Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Burlington, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Burlington, IA: $1,769 a month against $2,610 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, IA
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Burlington, IA Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,610

/mo nomad

Burlington, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,769

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Burlington, IA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,610 in Toronto versus $1,769 in Burlington, IA.

Toronto $2,610
Burlington, IA $1,769

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,727 in Toronto versus $2,675 in Burlington, IA.

Toronto $3,727
Burlington, IA $2,675

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,844 in Toronto versus $3,580 in Burlington, IA.

Toronto $4,844
Burlington, IA $3,580

Living in Toronto is roughly 48% more expensive than in Burlington, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 93% above, Burlington, IA 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 CA$24.87

$11.35 $11.35

54.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 CA$111

$59.1 $59.1

33.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 CA$15.16

$8.84 $8.84

21.38%

Cappuccino

$4.09 CA$5.78

$4.74 $4.74

-13.71%

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

$2.10 CA$2.97

$1.95 $1.95

7.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 CA$2.43

$2.02 $2.02

-14.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.36 CA$8.99

$3.41 $3.41

86.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 CA$10.01

$4.58 $4.58

54.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.54 CA$3.59

$0.81 $0.81

213.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.82 $2.82

-3.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 CA$3.09

$4.34 $4.34

-49.77%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.13

$2.92 $2.92

24.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 CA$13.37

$11.37 $11.37

-16.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.32

$11.93 $11.93

-3.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.37 CA$20.32

$14.20 $14.20

1.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.23

$4.02 $4.02

-7.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$1.98 $1.98

-39.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.90

$4.61 $4.61

-24.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 CA$5.97

$4.65 $4.65

-9.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$2.74 $2.74

-34.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 CA$2.33

$2.60 $2.60

-36.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CA$3.11

$1.54 $1.54

42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$2.06 $2.06

-38.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 CA$19.75

$8.16 $8.16

71.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 CA$20.07

$16.29 $16.29

-12.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$1.89 $1.89

19.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 CA$3.58

$2.27 $2.27

11.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$1.94 $1.94

19.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

$15.76 $15.76

608.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$4.67 $4.67

-34.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.02 $1.02

19.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.69 CA$30.66

$22.19 $22.19

-2.25%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

15.00%

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

$21.1K CA$29.9K

$25.0K $25.0K

-15.45%

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

$120 CA$169

$184 $184

-35.02%

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

$32.21 CA$45.54

$47.16 $47.16

-31.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.88 CA$69.1

$59.2 $59.2

-17.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.34 CA$55.6

$42.42 $42.42

-7.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.58 CA$33.34

Cinema Ticket

$12.58 CA$17.79

$11.92 $11.92

5.54%

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

$832 CA$1,176

$1,210 $1,210

-31.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K CA$33.4K

$13.3K $13.3K

77.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 CA$73.9

$44.72 $44.72

16.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 CA$55.8

$30.53 $30.53

29.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 CA$140

$87.0 $87.0

13.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 CA$172

$37.90 $37.90

221.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 CA$2,306

$754 $754

116.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 CA$2,048

$707 $707

104.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,737 CA$3,869

$1,172 $1,172

133.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,129 CA$3,010

$1,280 $1,280

66.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,206 CA$11.6K

$1,026 $1,026

699.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,838 CA$9,666

$1,033 $1,033

562.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,520 CA$4,976

$4,446 $4,446

-20.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

6.54

-31.65%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 18, 2026

Last update for Burlington, IA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.5%

Burlington, IA

$707 40% 51.2% $742

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$343 13.1%

Burlington, IA

$366 20.7% 6.8% $23

Eating Out

Toronto

$283 10.9%

Burlington, IA

$216 12.2% 23.6% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.7%

Burlington, IA

$290 16.4% 44.7% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$141 5.4%

Burlington, IA

$90 5.1% 36% $51

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Burlington, IA

$33 1.9% 74.4% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$65 2.5%

Burlington, IA

$66 3.7% 2.7% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,631 in Toronto and $754 in Burlington, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington, IA pays 26% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $79.0 in Toronto vs $59.0 in Burlington, IA. Groceries flip the comparison at $343 vs $366, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇺🇸 Burlington, IA

🕒 Local time

20:25 8:25 PM

19:25 7:25 PM

1 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

44,743

💱 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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Toronto Burlington, IA 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Burlington, IA

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 Burlington, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burlington, IA wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Toronto. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Burlington, IA the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Burlington, IA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,631 in Toronto versus $754 in Burlington, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $832 in Toronto versus $1,210 in Burlington, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Toronto pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,769 in Burlington, IA versus $2,610 in Toronto, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Burlington, IA but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Burlington, IA 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 Burlington, IA 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 Burlington, IA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.