Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sterling and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Toronto: $2,561 a month against $2,824 in Sterling, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Sterling
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Sterling Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Sterling

🇺🇸 United States

$2,824

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,824 per month in Sterling vs $2,561 in Toronto, rent included.

Sterling $2,824
Toronto $2,561

A couple spends around $4,327 per month in Sterling vs $3,694 in Toronto, rent included.

Sterling $4,327
Toronto $3,694

A family of three spends $5,831 per month in Sterling vs $4,826 in Toronto, rent included.

Sterling $5,831
Toronto $4,826

Sterling costs about 10% more than Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sterling and Toronto sit above the global median – Sterling by 109%, Toronto by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.32 $19.32

$17.18 CA$24.29

12.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.4 $75.4

$76.0 CA$107

-0.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.84 $11.84

$10.54 CA$14.89

12.33%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$4.02 CA$5.68

46.77%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$2.12 CA$3.00

40.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.75 CA$2.48

41.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.42 $5.42

$6.24 CA$8.83

-13.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 $7.91

$7.09 CA$10.02

11.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.44 CA$3.45

-56.97%

White Bread (500g)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.68 CA$3.78

49.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.24 CA$3.17

128.13%

Eggs

$5.61 $5.61

$3.56 CA$5.03

57.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.11 $17.11

$9.09 CA$12.85

88.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.54 $14.54

$11.33 CA$16.01

28.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.87 $18.87

$14.53 CA$20.55

29.87%

Apples (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$3.62 CA$5.12

54.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.21 CA$1.72

93.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$3.60 CA$5.09

40.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$4.21 CA$5.96

39.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.79 CA$2.53

57.54%

Onion (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$1.59 CA$2.25

140.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.27 CA$3.21

-0.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.25 CA$1.77

111.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.90 $9.90

$13.82 CA$19.53

-28.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 $13.96

$14.27 CA$20.18

-2.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$2.20 CA$3.10

5.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 $5.54

$2.43 CA$3.44

127.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.39 CA$3.38

107.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$157

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.91 CA$4.12

2.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.20 CA$1.69

17.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.86 $22.86

$21.38 CA$30.23

6.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.21 CA$1.71

-14.05%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

27.63%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$20.3K CA$28.6K

23.86%

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

$156 $156

$120 CA$170

29.87%

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

$50.5 $50.5

$32.26 CA$45.60

56.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.1 $79.1

$47.93 CA$67.8

64.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.37 $29.37

$38.48 CA$54.4

-23.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 CA$32.46

Cinema Ticket

$18.12 $18.12

$12.38 CA$17.50

46.37%

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

$1,918 $1,918

$830 CA$1,173

131.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.2K $32.2K

$23.1K CA$32.6K

39.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$50.7 CA$71.7

4.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.11 $45.11

$40.02 CA$56.6

12.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 $87.7

$98.0 CA$139

-10.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$121 CA$171

-10.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,255 $1,255

$1,592 CA$2,251

-21.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,512 $1,512

$1,410 CA$1,994

7.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,025 $2,025

$2,670 CA$3,775

-24.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,875 $2,875

$2,152 CA$3,042

33.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,239 $3,239

$7,945 CA$11.2K

-59.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 $2,372

$6,542 CA$9,249

-63.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,714 $3,714

$3,727 CA$5,269

-0.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

4.47

48.32%

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

Last update for Sterling: October 12, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sterling

$1.5K 53.6%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1% 6.7% $101

Groceries & Markets

Sterling

$473 16.8%

Toronto

$340 13.3% 28.2% $133

Eating Out

Sterling

$326 11.5%

Toronto

$278 10.9% 14.6% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sterling

$286 10.1%

Toronto

$201 7.8% 29.9% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Sterling

$132 4.7%

Toronto

$139 5.4% 5.6% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Sterling

$66 2.3%

Toronto

$63 2.5% 3.6% $2.4

Getting Around

Sterling

$30 * 1.1%

Toronto

$129 5.1% 333% $100

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,255 in Sterling versus $1,592 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 0% higher in Toronto, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Sterling versus $76.0 in Toronto. Groceries tell a different story – $473 in Sterling vs $340 in Toronto – so Toronto wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sterling

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

09:06 9:06 AM

1 h ahead of Sterling

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,782

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 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 →

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Between locations

Sterling Toronto 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Sterling
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

Sterling vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sterling costs about 10% more than Toronto, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,236 per month in Sterling and $3,841 in Toronto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,824 in Sterling and $2,561 in Toronto. That's a gap of about 10%.

Kindergarten costs $1,918 per month in Sterling and $830 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 Toronto, where all-in costs run around $2,561, than in Sterling at $2,824. In Toronto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sterling it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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