Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Albert Lea, MN

For one person, living is cheaper in Albert Lea, MN: $1,944 a month against $2,610 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Albert Lea, MN
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Albert Lea, MN Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,610

/mo nomad

Albert Lea, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$1,944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Albert Lea, MN

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,610 in Toronto versus $1,944 in Albert Lea, MN.

Toronto $2,610
Albert Lea, MN $1,944

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,727 in Toronto versus $2,969 in Albert Lea, MN.

Toronto $3,727
Albert Lea, MN $2,969

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,844 in Toronto versus $3,995 in Albert Lea, MN.

Toronto $4,844
Albert Lea, MN $3,995

Living in Toronto is roughly 34% more expensive than in Albert Lea, MN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 93% above, Albert Lea, MN 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 CA$24.87

$20.02 $20.02

-12.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 CA$111

$102 $102

-22.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 CA$15.16

$11.92 $11.92

-9.98%

Cappuccino

$4.09 CA$5.78

$6.29 $6.29

-34.98%

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

$2.10 CA$2.97

$3.06 $3.06

-31.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 CA$2.43

$2.56 $2.56

-32.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.36 CA$8.99

$4.88 $4.88

30.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 CA$10.01

$5.69 $5.69

24.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.54 CA$3.59

$0.92 $0.92

176.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.93 $2.93

-7.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 CA$3.09

$2.17 $2.17

0.46%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.13

$3.90 $3.90

-6.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 CA$13.37

$8.84 $8.84

7.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.32

$16.56 $16.56

-30.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.37 CA$20.32

$18.96 $18.96

-24.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.23

$5.40 $5.40

-31.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$1.50 $1.50

-20.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.90

$4.89 $4.89

-29.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 CA$5.97

$3.72 $3.72

13.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$2.73 $2.73

-34.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 CA$2.33

$2.22 $2.22

-25.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CA$3.11

$2.70 $2.70

-18.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$2.30 $2.30

-45.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 CA$19.75

$9.92 $9.92

40.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 CA$20.07

$15.24 $15.24

-6.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$1.74 $1.74

29.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 CA$3.58

$3.39 $3.39

-25.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$2.09 $2.09

11.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$1.95 $1.95

56.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.28 $1.28

-4.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.69 CA$30.66

$20.31 $20.31

6.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$0.94 $0.94

28.72%

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

$26.1K CA$37.0K

$26.7K $26.7K

-2.00%

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

$21.1K CA$29.9K

$25.6K $25.6K

-17.48%

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

$120 CA$169

$185 $185

-35.22%

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

$32.21 CA$45.54

$53.4 $53.4

-39.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.88 CA$69.1

$79.6 $79.6

-38.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.34 CA$55.6

$39.66 $39.66

-0.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.58 CA$33.34

Cinema Ticket

$12.58 CA$17.79

$9.82 $9.82

28.11%

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

$832 CA$1,176

$1,350 $1,350

-38.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K CA$33.4K

$11.9K $11.9K

97.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 CA$73.9

$45.76 $45.76

14.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 CA$55.8

$24.54 $24.54

60.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 CA$140

$50.6 $50.6

95.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 CA$172

$59.6 $59.6

104.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 CA$2,306

$1,030 $1,030

58.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 CA$2,048

$739 $739

95.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,737 CA$3,869

$1,586 $1,586

72.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,129 CA$3,010

$1,188 $1,188

79.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,206 CA$11.6K

$2,942 $2,942

178.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,838 CA$9,666

$2,028 $2,028

237.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,520 CA$4,976

$2,957 $2,957

19.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

6.57

-31.96%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 18, 2026

Last update for Albert Lea, MN: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.5%

Albert Lea, MN

$739 38% 49% $709

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$343 13.1%

Albert Lea, MN

$400 20.6% 16.7% $57

Eating Out

Toronto

$283 10.9%

Albert Lea, MN

$330 17% 16.4% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.7%

Albert Lea, MN

$318 16.3% 58.3% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$141 5.4%

Albert Lea, MN

$81 4.2% 42.2% $59

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Albert Lea, MN

$17 * 0.9% 87.2% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$65 2.5%

Albert Lea, MN

$59 3.1% 8.1% $5.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,631 in Toronto and $1,030 in Albert Lea, MN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 19% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $79.0 in Toronto vs $102 in Albert Lea, MN for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $343 vs $400 per month, with Toronto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇺🇸 Albert Lea, MN

🕒 Local time

10:43 10:43 AM

09:43 9:43 AM

1 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

17,758

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Toronto Albert Lea, MN 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Albert Lea, MN

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

Toronto vs Albert Lea, MN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto and Albert Lea, MN differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($2,610 vs $1,944 including rent). Albert Lea, MN is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 19% higher in Toronto, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,631 in Toronto versus $1,030 in Albert Lea, MN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $832 in Toronto versus $1,350 in Albert Lea, MN. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Albert Lea, MN – a meal for two runs $102 versus $79.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,944 in Albert Lea, MN versus $2,610 in Toronto, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Albert Lea, MN but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Albert Lea, MN 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, Toronto and Albert Lea, MN 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 Albert Lea, MN gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.