95.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.20 CA$3.11

-6.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.26 CA$1.78

83.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.32 $11.32

$13.97 CA$19.75

-18.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 $10.96

$14.20 CA$20.07

-22.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.25 CA$3.18

-18.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.53 CA$3.58

19.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.32 CA$3.28

10.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.0 $93.0

$112 CA$158

-16.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.86 $5.86

$3.06 CA$4.33

91.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.22 CA$1.72

-10.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.21 $18.21

$21.69 CA$30.66

-16.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.21 CA$1.72

-24.79%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$26.1K CA$37.0K

4.77%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$21.1K CA$29.9K

25.69%

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

$274 $274

$120 CA$169

129.06%

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

$97.9 $97.9

$32.21 CA$45.54

203.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.5 $64.5

$48.88 CA$69.1

31.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.78 $39.78

$39.34 CA$55.6

1.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.58 CA$33.34

Cinema Ticket

$11.80 $11.80

$12.58 CA$17.79

-6.20%

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

$1,055 $1,055

$832 CA$1,176

26.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K CA$33.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.33 $30.33

$52.3 CA$73.9

-41.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.25 $39.25

$39.44 CA$55.8

-0.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 $68.4

$99.0 CA$140

-30.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 $153

$122 CA$172

25.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 $994

$1,631 CA$2,306

-39.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$895 $895

$1,448 CA$2,048

-38.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,761 $1,761

$2,737 CA$3,869

-35.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,624 $1,624

$2,129 CA$3,010

-23.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,700 $9,700

$8,206 CA$11.6K

18.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,838 CA$9,666

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,253 $4,253

$3,520 CA$4,976

20.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

4.47

46.53%

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

Last update for Normal, IL: 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

Normal, IL

$895 39.4%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.5% 61.9% $554

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Normal, IL

$436 19.2%

Toronto

$201 7.7% 54% $236

Groceries & Markets

Normal, IL

$390 17.2%

Toronto

$343 13.1% 12.1% $47

Eating Out

Normal, IL

$240 10.6%

Toronto

$283 10.9% 18% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Normal, IL

$131 5.8%

Toronto

$141 5.4% 7.5% $9.8

Getting Around

Normal, IL

$115 5.1%

Toronto

$130 5% 13.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Normal, IL

$63 2.8%

Toronto

$65 2.5% 1.8% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $994 in Normal, IL and $1,631 in Toronto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Normal, IL pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $50.0 in Normal, IL vs $79.0 in Toronto. Groceries flip the comparison at $390 vs $343, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Normal, IL

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

22:12 10:12 PM

23:12 11:12 PM

1 h ahead of Normal, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,497

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 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Normal, IL Toronto 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Normal, IL
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

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

Normal, IL wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Toronto. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Normal, IL the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Normal, IL, 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: $994 in Normal, IL versus $1,631 in Toronto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Normal, IL – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $79.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,269 per month in Normal, IL versus $2,610 in Toronto – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,269 in Normal, IL versus $2,610 in Toronto, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Normal, IL but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Normal, IL 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.

Expats usually find Normal, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.