Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St.Catharines and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in St.Catharines: $2,309 a month against $2,610 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in St.Catharines
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St.Catharines Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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St.Catharines

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,309

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,610

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,309 per month in St.Catharines vs $2,610 in Toronto, rent included.

St.Catharines $2,309
Toronto $2,610

A couple spends around $3,210 per month in St.Catharines vs $3,727 in Toronto, rent included.

St.Catharines $3,210
Toronto $3,727

A family of three spends $4,111 per month in St.Catharines vs $4,844 in Toronto, rent included.

St.Catharines $4,111
Toronto $4,844

St.Catharines is about 12% cheaper than Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both St.Catharines and Toronto sit above the global median – St.Catharines by 70%, Toronto by 93%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.32 CA$20.24

$17.59 CA$24.87

-18.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.6 CA$81.5

$78.8 CA$111

-26.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 CA$17.86

$10.73 CA$15.16

17.71%

Cappuccino

$3.03 CA$4.29

$4.09 CA$5.78

-25.92%

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

$1.65 CA$2.34

$2.10 CA$2.97

-21.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.27

$1.72 CA$2.43

-6.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 CA$6.58

$6.36 CA$8.99

-26.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 CA$6.52

$7.08 CA$10.01

-34.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 CA$2.96

$2.54 CA$3.59

-17.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 CA$3.08

$2.72 CA$3.85

-19.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.60 CA$6.50

$2.18 CA$3.09

111.01%

Eggs

$4.28 CA$6.06

$3.63 CA$5.13

17.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.90 CA$21.06

$9.46 CA$13.37

57.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.22 CA$15.86

$11.54 CA$16.32

-2.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 CA$19.85

$14.37 CA$20.32

-2.30%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 CA$7.34

$3.70 CA$5.23

40.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 CA$1.57

$1.19 CA$1.68

-6.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 CA$6.17

$3.46 CA$4.90

26.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 CA$5.85

$4.22 CA$5.97

-1.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$1.79 CA$2.52

57.54%

Onion (1kg)

$4.39 CA$6.20

$1.65 CA$2.33

166.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 CA$3.67

$2.20 CA$3.11

18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CA$1.83

$1.26 CA$1.78

2.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.73 CA$19.41

$13.97 CA$19.75

-1.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 CA$17.88

$14.20 CA$20.07

-10.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 CA$4.24

$2.25 CA$3.18

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 CA$4.28

$2.53 CA$3.58

19.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$2.32 CA$3.28

6.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.9 CA$100

$112 CA$158

-36.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 CA$4.07

$3.06 CA$4.33

-5.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$1.22 CA$1.72

81.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.28 CA$31.50

$21.69 CA$30.66

2.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 CA$1.63

$1.21 CA$1.72

-4.96%

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

$26.4K CA$37.4K

$26.1K CA$37.0K

1.08%

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

$22.0K CA$31.1K

$21.1K CA$29.9K

4.07%

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

$178 CA$251

$120 CA$169

48.71%

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

$33.39 CA$47.21

$32.21 CA$45.54

3.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.75 CA$67.5

$48.88 CA$69.1

-2.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.41 CA$44.41

$39.34 CA$55.6

-20.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.10 CA$58.1

$23.58 CA$33.34

74.30%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 CA$15.60

$12.58 CA$17.79

-12.24%

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

$504 CA$713

$832 CA$1,176

-39.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$23.6K CA$33.4K

17.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 CA$104

$52.3 CA$73.9

40.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.2 CA$73.8

$39.44 CA$55.8

32.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 CA$113

$99.0 CA$140

-19.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.7 CA$108

$122 CA$172

-37.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 CA$1,710

$1,631 CA$2,306

-25.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 CA$1,638

$1,448 CA$2,048

-19.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 CA$2,413

$2,737 CA$3,869

-37.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,557 CA$2,201

$2,129 CA$3,010

-26.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,026 CA$4,277

$8,206 CA$11.6K

-63.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,705 CA$3,824

$6,838 CA$9,666

-60.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,969 CA$4,198

$3,520 CA$4,976

-15.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.71

4.47

27.74%

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

Last update for St.Catharines: October 17, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St.Catharines

$1.2K 50.2%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.5% 25% $289

Groceries & Markets

St.Catharines

$381 16.5%

Toronto

$343 13.1% 10.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St.Catharines

$259 11.2%

Toronto

$201 7.7% 22.5% $58

Eating Out

St.Catharines

$234 10.2%

Toronto

$283 10.9% 20.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

St.Catharines

$127 5.5%

Toronto

$141 5.4% 10.6% $14

Getting Around

St.Catharines

$95 4.1%

Toronto

$130 5% 37.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

St.Catharines

$53 2.3%

Toronto

$65 2.5% 20.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,210 in St.Catharines versus $1,631 in Toronto. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 19% higher in Toronto, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in St.Catharines versus $79.0 in Toronto. Groceries tell a different story – $381 in St.Catharines vs $343 in Toronto – so Toronto wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St.Catharines

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

21:42 9:42 PM

Same time as St.Catharines

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,113

2,731,571

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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St.Catharines Toronto 56 km

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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

St.Catharines vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Toronto is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,464 per month in St.Catharines and $3,916 in Toronto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in St.Catharines, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 57% less in St.Catharines. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $504 per month in St.Catharines and $832 in Toronto. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in St.Catharines, where all-in costs run around $2,309, than in Toronto at $2,610. In St.Catharines it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward St.Catharines – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with St.Catharines. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Toronto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.