Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Edinburgh

For one person, living costs are similar in Toronto and in Edinburgh: $2,589 and $2,645 a month, rent and utilities included.

Toronto, Canada
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Toronto
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,589
/mo nomad
Edinburgh
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,645
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Edinburgh

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

A single person spends $2,589 per month in Toronto vs $2,645 in Edinburgh, rent included.

  • Toronto $2,589
  • Edinburgh $2,645

A couple spends around $3,710 per month in Toronto vs $4,021 in Edinburgh, rent included.

  • Toronto $3,710
  • Edinburgh $4,021

A family of three spends $4,831 per month in Toronto vs $5,397 in Edinburgh, rent included.

  • Toronto $4,831
  • Edinburgh $5,397

Toronto and Edinburgh have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Toronto and Edinburgh sit above the global median – Toronto by 90%, Edinburgh by 94%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Toronto
Edinburgh
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.60 CA$24.70
$24.35 £18.32
-27.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.8 CA$109
$105 £79.2
-26.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.59 CA$14.86
$10.47 £7.88
1.15%
Cappuccino
$4.16 CA$5.83
$5.02 £3.78
-17.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 CA$2.87
$2.41 £1.82
-15.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 CA$2.46
$2.19 £1.65
-20.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.58 CA$9.23
$8.04 £6.05
-18.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.11 CA$9.98
$7.91 £5.95
-10.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Toronto
Edinburgh
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.53 CA$3.56
$1.75 £1.32
44.57%
White Bread (500g)
$2.70 CA$3.79
$2.33 £1.75
15.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 CA$3.14
$2.35 £1.77
-4.68%
Eggs
$3.48 CA$4.89
$5.13 £3.86
-32.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.38 CA$13.16
$9.05 £6.81
3.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.60 CA$16.28
$9.26 £6.97
25.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.68 CA$20.61
$16.17 £12.17
-9.21%
Apples (1kg)
$3.74 CA$5.26
$3.05 £2.29
22.62%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 CA$1.72
$1.87 £1.41
-34.76%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.48 CA$4.88
$3.35 £2.52
3.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.32 CA$6.07
$3.75 £2.83
15.20%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 CA$2.60
$2.05 £1.54
-9.76%
Onion (1kg)
$1.69 CA$2.37
$1.53 £1.15
10.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.23 CA$3.13
$1.33 £1.00
67.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 CA$1.79
$1.89 £1.42
-32.28%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.04 CA$19.71
$23.87 £17.96
-41.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.43 CA$20.25
$10.96 £8.25
31.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.16 CA$3.03
$3.16 £2.37
-31.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 CA$3.54
$3.22 £2.42
-21.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Toronto
Edinburgh
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.37 CA$3.32
$3.13 £2.36
-24.28%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$112 CA$158
$99.8 £75.1
12.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.04 CA$4.27
$5.45 £4.10
-44.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.24 CA$1.74
$1.90 £1.43
-34.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$22.55 CA$31.65
$28.50 £21.45
-20.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 CA$1.75
$2.06 £1.55
-39.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K CA$37.8K
$38.2K £28.8K
-29.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.4K CA$30.0K
$39.7K £29.9K
-46.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
Edinburgh
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$125 CA$175
$329 £248
-62.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.05 CA$46.39
$16.81 £12.65
96.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.96 CA$67.3
$43.13 £32.46
11.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
Edinburgh
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.69 CA$51.5
$41.84 £31.49
-12.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.67 CA$33.22
$23.33 £17.56
1.46%
Cinema Ticket
$13.08 CA$18.35
$14.67 £11.04
-10.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Toronto
Edinburgh
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$759 CA$1,065
$1,901 £1,430
-60.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.8K CA$33.4K
$25.8K £19.4K
-7.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
Edinburgh
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.5 CA$75.1
$82.2 £61.8
-34.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.44 CA$56.8
$50.0 £37.63
-19.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 CA$141
$106 £79.6
-4.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 CA$176
$115 £86.7
8.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Toronto
Edinburgh
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,630 CA$2,287
$1,691 £1,273
-3.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,416 CA$1,987
$1,205 £907
17.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,694 CA$3,781
$2,959 £2,227
-8.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,101 CA$2,949
$2,184 £1,644
-3.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,551 CA$10.6K
$6,388 £4,807
18.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,674 CA$9,366
$4,514 £3,397
47.86%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Toronto
Edinburgh
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,543 CA$4,973
$3,632 £2,733
-2.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.45
4.77
-6.71%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 26, 2026

Last update for Edinburgh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Toronto
$1.4K
Edinburgh
$1.2K 14.9% $211
Groceries & Markets
Toronto
$345
Edinburgh
$333 3.5% $12
Eating Out
Toronto
$285
Edinburgh
$361 26.7% $76
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
$206
Edinburgh
$389 89.2% $184
Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
$144
Edinburgh
$159 10.4% $15
Getting Around
Toronto
$131
Edinburgh
$127 2.9% $3.8
Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
$63
Edinburgh
$71 13.2% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,630 in Toronto versus $1,691 in Edinburgh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Toronto versus $105 in Edinburgh. Groceries tell a different story – $345 in Toronto vs $333 in Edinburgh – so Edinburgh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Toronto
🇬🇧 Edinburgh
🕒 Local time
18:06 6:06 PM
22:06 10:06 PM
4 h ahead of Toronto
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,731,571
488,050
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Toronto Edinburgh 5,340 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Toronto
  • Edinburgh

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 Edinburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,883 per month in Toronto and $3,968 in Edinburgh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What is the rent difference between Toronto and Edinburgh?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,630 in Toronto and $1,691 in Edinburgh. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
How do food prices compare in Toronto and in Edinburgh?
Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Edinburgh – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $759 per month in Toronto and $1,901 in Edinburgh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,500 enough to cover costs in Toronto or in Edinburgh?
$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,589 in Toronto and $2,645 in Edinburgh. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Toronto or Edinburgh more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Toronto – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Toronto vs other spots: cost of living compared

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