Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Alert

For one person, living is cheaper in Alert: $2,220 a month against $2,610 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
108

Cost of Living Index in Alert
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Alert Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,610

/mo nomad

Alert

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,220

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Alert

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 Alert actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,610 per month in Toronto vs $2,220 in Alert, rent included.

Toronto $2,610
Alert $2,220

A couple spends around $3,727 per month in Toronto vs $3,195 in Alert, rent included.

Toronto $3,727
Alert $3,195

A family of three spends $4,844 per month in Toronto vs $4,171 in Alert, rent included.

Toronto $4,844
Alert $4,171

Toronto costs about 18% more than Alert, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Toronto and Alert sit above the global median – Toronto by 93%, Alert by 64%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 CA$24.87

$17.69 CA$25.01

-0.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 CA$111

$65.0 CA$91.9

21.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 CA$15.16

$10.53 CA$14.89

1.90%

Cappuccino

$4.09 CA$5.78

$3.51 CA$4.96

16.52%

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

$2.10 CA$2.97

$2.01 CA$2.84

4.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 CA$2.43

$1.56 CA$2.20

10.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.36 CA$8.99

$5.34 CA$7.54

19.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 CA$10.01

$5.58 CA$7.89

26.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.54 CA$3.59

$2.05 CA$2.89

23.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.45 CA$3.46

11.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 CA$3.09

$3.29 CA$4.64

-33.74%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.13

$3.42 CA$4.84

6.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 CA$13.37

$9.50 CA$13.43

-0.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.32

$11.41 CA$16.13

1.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.37 CA$20.32

$14.63 CA$20.68

-1.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.23

$3.85 CA$5.44

-3.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$1.27 CA$1.79

-6.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.90

$3.69 CA$5.22

-6.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 CA$5.97

$3.71 CA$5.25

13.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$2.44 CA$3.45

-26.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 CA$2.33

$2.24 CA$3.17

-26.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CA$3.11

$2.36 CA$3.34

-6.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.55 CA$2.19

-18.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 CA$19.75

$14.25 CA$20.14

-1.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 CA$20.07

$12.40 CA$17.53

14.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$2.61 CA$3.69

-13.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 CA$3.58

$2.96 CA$4.19

-14.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$2.25 CA$3.18

3.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

$61.2 CA$86.5

82.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$2.88 CA$4.07

6.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.43 CA$2.02

-14.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.69 CA$30.66

$22.87 CA$32.33

-5.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.17 CA$1.66

3.42%

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

$26.1K CA$37.0K

$27.3K CA$38.6K

-4.15%

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

$21.1K CA$29.9K

$19.3K CA$27.3K

9.22%

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

$120 CA$169

$132 CA$186

-9.28%

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

$32.21 CA$45.54

$37.42 CA$52.9

-13.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.88 CA$69.1

$54.2 CA$76.7

-9.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.34 CA$55.6

$40.55 CA$57.3

-2.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.58 CA$33.34

$17.87 CA$25.26

31.95%

Cinema Ticket

$12.58 CA$17.79

$11.20 CA$15.84

12.32%

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

$832 CA$1,176

$752 CA$1,063

10.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K CA$33.4K

$13.2K CA$18.7K

78.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 CA$73.9

$53.0 CA$74.9

-1.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 CA$55.8

$38.42 CA$54.3

2.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 CA$140

$83.8 CA$118

18.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 CA$172

$103 CA$145

18.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 CA$2,306

$1,220 CA$1,725

33.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 CA$2,048

$1,116 CA$1,577

29.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,737 CA$3,869

$1,940 CA$2,743

41.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,129 CA$3,010

$1,667 CA$2,357

27.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,206 CA$11.6K

$4,131 CA$5,840

98.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,838 CA$9,666

$3,514 CA$4,968

94.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,520 CA$4,976

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

4.66

-4.08%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 18, 2026

Last update for Alert: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.5%

Alert

$1.1K 50.3% 23% $333

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$343 13.1%

Alert

$345 15.5% 0.6% $2.1

Eating Out

Toronto

$283 10.9%

Alert

$267 12% 5.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.7%

Alert

$224 10.1% 11.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$141 5.4%

Alert

$125 5.6% 11.1% $16

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Alert

$80 3.6% 38.4% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$65 2.5%

Alert

$63 2.8% 2.4% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,631 in Toronto versus $1,220 in Alert. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Toronto versus $65.0 in Alert. Groceries tell a different story – $343 in Toronto vs $345 in Alert – so Toronto wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇦 Alert

🕒 Local time

09:27 9:27 AM

Same time as Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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

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Between locations

Toronto Alert 4,360 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Alert

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 Alert: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,610 in Toronto, $2,220 in Alert – roughly 18% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,916 per month in Toronto and $3,330 in Alert. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Toronto – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Toronto and $65.0 in Alert. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Alert, where all-in costs run around $2,220, than in Toronto at $2,610. In Alert it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Alert – 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 Alert. 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.