Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough and Louisville, KY

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.

122

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index
108

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

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Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,524

/mo nomad

Louisville, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Scarborough is roughly 13% more expensive than in Louisville, KY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.75 CA$23.68

$14.79 $14.79

13.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.5 CA$98.3

$71.4 $71.4

-2.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.46 CA$14.78

$9.66 $9.66

8.28%

Cappuccino

$4.02 CA$5.68

$5.18 $5.18

-22.39%

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

$2.09 CA$2.96

$2.19 $2.19

-4.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.59 $1.59

-8.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.45 CA$9.12

$5.93 $5.93

8.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.22 CA$10.21

$7.05 $7.05

2.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 CA$3.58

$0.75 $0.75

237.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$3.31 $3.31

-20.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 CA$3.20

$5.13 $5.13

-55.95%

Eggs

$3.60 CA$5.08

$3.60 $3.60

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.44 CA$13.34

$15.38 $15.38

-38.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.27 CA$15.93

$12.10 $12.10

-6.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.91 CA$18.25

$16.33 $16.33

-20.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 CA$4.69

$5.37 $5.37

-38.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 CA$1.73

$1.60 $1.60

-23.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.33 CA$4.71

$4.54 $4.54

-26.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 CA$5.75

$4.54 $4.54

-10.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 CA$2.30

$2.78 $2.78

-41.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 CA$2.37

$3.01 $3.01

-44.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 CA$3.26

$2.26 $2.26

2.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$2.36 $2.36

-46.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.37 CA$20.31

$9.24 $9.24

55.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 CA$18.37

$15.82 $15.82

-17.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 CA$3.15

$2.76 $2.76

-19.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.44

$3.95 $3.95

-38.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 CA$3.35

$1.70 $1.70

39.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CA$148

$50.6 $50.6

107.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 CA$4.38

$2.78 $2.78

11.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.41 $1.41

-13.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.90 CA$30.96

$30.34 $30.34

-27.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.73

$0.95 $0.95

28.42%

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

$26.3K CA$37.2K

$33.9K $33.9K

-22.37%

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

$21.5K CA$30.4K

$26.7K $26.7K

-19.33%

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

$137 CA$193

$180 $180

-24.02%

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

$34.57 CA$48.87

$60.2 $60.2

-42.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.87 CA$67.7

$68.1 $68.1

-29.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.03 CA$49.53

$20.34 $20.34

72.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.57 CA$50.3

$2.45 $2.45

1351.84%

Cinema Ticket

$12.65 CA$17.88

$11.13 $11.13

13.66%

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

$830 CA$1,174

$1,268 $1,268

-34.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K CA$15.0K

$16.3K $16.3K

-35.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.8 CA$71.8

$49.73 $49.73

2.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.14 CA$55.3

$41.18 $41.18

-4.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 CA$124

$97.7 $97.7

-10.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$146

$111 $111

-6.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,705 CA$2,410

$1,582 $1,582

7.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 CA$1,965

$1,006 $1,006

38.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,142 CA$3,028

$1,971 $1,971

8.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,784 CA$2,522

$1,923 $1,923

-7.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,664 CA$10.8K

$2,682 $2,682

185.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,200 CA$8,764

$1,779 $1,779

248.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,970 CA$4,199

$3,973 $3,973

-25.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

6.57

-30.75%

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

Last update for Scarborough: October 18, 2026

Last update for Louisville, KY: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scarborough

$1.4K 55.1%

Louisville, KY

$1K 44.9% 27.6% $384

Groceries & Markets

Scarborough

$331 13.1%

Louisville, KY

$414 18.5% 25.1% $83

Eating Out

Scarborough

$274 10.9%

Louisville, KY

$268 12% 2.2% $6.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scarborough

$219 8.7%

Louisville, KY

$308 13.8% 40.6% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Scarborough

$126 5%

Louisville, KY

$135 6% 6.5% $8.2

Getting Around

Scarborough

$123 4.9%

Louisville, KY

$67 3% 45.5% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Scarborough

$60 2.4%

Louisville, KY

$43 1.9% 29.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,705 in Scarborough and $1,582 in Louisville, KY. 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: $70.0 in Scarborough vs $71.0 in Louisville, KY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $331 vs $414 per month, with Scarborough cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🇺🇸 Louisville, KY

🕒 Local time

03:38 3:38 AM

Same time as Scarborough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,960

612,780

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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

From you

Scarborough
Louisville, KY

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Scarborough vs Louisville, KY: 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.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Louisville, KY. 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: $1,705 in Scarborough versus $1,582 in Louisville, KY. 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.