Cost of Living Comparison Between Reading and Oakville Cost of Living Comparison Between Reading and Oakville

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,848 in Reading versus $2,695 in Oakville.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,199 in Reading versus $3,902 in Oakville.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,549 in Reading versus $5,108 in Oakville.

Living in Reading is roughly 6% more expensive than in Oakville, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Reading 107% above, Oakville 96% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.99 £19.96

$14.50 CA$20.07

86.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.6 £71.5

$69.6 CA$96.2

38.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 £7.86

$9.36 CA$12.95

13.57%

Cappuccino

$4.95 £3.66

$3.76 CA$5.20

31.65%

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

$3.00 £2.22

$2.00 CA$2.77

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 £2.07

$1.60 CA$2.22

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.56 £6.33

$5.88 CA$8.14

45.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 £5.15

$6.57 CA$9.08

5.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 £1.08

$2.70 CA$3.73

-45.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 £1.31

$2.98 CA$4.13

-40.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 £2.25

$3.56 CA$4.92

-14.61%

Eggs

$3.67 £2.72

$4.24 CA$5.87

-13.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.35 £8.40

$9.34 CA$12.93

21.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.85 £6.55

$10.57 CA$14.63

-16.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.00 £9.61

$14.00 CA$19.37

-7.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.26

$3.57 CA$4.94

-14.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 £1.15

$1.83 CA$2.53

-15.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 £2.13

$3.61 CA$4.99

-20.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.21 £2.37

$2.91 CA$4.03

10.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 £1.16

$2.53 CA$3.50

-38.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 £1.07

$3.23 CA$4.47

-55.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 £0.70

$2.21 CA$3.05

-57.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 £1.12

$1.69 CA$2.34

-10.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.08 £17.81

$14.73 CA$20.38

63.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.63 £10.08

$12.93 CA$17.89

5.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 £1.70

$3.19 CA$4.42

-27.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.39

$2.68 CA$3.70

20.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.54 £2.62

$2.81 CA$3.88

25.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.2 £63.7

$102 CA$141

-15.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.65 £4.92

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.71 £3.49

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.32 £9.86

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.45

$1.10 CA$1.52

78.18%

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

$39.8K £29.4K

$28.2K CA$39.0K

41.18%

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

$40.7K £30.1K

$19.0K CA$26.2K

114.77%

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

$285 £211

$101 CA$139

184.00%

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

$21.29 £15.75

$29.96 CA$41.46

-28.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.93 £35.46

$49.25 CA$68.2

-2.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.3 £43.90

$42.83 CA$59.3

38.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.34 £15.79

Cinema Ticket

$13.70 £10.14

$9.34 CA$12.92

46.68%

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

$1,777 £1,315

$1,044 CA$1,445

70.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K £22.4K

$17.5K CA$24.2K

72.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.7 £56.8

$71.9 CA$99.5

6.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.2 £52.0

$88.7 CA$123

-20.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 £85.1

$115 CA$159

0.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 £77.0

$107 CA$148

-2.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,765 £1,305

$1,733 CA$2,397

1.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 £1,050

$1,587 CA$2,196

-10.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,906 £2,150

$2,647 CA$3,662

9.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,342 £1,732

$2,459 CA$3,402

-4.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,109 £5,259

$4,241 CA$5,869

67.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,840 £4,321

$7,324 CA$10.1K

-20.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,502 £2,591

$3,231 CA$4,470

8.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

-7.24%

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

Last update for Reading: August 31, 2026

Last update for Oakville: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,765 in Reading and $1,733 in Oakville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Reading pays 8% 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: $97.0 in Reading vs $70.0 in Oakville. Groceries flip the comparison at $303 vs $359, with Reading cheaper for home cooking.

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

Reading vs Oakville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oakville wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Reading. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Oakville the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Reading, 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: $1,765 in Reading versus $1,733 in Oakville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Oakville runs roughly 18% less than in Reading. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,777 in Reading versus $1,044 in Oakville. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Oakville 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 Oakville delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,695 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Oakville hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Reading and Oakville 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 Oakville gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Reading. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.