Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Thomas, Canada and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Thomas: $2,436 a month against $2,589 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Toronto outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

111

Cost of Living Index in St. Thomas
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St. Thomas Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,436

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,436 in St. Thomas versus $2,589 in Toronto.

St. Thomas $2,436
Toronto $2,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,399 in St. Thomas versus $3,710 in Toronto.

St. Thomas $3,399
Toronto $3,710

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,363 in St. Thomas versus $4,831 in Toronto.

St. Thomas $4,363
Toronto $4,831

Living in St. Thomas costs roughly 6% less than in Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: St. Thomas 79% above, Toronto 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.56 CA$30.13

$17.60 CA$24.59

22.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 CA$88.9

$77.8 CA$109

-18.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 CA$15.67

$10.59 CA$14.79

5.95%

Cappuccino

$3.45 CA$4.82

$4.16 CA$5.81

-17.07%

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

$2.11 CA$2.95

$2.04 CA$2.86

3.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.28

$1.75 CA$2.45

-6.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.85 CA$6.77

$6.58 CA$9.19

-26.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 CA$8.59

$7.11 CA$9.94

-13.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.10

$2.53 CA$3.54

-12.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 CA$3.85

$2.70 CA$3.78

2.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 CA$5.28

$2.24 CA$3.13

68.75%

Eggs

$3.27 CA$4.57

$3.48 CA$4.87

-6.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.05 CA$14.04

$9.38 CA$13.10

7.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.80 CA$22.07

$11.60 CA$16.21

36.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.72 CA$27.56

$14.68 CA$20.52

34.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 CA$5.73

$3.74 CA$5.23

9.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 CA$1.78

$1.22 CA$1.71

4.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.10

$3.48 CA$4.86

4.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.68

$4.32 CA$6.04

-6.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 CA$4.61

$1.85 CA$2.59

78.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 CA$4.27

$1.69 CA$2.36

81.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 CA$4.01

$2.23 CA$3.11

28.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.17

$1.28 CA$1.78

21.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.23 CA$15.70

$14.04 CA$19.62

-20.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.51 CA$17.48

$14.43 CA$20.16

-13.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.52

$2.16 CA$3.01

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.06

$2.52 CA$3.53

15.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 CA$3.06

$2.37 CA$3.31

-7.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.2 CA$95.2

$112 CA$157

-39.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 CA$3.32

$3.04 CA$4.25

-21.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 CA$2.32

$1.24 CA$1.73

33.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.83 CA$31.91

$22.55 CA$31.51

1.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.64

$1.24 CA$1.74

-5.65%

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

$27.0K CA$37.8K

$26.9K CA$37.6K

0.44%

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

$23.1K CA$32.2K

$21.4K CA$29.9K

7.78%

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

$126 CA$176

$125 CA$174

1.00%

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

$42.99 CA$60.1

$33.05 CA$46.19

30.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.4 CA$80.2

$47.96 CA$67.0

19.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.32 CA$55.0

$36.69 CA$51.3

7.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 CA$23.84

$23.67 CA$33.07

-27.93%

Cinema Ticket

$10.65 CA$14.88

$13.08 CA$18.27

-18.58%

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

$421 CA$588

$759 CA$1,060

-44.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K CA$24.2K

$23.8K CA$33.2K

-27.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 CA$75.4

$53.5 CA$74.8

0.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.85 CA$51.5

$40.44 CA$56.5

-8.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 CA$115

$100 CA$140

-17.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 CA$126

$125 CA$175

-27.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 CA$1,625

$1,630 CA$2,277

-28.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 CA$1,740

$1,416 CA$1,978

-12.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,276 CA$3,180

$2,694 CA$3,765

-15.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 CA$2,319

$2,101 CA$2,936

-21.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,403 CA$6,152

$7,551 CA$10.6K

-41.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,575 CA$4,996

$6,674 CA$9,325

-46.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,004 CA$4,197

$3,543 CA$4,951

-15.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

4.45

12.13%

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

Last update for St. Thomas: October 26, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Thomas

$1.2K 51.1%

Toronto

$1.4K 54.7% 13.7% $170

Groceries & Markets

St. Thomas

$399 16.4%

Toronto

$345 13.3% 13.5% $54

Eating Out

St. Thomas

$299 12.3%

Toronto

$285 11% 4.8% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Thomas

$226 9.3%

Toronto

$206 7.9% 9.1% $21

Clothing & Footwear

St. Thomas

$119 4.9%

Toronto

$144 5.6% 21.3% $25

Getting Around

St. Thomas

$88 3.6%

Toronto

$131 5.1% 49.8% $44

Sport & Entertainment

St. Thomas

$61 2.5%

Toronto

$63 2.4% 3.7% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,163 in St. Thomas and $1,630 in Toronto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 18% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $64 in St. Thomas vs $78 in Toronto. Groceries flip the comparison at $399 vs $345, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

Same time as St. Thomas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,909

2,731,571

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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. Thomas vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,436 in St. Thomas and $2,589 in Toronto, so St. Thomas is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in St. Thomas. 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: $1,163 in St. Thomas versus $1,630 in Toronto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $421 in St. Thomas versus $759 in Toronto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Toronto pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though St. Thomas gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, St. Thomas is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Toronto, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – St. Thomas wins on affordability, Toronto on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.