Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Burnaby

For one person, living is cheaper in Toronto: $2,589 a month against $2,678 in Burnaby, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Burnaby despite lower rent and utilities.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Burnaby
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Burnaby Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,589

/mo nomad

Burnaby

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Burnaby

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,589 in Toronto versus $2,678 in Burnaby.

Toronto $2,589
Burnaby $2,678

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,710 in Toronto versus $3,827 in Burnaby.

Toronto $3,710
Burnaby $3,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,831 in Toronto versus $4,976 in Burnaby.

Toronto $4,831
Burnaby $4,976

Living in Toronto costs roughly 3% less than in Burnaby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 90% above, Burnaby 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.60 CA$24.70

$21.23 CA$29.79

-17.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.8 CA$109

$86.5 CA$121

-10.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.86

$9.53 CA$13.37

11.12%

Cappuccino

$4.16 CA$5.83

$4.67 CA$6.56

-10.92%

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

$2.04 CA$2.87

$2.45 CA$3.44

-16.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.46

$1.80 CA$2.52

-2.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 CA$9.23

$8.57 CA$12.03

-23.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 CA$9.98

$6.18 CA$8.67

15.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 CA$3.56

$2.34 CA$3.28

8.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 CA$3.79

$2.76 CA$3.88

-2.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.14

$3.52 CA$4.95

-36.36%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.89

$3.17 CA$4.45

9.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.38 CA$13.16

$14.05 CA$19.72

-33.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.60 CA$16.28

$14.07 CA$19.75

-17.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.68 CA$20.61

$25.31 CA$35.52

-42.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.26

$4.42 CA$6.20

-15.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.28 CA$1.80

-4.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.88

$4.61 CA$6.47

-24.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 CA$6.07

$4.61 CA$6.48

-6.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.60

$2.81 CA$3.95

-34.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.37

$3.54 CA$4.96

-52.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 CA$3.13

$2.74 CA$3.84

-18.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CA$1.79

$2.10 CA$2.95

-39.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.04 CA$19.71

$14.23 CA$19.96

-1.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.43 CA$20.25

$13.39 CA$18.79

7.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 CA$3.03

$2.05 CA$2.88

5.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.54

$2.33 CA$3.27

8.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 CA$3.32

$2.54 CA$3.56

-6.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

$81.6 CA$115

37.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 CA$4.27

$2.88 CA$4.04

5.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.51 CA$2.12

-17.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.55 CA$31.65

$26.45 CA$37.12

-14.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.75

$1.37 CA$1.92

-9.49%

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

$26.9K CA$37.8K

$28.5K CA$40.1K

-5.75%

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

$21.4K CA$30.0K

$20.9K CA$29.4K

2.11%

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

$125 CA$175

$126 CA$177

-1.28%

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

$33.05 CA$46.39

$44.96 CA$63.1

-26.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.96 CA$67.3

$52.7 CA$74.0

-9.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.69 CA$51.5

$31.23 CA$43.83

17.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.67 CA$33.22

$10.52 CA$14.77

125.00%

Cinema Ticket

$13.08 CA$18.35

$14.23 CA$19.97

-8.08%

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

$759 CA$1,065

$649 CA$910

16.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K CA$33.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$75.1

$52.2 CA$73.3

2.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 CA$56.8

$51.4 CA$72.1

-21.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 CA$141

$103 CA$145

-2.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 CA$176

$79.0 CA$111

58.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 CA$2,287

$1,693 CA$2,376

-3.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 CA$1,987

$1,406 CA$1,973

0.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,694 CA$3,781

$2,623 CA$3,681

2.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,101 CA$2,949

$1,985 CA$2,786

5.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,551 CA$10.6K

$6,886 CA$9,663

9.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,674 CA$9,366

$5,338 CA$7,491

25.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 CA$4,973

$3,149 CA$4,419

12.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.45

4.76

-6.51%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 26, 2026

Last update for Burnaby: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 54.7%

Burnaby

$1.4K 52.5% 0.7% $9.7

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$345 13.3%

Burnaby

$431 16.1% 25% $86

Eating Out

Toronto

$285 11%

Burnaby

$327 12.2% 14.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$206 7.9%

Burnaby

$224 8.4% 8.9% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$144 5.6%

Burnaby

$129 4.8% 10.5% $15

Getting Around

Toronto

$131 5.1%

Burnaby

$102 3.8% 22.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.4%

Burnaby

$60 2.2% 5% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,630 in Toronto and $1,693 in Burnaby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $78 in Toronto vs $87 in Burnaby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $345 vs $431 per month, with Toronto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇦 Burnaby

🕒 Local time

18:15 6:15 PM

15:15 3:15 PM

3 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

249,125

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Toronto Burnaby 3,350 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Burnaby

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 Burnaby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,589 in Toronto and $2,678 in Burnaby, so Toronto is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 13% 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 $1,693 in Burnaby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $759 in Toronto versus $649 in Burnaby. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Burnaby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Toronto is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.