Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tofino and Carlton

For one person, living is cheaper in Carlton: $2,253 a month against $2,373 in Tofino, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Tofino
Learn more

Tofino Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Carlton
Learn more

Carlton Living Index

Jump to prices

Tofino

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,373

/mo nomad

Carlton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,253

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tofino and in Carlton

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Tofino and in Carlton actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,373 in Tofino versus $2,253 in Carlton.

Tofino $2,373
Carlton $2,253

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,106 in Tofino versus $3,284 in Carlton.

Tofino $4,106
Carlton $3,284

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,838 in Tofino versus $4,315 in Carlton.

Tofino $5,838
Carlton $4,315

Living in Tofino is roughly 5% more expensive than in Carlton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tofino 75% above, Carlton 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.88 CA$26.69

$17.35 A$24.96

8.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 CA$97.5

$69.5 A$100.0

-0.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 CA$15.58

$10.19 A$14.66

8.15%

Cappuccino

$4.20 CA$5.94

$3.03 A$4.36

38.61%

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

$2.29 CA$3.24

$2.63 A$3.78

-12.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 CA$2.63

$2.11 A$3.04

-11.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 CA$7.87

$6.54 A$9.41

-14.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 CA$8.01

$6.57 A$9.46

-13.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 CA$2.99

$1.34 A$1.92

57.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 CA$4.22

$2.07 A$2.98

44.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.58

$1.34 A$1.92

194.78%

Eggs

$4.19 CA$5.93

$3.27 A$4.70

28.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.92 CA$14.03

$10.29 A$14.81

-3.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.15 CA$10.11

$9.98 A$14.37

-28.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.70 CA$15.12

$14.85 A$21.37

-27.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 CA$5.62

$3.28 A$4.72

21.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 CA$1.96

$2.84 A$4.09

-51.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.99 CA$5.64

$3.21 A$4.62

24.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.12 CA$5.82

$4.51 A$6.49

-8.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.49 CA$4.94

$2.47 A$3.55

41.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$2.14 A$3.08

31.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.16 CA$4.46

$2.17 A$3.13

45.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 CA$3.46

$0.90 A$1.30

172.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.96 CA$21.14

$25.29 A$36.39

-40.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.94 CA$21.12

$10.37 A$14.92

44.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 CA$5.52

$5.69 A$8.18

-31.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 CA$4.90

$5.21 A$7.50

-33.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 CA$3.19

$3.05 A$4.39

-25.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.5 CA$85.6

$82.2 A$118

-26.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 CA$3.71

$3.53 A$5.07

-25.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 CA$2.26

$1.23 A$1.77

30.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.92 CA$47.95

$26.49 A$38.12

28.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 CA$1.84

$1.30 A$1.88

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

$28.3K CA$40.0K

$18.1K A$26.1K

56.08%

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

$17.9K CA$25.4K

$14.0K A$20.1K

28.42%

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

$97.3 CA$138

$92.2 A$133

5.53%

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

$43.33 CA$61.3

$27.31 A$39.30

58.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.8 CA$87.4

$47.00 A$67.6

31.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.00 CA$58.0

$31.64 A$45.53

29.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.86 CA$25.25

$17.38 A$25.01

2.76%

Cinema Ticket

$10.36 CA$14.65

$13.20 A$19.00

-21.52%

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

$906 CA$1,281

$2,076 A$2,987

-56.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K CA$32.3K

$12.4K A$17.8K

85.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 CA$74.7

$79.3 A$114

-33.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.80 CA$63.3

$49.34 A$71.0

-9.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 CA$125

$69.7 A$100

27.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$150

$134 A$193

-20.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,270 CA$1,796

$1,395 A$2,007

-8.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 CA$1,762

$1,167 A$1,679

6.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,363 CA$4,754

$2,121 A$3,052

58.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,258 CA$4,606

$1,784 A$2,568

82.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,224 CA$5,972

$5,783 A$8,322

-26.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,578 CA$5,058

$4,967 A$7,148

-27.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,241 CA$1,755

$5,754 A$8,280

-78.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.31

5.9

-26.95%

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

Last update for Tofino: October 18, 2026

Last update for Carlton: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tofino

$1.2K 52.5%

Carlton

$1.2K 51.8% 6.4% $79

Groceries & Markets

Tofino

$360 15.2%

Carlton

$338 15% 6.3% $23

Eating Out

Tofino

$290 12.2%

Carlton

$271 12% 6.8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tofino

$202 8.5%

Carlton

$167 7.4% 17.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Tofino

$132 5.6%

Carlton

$150 6.6% 13.7% $18

Getting Around

Tofino

$80 3.4%

Carlton

$104 4.6% 29.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Tofino

$62 2.6%

Carlton

$58 2.6% 5.9% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,270 in Tofino and $1,395 in Carlton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carlton pays 364% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69.0 in Tofino vs $69.0 in Carlton. Groceries flip the comparison at $360 vs $338, with Carlton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Tofino

🇦🇺 Carlton

🕒 Local time

05:31 5:31 AM

23:31 11:31 PM

18 h ahead of Tofino

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,200

19,001

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tofino Carlton 13,020 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Tofino
Carlton

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

Tofino vs Carlton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tofino and Carlton differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,373 vs $2,253 including rent). Carlton is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 364% lower in Carlton. 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: $1,270 in Tofino versus $1,395 in Carlton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $906 in Tofino versus $2,076 in Carlton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Tofino. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,253 in Carlton versus $2,373 in Tofino, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Carlton but tight or insufficient in Tofino. The gap between the two cities makes Carlton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Tofino and Carlton are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Carlton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Tofino. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.