Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney, NS and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Sydney, NS: $1,614 a month against $2,610 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sydney, NS
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Sydney, NS Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Sydney, NS

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,614

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,610

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Sydney, NS vs $2,610 in Toronto, rent included.

Sydney, NS $1,614
Toronto $2,610

A couple spends around $2,535 per month in Sydney, NS vs $3,727 in Toronto, rent included.

Sydney, NS $2,535
Toronto $3,727

A family of three spends $3,456 per month in Sydney, NS vs $4,844 in Toronto, rent included.

Sydney, NS $3,456
Toronto $4,844

Sydney, NS is about 38% cheaper than Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sydney, NS and Toronto sit above the global median – Sydney, NS by 19%, Toronto by 93%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.13 CA$15.74

$17.59 CA$24.87

-36.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 CA$88.0

$78.8 CA$111

-21.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.16 CA$10.12

$10.73 CA$15.16

-33.27%

Cappuccino

$2.87 CA$4.06

$4.09 CA$5.78

-29.83%

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

$2.33 CA$3.30

$2.10 CA$2.97

10.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 CA$2.92

$1.72 CA$2.43

20.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.36 CA$8.99

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 CA$10.01

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 CA$3.04

$2.54 CA$3.59

-15.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 CA$3.61

$2.72 CA$3.85

-5.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 CA$3.41

$2.18 CA$3.09

10.55%

Eggs

$3.32 CA$4.69

$3.63 CA$5.13

-8.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.27 CA$8.87

$9.46 CA$13.37

-33.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.23 CA$11.63

$11.54 CA$16.32

-28.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 CA$18.36

$14.37 CA$20.32

-9.60%

Apples (1kg)

$7.01 CA$9.91

$3.70 CA$5.23

89.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 CA$1.63

$1.19 CA$1.68

-2.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.90

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.95

$4.22 CA$5.97

-67.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 CA$1.18

$1.79 CA$2.52

-53.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.68

$1.65 CA$2.33

15.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$6.30 CA$8.90

$2.20 CA$3.11

186.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.78

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.78 CA$25.14

$13.97 CA$19.75

27.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 CA$20.07

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 CA$3.18

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 CA$5.92

$2.53 CA$3.58

65.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 CA$1.53

$2.32 CA$3.28

-53.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.48 CA$68.5

$112 CA$158

-56.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.15 CA$5.87

$3.06 CA$4.33

35.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 CA$1.72

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.69 CA$30.66

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 CA$1.70

$1.21 CA$1.72

-0.83%

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

$25.7K CA$36.4K

$26.1K CA$37.0K

-1.51%

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

$19.1K CA$27.1K

$21.1K CA$29.9K

-9.35%

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

$86.3 CA$122

$120 CA$169

-27.86%

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

$36.04 CA$51.0

$32.21 CA$45.54

11.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.3 CA$104

$48.88 CA$69.1

50.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.94 CA$70.6

$39.34 CA$55.6

26.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.45 CA$4.88

$23.58 CA$33.34

-85.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.04 CA$9.96

$12.58 CA$17.79

-44.04%

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

$721 CA$1,020

$832 CA$1,176

-13.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K CA$33.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.1 CA$96.3

$52.3 CA$73.9

30.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.2 CA$95.1

$39.44 CA$55.8

70.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 CA$141

$99.0 CA$140

0.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$148

$122 CA$172

-13.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$893 CA$1,262

$1,631 CA$2,306

-45.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 CA$1,024

$1,448 CA$2,048

-50.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,753 CA$2,479

$2,737 CA$3,869

-35.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 CA$1,943

$2,129 CA$3,010

-35.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,206 CA$11.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,838 CA$9,666

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,527 CA$3,573

$3,520 CA$4,976

-28.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.8

4.47

29.75%

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

Last update for Sydney, NS: 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

Sydney, NS

$724 44.9%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.5% 100% $724

Groceries & Markets

Sydney, NS

$258 * 16%

Toronto

$343 13.1% 33.1% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney, NS

$196 12.1%

Toronto

$201 7.7% 2.6% $5

Eating Out

Sydney, NS

$163 * 10.1%

Toronto

$283 10.9% 74.1% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney, NS

$153 9.5%

Toronto

$141 5.4% 8.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney, NS

$64 4%

Toronto

$65 2.5% 0.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Sydney, NS

$57 * 3.5%

Toronto

$130 5% 128% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $893 in Sydney, NS 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 39% 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 $62.0 in Sydney, NS versus $79.0 in Toronto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $343 – making Sydney, NS the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Sydney, NS

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

00:15 12:15 AM

23:15 11:15 PM

1 h behind Sydney, NS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,960

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

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney, NS Toronto 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney, NS
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

Sydney, NS vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto costs about 62% more than Sydney, NS, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Sydney, NS 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 Sydney, NS, 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 $1,614 in Sydney, NS and $2,610 in Toronto. That's a gap of about 62%.

Public transport costs about 130% less in Sydney, NS. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sydney, NS, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Toronto at $2,610. In Sydney, NS it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sydney, NS – 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 Sydney, NS. 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.