Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Hickory, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Hickory, NC: $2,078 a month against $2,589 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Hickory, NC
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Hickory, NC Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,589

/mo nomad

Hickory, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,078

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Hickory, NC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,589 in Toronto versus $2,078 in Hickory, NC.

Toronto $2,589
Hickory, NC $2,078

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,710 in Toronto versus $2,962 in Hickory, NC.

Toronto $3,710
Hickory, NC $2,962

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,831 in Toronto versus $3,847 in Hickory, NC.

Toronto $4,831
Hickory, NC $3,847

Living in Toronto is roughly 25% more expensive than in Hickory, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 90% above, Hickory, NC 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.60 CA$24.73

$15.01 $15.01

17.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.8 CA$109

$61.7 $61.7

26.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.87

$11.03 $11.03

-3.99%

Cappuccino

$4.16 CA$5.84

$5.00 $5.00

-16.80%

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

$2.04 CA$2.87

$2.23 $2.23

-8.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.46

$1.57 $1.57

11.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 CA$9.24

$5.46 $5.46

20.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 CA$9.99

$6.79 $6.79

4.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 CA$3.56

$0.85 $0.85

197.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 CA$3.80

$3.65 $3.65

-26.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.15

$3.12 $3.12

-28.21%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.89

$3.43 $3.43

1.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.38 CA$13.17

$10.74 $10.74

-12.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.60 CA$16.29

$8.98 $8.98

29.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.68 CA$20.63

$17.00 $17.00

-13.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.26

$3.99 $3.99

-6.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.75 $1.75

-30.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.89

$2.35 $2.35

48.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 CA$6.07

$1.75 $1.75

146.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.60

$2.38 $2.38

-22.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.38

$3.25 $3.25

-48.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 CA$3.13

$1.79 $1.79

24.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CA$1.79

$2.11 $2.11

-39.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.04 CA$19.73

$9.00 $9.00

56.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.43 CA$20.27

$14.93 $14.93

-3.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 CA$3.03

$1.66 $1.66

30.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.55

$2.93 $2.93

-13.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 CA$3.33

$1.22 $1.22

94.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

$44.59 $44.59

152.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 CA$4.27

$1.98 $1.98

53.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$2.27 $2.27

-45.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.55 CA$31.69

$17.72 $17.72

27.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.75

$0.82 $0.82

51.22%

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

$26.9K CA$37.8K

$27.0K $27.0K

-0.47%

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

$21.4K CA$30.0K

$26.3K $26.3K

-18.60%

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

$125 CA$175

$141 $141

-11.36%

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

$33.05 CA$46.44

$59.9 $59.9

-44.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.96 CA$67.4

$54.1 $54.1

-11.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.69 CA$51.6

$27.46 $27.46

33.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.67 CA$33.26

Cinema Ticket

$13.08 CA$18.37

$14.27 $14.27

-8.34%

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

$759 CA$1,066

$354 $354

114.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K CA$33.4K

$25.3K $25.3K

-6.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$75.2

$40.75 $40.75

31.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 CA$56.8

$20.24 $20.24

99.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 CA$141

$39.51 $39.51

154.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 CA$176

$49.94 $49.94

150.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 CA$2,290

$1,299 $1,299

25.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 CA$1,989

$1,030 $1,030

37.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,694 CA$3,785

$1,688 $1,688

59.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,101 CA$2,952

$1,522 $1,522

38.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,551 CA$10.6K

$2,141 $2,141

252.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,674 CA$9,377

$2,163 $2,163

208.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 CA$4,978

$4,526 $4,526

-21.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.45

5.53

-19.53%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 26, 2026

Last update for Hickory, NC: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 54.7%

Hickory, NC

$1K 49.6% 27.3% $386

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$345 13.3%

Hickory, NC

$338 16.3% 2% $6.9

Eating Out

Toronto

$285 11%

Hickory, NC

$269 13% 5.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$206 7.9%

Hickory, NC

$255 12.3% 23.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$144 5.6%

Hickory, NC

$68 3.3% 52.9% $76

Getting Around

Toronto

$131 5.1%

Hickory, NC

$63 3% 52.1% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.4%

Hickory, NC

$56 2.7% 10.9% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,630 in Toronto and $1,299 in Hickory, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hickory, NC pays 28% 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 $62 in Hickory, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $345 vs $338 per month, with Hickory, NC cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇺🇸 Hickory, NC

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

Same time as Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

40,374

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.712 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.712 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Toronto Hickory, NC 900 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Hickory, NC

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 Hickory, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto and Hickory, NC differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($2,589 vs $2,078 including rent). Hickory, NC is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Toronto. 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: $1,630 in Toronto versus $1,299 in Hickory, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Hickory, NC runs roughly 60% less than in Toronto. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,589 per month in Toronto versus $2,078 in Hickory, NC – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Hickory, NC gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Hickory, NC is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Toronto, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.