Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Bentota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bentota: $774 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $21,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Toronto
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,561
/mo nomad
Bentota
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$774
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Bentota

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,561 in Toronto versus $774 in Bentota.

  • Toronto $2,561
  • Bentota $774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,694 in Toronto versus $896 in Bentota.

  • Toronto $3,694
  • Bentota $896

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,826 in Toronto versus $1,018 in Bentota.

  • Toronto $4,826
  • Bentota $1,018

Living in Toronto is roughly 231% more expensive than in Bentota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toronto is 90% above, Bentota is 43% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Toronto
Bentota
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.18 CA$24.29
$4.29 LKR 1,421
300.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$76.0 CA$107
$11.97 LKR 3,965
534.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.54 CA$14.89
$7.73 LKR 2,560
36.35%
Cappuccino
$4.02 CA$5.68
$2.46 LKR 815
63.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 CA$3.00
$0.68 LKR 225
211.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 CA$2.48
$0.25 LKR 82.2
600.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.24 CA$8.83
$2.24 LKR 742
178.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.09 CA$10.02
$3.07 LKR 1,016
130.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Toronto
Bentota
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.44 CA$3.45
$1.62 LKR 535
50.62%
White Bread (500g)
$2.68 CA$3.78
$0.53 LKR 176
405.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 CA$3.17
$0.74 LKR 244
202.70%
Eggs
$3.56 CA$5.03
$1.56 LKR 518
128.21%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.09 CA$12.85
$14.03 LKR 4,648
-35.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.33 CA$16.01
$3.32 LKR 1,099
241.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.53 CA$20.55
$4.62 LKR 1,529
214.50%
Apples (1kg)
$3.62 CA$5.12
$6.81 LKR 2,257
-46.84%
Banana (1kg)
$1.21 CA$1.72
$0.73 LKR 241
65.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.60 CA$5.09
$4.59 LKR 1,519
-21.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.21 CA$5.96
$0.90 LKR 297
367.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.79 CA$2.53
$1.00 LKR 331
79.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 CA$2.25
$0.79 LKR 263
101.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.27 CA$3.21
$0.94 LKR 312
141.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 CA$1.77
$0.43 LKR 143
190.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.82 CA$19.53
$10.13 LKR 3,356
36.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.27 CA$20.18
$13.36 LKR 4,424
6.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.20 CA$3.10
$1.95 LKR 645
12.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 CA$3.44
$2.91 LKR 963
-16.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Toronto
Bentota
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.39 CA$3.38
$0.18 LKR 61.0
1227.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$111 CA$157
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 CA$4.12
$0.40 LKR 133
627.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.20 CA$1.69
$0.31 LKR 103
287.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.38 CA$30.23
$0.87 LKR 289
2357.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 CA$1.71
$1.39 LKR 461
-12.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K CA$39.8K
$37.2K LKR 12.3M
-24.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.3K CA$28.6K
$40.1K LKR 13.3M
-49.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
Bentota
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 CA$170
$54.0 LKR 17.9K
122.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.26 CA$45.60
$2.23 LKR 739
1346.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.93 CA$67.8
$9.03 LKR 2,990
430.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
Bentota
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
$4.28 LKR 1,417
189.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Toronto
Bentota
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$830 CA$1,173
$38.08 LKR 12.6K
2079.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.1K CA$32.6K
$1,230 LKR 407.3K
1777.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
Bentota
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.7 CA$71.7
$17.80 LKR 5,897
184.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.02 CA$56.6
$16.82 LKR 5,573
137.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.0 CA$139
$80.4 LKR 26.6K
21.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 CA$171
$42.09 LKR 13.9K
186.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Toronto
Bentota
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,592 CA$2,251
$541 LKR 179.2K
194.22%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,410 CA$1,994
$298 LKR 98.7K
373.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,670 CA$3,775
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,152 CA$3,042
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,945 CA$11.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,542 CA$9,249
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Toronto
Bentota
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,727 CA$5,269
-
-
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 Bentota: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Toronto
$1.4K
Bentota
$298 78.9% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Toronto
$340
Bentota
$220 35.2% $119
Eating Out
Toronto
$278
Bentota
$108 61.2% $170
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
$201
Bentota
$65 67.4% $135
Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
$139
Bentota
$71 49.2% $69
Getting Around
Toronto
$129
Bentota
$2.7 * 97.9% $127
Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
$63
Bentota
$8.6 * 86.5% $55

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 $541 in Bentota. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $76.0 in Toronto vs $12.00 in Bentota for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $220 per month, with Bentota cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Toronto
🇱🇰 Bentota
🕒 Local time
20:48 8:48 PM
06:18 6:18 AM
9 h 30 min ahead of Toronto
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,731,571
37,000
💱 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 Bentota 14,070 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Toronto
  • Bentota

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 Bentota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bentota cheaper than Toronto?
Bentota is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 231% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $3,841 in Toronto and $1,160 in Bentota to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Toronto and Bentota?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,592 in Toronto versus $541 in Bentota. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Toronto and in Bentota?
Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Toronto. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Toronto and in Bentota?
All in, you'll spend $2,561 per month in Toronto versus $774 in Bentota – a 231% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Toronto or in Bentota?
At $774 in Bentota versus $2,561 in Toronto, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bentota but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Bentota the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Toronto or in Bentota?
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 easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Bentota gentler on the wallet – expenses run 231% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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