Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Toronto: $2,561 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $2,561 in Toronto, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Toronto $2,561

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $3,694 in Toronto, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Toronto $3,694

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $4,826 in Toronto, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Toronto $4,826

Sydney costs about 23% more than Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Sydney and Toronto sit above the global median – Sydney by 133%, Toronto by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$17.18 CA$24.29

2.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$76.0 CA$107

20.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$10.54 CA$14.89

13.47%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$4.02 CA$5.68

1.24%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$2.12 CA$3.00

34.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$1.75 CA$2.48

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$6.24 CA$8.83

21.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$7.09 CA$10.02

4.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$2.44 CA$3.45

-31.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$2.68 CA$3.78

3.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$2.24 CA$3.17

8.04%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$3.56 CA$5.03

58.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$9.09 CA$12.85

28.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$11.33 CA$16.01

-14.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$14.53 CA$20.55

15.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.62 CA$5.12

12.43%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.21 CA$1.72

168.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$3.60 CA$5.09

-4.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$4.21 CA$5.96

1.66%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.79 CA$2.53

83.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.59 CA$2.25

44.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$2.27 CA$3.21

1.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$1.25 CA$1.77

-3.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$13.82 CA$19.53

216.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$14.27 CA$20.18

-2.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$2.20 CA$3.10

77.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$2.43 CA$3.44

60.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$2.39 CA$3.38

27.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$111 CA$157

35.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$2.91 CA$4.12

16.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$1.20 CA$1.69

30.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$21.38 CA$30.23

87.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.21 CA$1.71

15.70%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

3.37%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$20.3K CA$28.6K

48.75%

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

$223 A$320

$120 CA$170

84.96%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$32.26 CA$45.60

-15.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$47.93 CA$67.8

16.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$38.48 CA$54.4

93.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$22.96 CA$32.46

4.49%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$12.38 CA$17.50

41.84%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$830 CA$1,173

164.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$23.1K CA$32.6K

22.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$50.7 CA$71.7

54.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$40.02 CA$56.6

71.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$98.0 CA$139

13.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$121 CA$171

11.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$1,592 CA$2,251

57.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$1,410 CA$1,994

21.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$2,670 CA$3,775

85.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$2,152 CA$3,042

40.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$7,945 CA$11.2K

65.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$6,542 CA$9,249

27.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$3,727 CA$5,269

10.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

4.47

30.65%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1% 17.5% $299

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Toronto

$340 13.3% 10.2% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Toronto

$201 7.8% 34.4% $105

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Toronto

$278 10.9% 6.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Toronto

$139 5.4% 21.2% $37

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Toronto

$129 5.1% 25.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Toronto

$63 2.5% 42.4% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney 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 10% higher in Sydney, 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 $91.0 in Sydney versus $76.0 in Toronto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $340 – making Toronto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

02:37 2:37 AM

11:37 11:37 AM

15 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

2,731,571

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 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).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Sydney Toronto 15,570 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
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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 vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $2,561 in Toronto – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney and $76.0 in Toronto. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,152 in Sydney and $2,561 in Toronto. That's a gap of about 23%.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,152 in Sydney and $2,561 in Toronto. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.