Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Houston, TX

For one person, living costs are similar in Toronto and in Houston, TX: $2,589 and $2,625 a month, rent and utilities included.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Houston, TX
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Houston, TX Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,589

/mo nomad

Houston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Houston, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,589 in Toronto versus $2,625 in Houston, TX.

Toronto $2,589
Houston, TX $2,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,710 in Toronto versus $3,794 in Houston, TX.

Toronto $3,710
Houston, TX $3,794

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,831 in Toronto versus $4,963 in Houston, TX.

Toronto $4,831
Houston, TX $4,963

Living in Toronto costs roughly 1% less than in Houston, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 90% above, Houston, TX 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.60 CA$24.73

$20.40 $20.40

-13.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.8 CA$109

$75.1 $75.1

3.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.87

$9.82 $9.82

7.84%

Cappuccino

$4.16 CA$5.84

$5.24 $5.24

-20.61%

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

$2.04 CA$2.87

$2.72 $2.72

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.46

$2.25 $2.25

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 CA$9.24

$6.17 $6.17

6.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 CA$9.99

$7.95 $7.95

-10.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 CA$3.56

$0.84 $0.84

201.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 CA$3.80

$3.24 $3.24

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.15

$4.10 $4.10

-45.37%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.89

$3.25 $3.25

7.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.38 CA$13.17

$11.11 $11.11

-15.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.60 CA$16.29

$12.65 $12.65

-8.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.68 CA$20.63

$16.40 $16.40

-10.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.26

$4.12 $4.12

-9.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.47 $1.47

-17.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.89

$3.05 $3.05

14.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 CA$6.07

$3.67 $3.67

17.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.60

$2.19 $2.19

-15.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.38

$2.71 $2.71

-37.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 CA$3.13

$1.95 $1.95

14.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CA$1.79

$2.50 $2.50

-48.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.04 CA$19.73

$10.09 $10.09

39.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.43 CA$20.27

$14.47 $14.47

-0.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 CA$3.03

$2.48 $2.48

-12.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.55

$2.91 $2.91

-13.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 CA$3.33

$1.26 $1.26

88.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

$74.4 $74.4

51.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 CA$4.27

$2.85 $2.85

6.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.48 $1.48

-16.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.55 CA$31.69

$23.92 $23.92

-5.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.75

$0.97 $0.97

27.84%

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

$26.9K CA$37.8K

$34.4K $34.4K

-21.85%

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

$21.4K CA$30.0K

$26.4K $26.4K

-18.94%

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

$125 CA$175

$198 $198

-37.01%

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

$33.05 CA$46.44

$65.2 $65.2

-49.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.96 CA$67.4

$75.3 $75.3

-36.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.69 CA$51.6

$35.73 $35.73

2.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.67 CA$33.26

$20.98 $20.98

12.82%

Cinema Ticket

$13.08 CA$18.37

$15.06 $15.06

-13.15%

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

$759 CA$1,066

$1,901 $1,901

-60.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K CA$33.4K

$22.1K $22.1K

7.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$75.2

$49.81 $49.81

7.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 CA$56.8

$47.04 $47.04

-14.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 CA$141

$103 $103

-2.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 CA$176

$94.0 $94.0

33.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 CA$2,290

$1,742 $1,742

-6.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 CA$1,989

$1,304 $1,304

8.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,694 CA$3,785

$3,449 $3,449

-21.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,101 CA$2,952

$2,057 $2,057

2.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,551 CA$10.6K

$2,659 $2,659

184.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,674 CA$9,377

$1,785 $1,785

273.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 CA$4,978

$4,293 $4,293

-17.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.45

6.7

-33.58%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 26, 2026

Last update for Houston, TX: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 54.7%

Houston, TX

$1.3K 49.7% 7.9% $112

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$345 13.3%

Houston, TX

$373 14.2% 8.1% $28

Eating Out

Toronto

$285 11%

Houston, TX

$322 12.3% 13.1% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$206 7.9%

Houston, TX

$338 12.9% 64.5% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$144 5.6%

Houston, TX

$132 5% 8% $12

Getting Around

Toronto

$131 5.1%

Houston, TX

$90 3.4% 31.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.4%

Houston, TX

$66 2.5% 4.8% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,630 in Toronto and $1,742 in Houston, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Houston, TX pays 21% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $78 in Toronto vs $75 in Houston, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $345 vs $373, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇺🇸 Houston, TX

🕒 Local time

02:41 2:41 AM

01:41 1:41 AM

1 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

2,304,580

💱 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 Houston, TX 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Houston, TX

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 Houston, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in Houston, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Toronto the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 17% 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 $1,742 in Houston, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Houston, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Houston, TX – a meal for two runs $75 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.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Toronto wins on affordability, Houston, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.