Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Hearst

For one person, living is cheaper in Hearst: $2,210 a month against $2,610 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
108

Cost of Living Index in Hearst
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Hearst Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,610

/mo nomad

Hearst

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Hearst

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,610 in Toronto versus $2,210 in Hearst.

Toronto $2,610
Hearst $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,727 in Toronto versus $3,203 in Hearst.

Toronto $3,727
Hearst $3,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,844 in Toronto versus $4,197 in Hearst.

Toronto $4,844
Hearst $4,197

Living in Toronto is roughly 18% more expensive than in Hearst, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 93% above, Hearst 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 CA$24.87

$17.35 CA$24.53

1.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 CA$111

$66.0 CA$93.4

19.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 CA$15.16

$10.67 CA$15.09

0.56%

Cappuccino

$4.09 CA$5.78

$3.60 CA$5.09

13.61%

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

$2.10 CA$2.97

$2.01 CA$2.83

4.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 CA$2.43

$1.55 CA$2.20

10.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.36 CA$8.99

$5.18 CA$7.32

22.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 CA$10.01

$5.58 CA$7.88

26.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.54 CA$3.59

$2.09 CA$2.95

21.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.55 CA$3.60

6.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 CA$3.09

$3.29 CA$4.65

-33.74%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.13

$3.34 CA$4.73

8.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 CA$13.37

$9.67 CA$13.67

-2.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.32

$11.53 CA$16.30

0.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.37 CA$20.32

$14.25 CA$20.15

0.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.23

$3.78 CA$5.35

-2.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$1.26 CA$1.78

-5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.90

$3.63 CA$5.13

-4.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 CA$5.97

$3.67 CA$5.18

14.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$2.49 CA$3.52

-28.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 CA$2.33

$2.17 CA$3.06

-23.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CA$3.11

$2.48 CA$3.51

-11.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.57 CA$2.22

-19.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 CA$19.75

$13.89 CA$19.63

0.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 CA$20.07

$12.84 CA$18.15

10.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$2.61 CA$3.70

-13.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 CA$3.58

$3.09 CA$4.37

-18.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$2.24 CA$3.17

3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

$62.3 CA$88.0

79.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$2.79 CA$3.95

9.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.40 CA$1.98

-12.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.69 CA$30.66

$22.95 CA$32.44

-5.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.14 CA$1.61

6.14%

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

$26.1K CA$37.0K

$27.9K CA$39.4K

-6.17%

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

$21.1K CA$29.9K

$18.9K CA$26.7K

11.91%

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

$120 CA$169

$132 CA$186

-9.12%

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

$32.21 CA$45.54

$38.55 CA$54.5

-16.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.88 CA$69.1

$54.4 CA$77.0

-10.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.34 CA$55.6

$40.47 CA$57.2

-2.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.58 CA$33.34

$17.81 CA$25.18

32.40%

Cinema Ticket

$12.58 CA$17.79

$11.12 CA$15.72

13.13%

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

$832 CA$1,176

$748 CA$1,057

11.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K CA$33.4K

$13.1K CA$18.5K

80.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 CA$73.9

$53.7 CA$75.9

-2.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 CA$55.8

$38.42 CA$54.3

2.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 CA$140

$83.4 CA$118

18.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 CA$172

$103 CA$145

18.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 CA$2,306

$1,220 CA$1,724

33.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 CA$2,048

$1,104 CA$1,560

31.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,737 CA$3,869

$1,918 CA$2,711

42.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,129 CA$3,010

$1,687 CA$2,384

26.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,206 CA$11.6K

$4,145 CA$5,860

97.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,838 CA$9,666

$3,557 CA$5,028

92.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,520 CA$4,976

$3,120 CA$4,410

12.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

4.66

-4.08%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 18, 2026

Last update for Hearst: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.5%

Hearst

$1.1K 49.9% 23.8% $345

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$343 13.1%

Hearst

$347 15.7% 1.2% $4.2

Eating Out

Toronto

$283 10.9%

Hearst

$265 12% 6.3% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.7%

Hearst

$225 10.2% 11.9% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$141 5.4%

Hearst

$125 5.7% 11% $16

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Hearst

$81 3.7% 37.7% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$65 2.5%

Hearst

$63 2.8% 2.8% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,631 in Toronto and $1,220 in Hearst. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 13% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $79.0 in Toronto vs $66.0 in Hearst. Groceries flip the comparison at $343 vs $347, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇦 Hearst

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

Same time as Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

5,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Toronto Hearst 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Hearst

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 Hearst: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto and Hearst differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,610 vs $2,210 including rent). Hearst is meaningfully more affordable – 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: $1,631 in Toronto versus $1,220 in Hearst. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $832 in Toronto versus $748 in Hearst. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Toronto pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,210 in Hearst versus $2,610 in Toronto, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Hearst but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Hearst 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.

Expats usually find Hearst gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.