Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Barrie

For one person, living is cheaper in Barrie: $2,524 a month against $2,589 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $780 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Barrie
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Barrie Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,589

/mo nomad

Barrie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Barrie

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,589 in Toronto versus $2,524 in Barrie.

Toronto $2,589
Barrie $2,524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,710 in Toronto versus $3,461 in Barrie.

Toronto $3,710
Barrie $3,461

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,831 in Toronto versus $4,399 in Barrie.

Toronto $4,831
Barrie $4,399

Living in Toronto is roughly 3% more expensive than in Barrie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 90% above, Barrie 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.60 CA$24.60

$14.47 CA$20.22

21.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.8 CA$109

$56.1 CA$78.4

38.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.80

$11.27 CA$15.75

-6.03%

Cappuccino

$4.16 CA$5.81

$3.75 CA$5.24

10.93%

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

$2.04 CA$2.86

$1.91 CA$2.67

6.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.45

$1.44 CA$2.01

21.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 CA$9.19

$4.92 CA$6.87

33.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 CA$9.94

$5.62 CA$7.85

26.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 CA$3.54

$2.08 CA$2.90

21.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 CA$3.78

$2.45 CA$3.43

10.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.13

$2.69 CA$3.76

-16.73%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.87

$3.12 CA$4.36

11.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.38 CA$13.10

$10.00 CA$13.98

-6.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.60 CA$16.21

$14.19 CA$19.83

-18.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.68 CA$20.52

$22.64 CA$31.64

-35.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.23

$3.98 CA$5.57

-6.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 CA$1.71

$1.19 CA$1.66

2.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.86

$3.18 CA$4.44

9.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 CA$6.04

$3.86 CA$5.39

11.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.59

$1.11 CA$1.56

66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.36

$1.37 CA$1.91

23.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 CA$3.11

$2.09 CA$2.93

6.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CA$1.78

$1.63 CA$2.27

-21.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.04 CA$19.63

$11.46 CA$16.02

22.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.43 CA$20.16

$10.20 CA$14.26

41.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 CA$3.01

$2.53 CA$3.53

-14.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.53

$2.16 CA$3.02

16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 CA$3.31

$2.45 CA$3.42

-3.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$157

$63.6 CA$88.9

76.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 CA$4.25

$3.64 CA$5.09

-16.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 CA$1.73

$1.05 CA$1.46

18.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.55 CA$31.52

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.14 CA$1.59

8.77%

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

$26.9K CA$37.6K

$26.0K CA$36.3K

3.46%

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

$21.4K CA$29.9K

$23.0K CA$32.1K

-6.99%

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

$125 CA$174

$234 CA$327

-46.72%

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

$33.05 CA$46.20

$35.10 CA$49.06

-5.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.96 CA$67.0

$77.8 CA$109

-38.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.69 CA$51.3

$30.88 CA$43.17

18.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.67 CA$33.08

$35.49 CA$49.60

-33.31%

Cinema Ticket

$13.08 CA$18.28

$12.70 CA$17.74

2.99%

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

$759 CA$1,061

$1,434 CA$2,005

-47.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K CA$33.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$74.8

$63.0 CA$88.1

-15.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 CA$56.5

$45.09 CA$63.0

-10.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 CA$140

$150 CA$210

-33.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 CA$175

$85.8 CA$120

46.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 CA$2,278

$1,459 CA$2,039

11.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 CA$1,979

$1,272 CA$1,778

11.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,694 CA$3,765

$2,034 CA$2,843

32.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,101 CA$2,936

$1,731 CA$2,420

21.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,551 CA$10.6K

$5,201 CA$7,270

45.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,674 CA$9,328

$4,101 CA$5,732

62.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 CA$4,952

$3,071 CA$4,292

15.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.45

4.68

-4.91%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barrie: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 54.7%

Barrie

$1.3K 50.4% 10.2% $144

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$345 13.3%

Barrie

$368 14.6% 6.7% $23

Eating Out

Toronto

$285 11%

Barrie

$244 9.7% 14.4% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$206 7.9%

Barrie

$347 13.7% 68.7% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$144 5.6%

Barrie

$155 6.1% 7.7% $11

Getting Around

Toronto

$131 5.1%

Barrie

$82 3.3% 37.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.4%

Barrie

$56 2.2% 10.5% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,630 in Toronto and $1,459 in Barrie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 15% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $78 in Toronto vs $56 in Barrie. Groceries flip the comparison at $345 vs $368, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇦 Barrie

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

Same time as Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

141,434

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Barrie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,589 in Toronto and $2,524 in Barrie, so Barrie is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 15% 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: $1,630 in Toronto versus $1,459 in Barrie. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Barrie runs roughly 43% less than in Toronto. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $759 in Toronto versus $1,434 in Barrie. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Barrie gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

It comes down to priorities – Barrie wins on affordability, Toronto on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.