Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Badulla

For one person, living is cheaper in Badulla: $543 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $24,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Toronto
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,561
/mo nomad
Badulla
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$543
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Badulla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,561 in Toronto versus $543 in Badulla.

  • Toronto $2,561
  • Badulla $543

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,694 in Toronto versus $877 in Badulla.

  • Toronto $3,694
  • Badulla $877

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,826 in Toronto versus $1,211 in Badulla.

  • Toronto $4,826
  • Badulla $1,211

Living in Toronto is roughly 371% more expensive than in Badulla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toronto is 90% above, Badulla is 60% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Toronto
Badulla
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.18 CA$24.29
$3.88 LKR 1,287
342.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$76.0 CA$107
$25.05 LKR 8,298
203.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.54 CA$14.89
$7.37 LKR 2,442
43.01%
Cappuccino
$4.02 CA$5.68
$2.55 LKR 844
57.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 CA$3.00
$0.71 LKR 236
198.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 CA$2.48
$0.27 LKR 89.5
548.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.24 CA$8.83
$2.22 LKR 735
181.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.09 CA$10.02
$3.07 LKR 1,015
130.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Toronto
Badulla
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.44 CA$3.45
$1.55 LKR 514
57.42%
White Bread (500g)
$2.68 CA$3.78
$0.53 LKR 174
405.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 CA$3.17
$0.60 LKR 199
273.33%
Eggs
$3.56 CA$5.03
$1.66 LKR 551
114.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.09 CA$12.85
$13.97 LKR 4,627
-34.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.33 CA$16.01
$3.56 LKR 1,178
218.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.53 CA$20.55
$7.62 LKR 2,522
90.68%
Apples (1kg)
$3.62 CA$5.12
$6.65 LKR 2,202
-45.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.21 CA$1.72
$0.87 LKR 288
39.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.60 CA$5.09
$4.35 LKR 1,440
-17.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.21 CA$5.96
$1.33 LKR 439
216.54%
Potato (1kg)
$1.79 CA$2.53
$0.99 LKR 329
80.81%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 CA$2.25
$0.77 LKR 255
106.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.27 CA$3.21
$0.87 LKR 287
160.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 CA$1.77
$0.45 LKR 151
177.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.82 CA$19.53
$10.13 LKR 3,354
36.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.27 CA$20.18
$12.74 LKR 4,221
12.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.20 CA$3.10
$1.90 LKR 628
15.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 CA$3.44
$2.93 LKR 971
-17.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Toronto
Badulla
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.39 CA$3.38
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$111 CA$157
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 CA$4.12
$0.38 LKR 125
665.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.20 CA$1.69
$0.37 LKR 123
224.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.38 CA$30.23
$0.88 LKR 293
2329.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 CA$1.71
$1.38 LKR 456
-12.32%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K CA$39.8K
$36.5K LKR 12.1M
-22.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.3K CA$28.6K
$40.7K LKR 13.5M
-50.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
Badulla
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 CA$170
$57.9 LKR 19.2K
108.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.26 CA$45.60
$4.31 LKR 1,429
648.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.93 CA$67.8
$21.13 LKR 6,998
126.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
Badulla
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.48 CA$54.4
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.96 CA$32.46
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.38 CA$17.50
$4.49 LKR 1,488
175.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Toronto
Badulla
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$830 CA$1,173
$38.34 LKR 12.7K
2064.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.1K CA$32.6K
$1,205 LKR 399.2K
1815.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
Badulla
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.7 CA$71.7
$18.44 LKR 6,108
175.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.02 CA$56.6
$16.32 LKR 5,405
145.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.0 CA$139
$80.2 LKR 26.6K
22.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 CA$171
$41.30 LKR 13.7K
192.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Toronto
Badulla
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,592 CA$2,251
$76.1 LKR 25.2K
1993.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,410 CA$1,994
$44.45 LKR 14.7K
3072.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,670 CA$3,775
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,152 CA$3,042
$89.9 LKR 29.8K
2294.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,945 CA$11.2K
$4,542 LKR 1.5M
74.95%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,542 CA$9,249
$742 LKR 245.8K
781.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Toronto
Badulla
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,727 CA$5,269
$224 LKR 74.3K
1560.57%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.47
12.69
-64.78%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Last update for Badulla: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Toronto
$1.4K
Badulla
$44 96.8% $1.4K
Groceries & Markets
Toronto
$340
Badulla
$229 32.5% $111
Eating Out
Toronto
$278
Badulla
$105 62.3% $173
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
$201
Badulla
$83 58.5% $117
Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
$139
Badulla
$70 49.5% $69
Getting Around
Toronto
$129
Badulla
$2.2 * 98.3% $127
Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
$63
Badulla
$9 * 85.8% $54

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 $1,592 in Toronto and $76.1 in Badulla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 1561% 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: $76.0 in Toronto vs $25.00 in Badulla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $229 per month, with Badulla cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Toronto
🇱🇰 Badulla
🕒 Local time
08:12 8:12 AM
17:42 5:42 PM
9 h 30 min ahead of Toronto
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,731,571
110,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

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).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Toronto Badulla 14,050 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Toronto
  • Badulla

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 Badulla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Badulla cheaper than Toronto?
Badulla is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 371% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Toronto or Badulla?
Average pay runs 1561% higher in Toronto, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Toronto and Badulla?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,592 in Toronto versus $76.1 in Badulla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $830 in Toronto versus $38.34 in Badulla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Toronto or in Badulla?
Dining out is cheaper in Badulla – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $76.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Toronto or in Badulla?
At $543 in Badulla versus $2,561 in Toronto, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Badulla but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Badulla the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Toronto or in Badulla?
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.
Which city is safer, Toronto or Badulla?
Safety-wise, Toronto and Badulla are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Badulla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 371% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Toronto vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?