Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Guelph

For one person, living is cheaper in Toronto: $2,589 a month against $2,693 in Guelph, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
Learn more

Toronto Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Guelph
Learn more

Guelph Living Index

Jump to prices

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,589

/mo nomad

Guelph

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Guelph

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,589 in Toronto versus $2,693 in Guelph.

Toronto $2,589
Guelph $2,693

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,710 in Toronto versus $3,753 in Guelph.

Toronto $3,710
Guelph $3,753

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,831 in Toronto versus $4,814 in Guelph.

Toronto $4,831
Guelph $4,814

Living in Toronto costs roughly 4% less than in Guelph, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 90% above, Guelph 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.60 CA$24.70

$21.26 CA$29.83

-17.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.8 CA$109

$70.7 CA$99.2

10.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.86

$11.61 CA$16.29

-8.79%

Cappuccino

$4.16 CA$5.83

$3.49 CA$4.90

19.20%

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

$2.04 CA$2.87

$1.44 CA$2.02

41.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.46

$1.31 CA$1.83

33.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 CA$9.23

$5.10 CA$7.16

29.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 CA$9.98

$5.85 CA$8.21

21.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 CA$3.56

$2.16 CA$3.03

17.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 CA$3.79

$2.78 CA$3.90

-2.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.14

$3.78 CA$5.31

-40.74%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.89

$3.06 CA$4.29

13.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.38 CA$13.16

$10.04 CA$14.09

-6.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.60 CA$16.28

$16.01 CA$22.46

-27.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.68 CA$20.61

$22.09 CA$31.00

-33.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.26

$3.54 CA$4.97

5.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.32 CA$1.85

-7.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.88

$4.34 CA$6.10

-19.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 CA$6.07

$4.74 CA$6.65

-8.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.60

$3.48 CA$4.89

-46.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.37

$2.34 CA$3.29

-27.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 CA$3.13

$3.02 CA$4.23

-26.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CA$1.79

$1.48 CA$2.08

-13.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.04 CA$19.71

$10.86 CA$15.24

29.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.43 CA$20.25

$10.94 CA$15.36

31.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 CA$3.03

$3.50 CA$4.92

-38.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.54

$3.11 CA$4.36

-18.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 CA$3.32

$2.28 CA$3.21

3.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

$65.9 CA$92.5

70.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 CA$4.27

$2.34 CA$3.28

29.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.83 CA$2.57

-32.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.55 CA$31.65

$23.94 CA$33.60

-5.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.75

$1.17 CA$1.65

5.98%

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

$26.9K CA$37.8K

$28.4K CA$39.8K

-5.19%

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

$21.4K CA$30.0K

$22.9K CA$32.1K

-6.44%

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

$125 CA$175

$122 CA$171

2.16%

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

$33.05 CA$46.39

$42.99 CA$60.3

-23.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.96 CA$67.3

$56.3 CA$79.0

-14.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.69 CA$51.5

$47.50 CA$66.7

-22.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.67 CA$33.22

$14.55 CA$20.43

62.68%

Cinema Ticket

$13.08 CA$18.35

$10.55 CA$14.81

23.98%

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

$759 CA$1,065

$832 CA$1,167

-8.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K CA$33.4K

$17.2K CA$24.1K

38.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$75.1

$62.9 CA$88.3

-14.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 CA$56.8

$36.51 CA$51.2

10.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 CA$141

$84.9 CA$119

18.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 CA$176

$124 CA$174

0.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 CA$2,287

$1,515 CA$2,126

7.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 CA$1,987

$1,472 CA$2,066

-3.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,694 CA$3,781

$2,164 CA$3,038

24.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,101 CA$2,949

$2,008 CA$2,818

4.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,551 CA$10.6K

$4,967 CA$6,971

52.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,674 CA$9,366

$4,356 CA$6,114

53.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 CA$4,973

$3,053 CA$4,285

16.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.45

4.99

-10.82%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 26, 2026

Last update for Guelph: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 54.7%

Guelph

$1.5K 54.7% 4% $56

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$345 13.3%

Guelph

$410 15.2% 19% $66

Eating Out

Toronto

$285 11%

Guelph

$295 11% 3.6% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$206 7.9%

Guelph

$221 8.2% 7.6% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$144 5.6%

Guelph

$139 5.2% 3.5% $5

Getting Around

Toronto

$131 5.1%

Guelph

$87 3.2% 34% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.4%

Guelph

$69 2.6% 9.1% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,630 in Toronto and $1,515 in Guelph. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 16% 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 $71 in Guelph. Groceries flip the comparison at $345 vs $410, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇦 Guelph

🕒 Local time

18:54 6:54 PM

Same time as Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

131,794

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Toronto Guelph 71 km

From you

Toronto
Guelph

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 Guelph: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto is about 4% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 16% 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 $1,515 in Guelph. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Guelph. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Guelph – a meal for two runs $71 versus $78 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.