Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Kingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Kingston: $1,668 a month against $2,530 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Kingston

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,530 in Toronto versus $1,668 in Kingston.

Toronto $2,530
Kingston $1,668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,646 in Toronto versus $2,779 in Kingston.

Toronto $3,646
Kingston $2,779

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,761 in Toronto versus $3,890 in Kingston.

Toronto $4,761
Kingston $3,890

Living in Toronto is roughly 52% more expensive than in Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 89% above, Kingston 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.67 CA$25.13

$13.57 JMD 2,150

30.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.4 CA$110

$74.2 JMD 11.8K

4.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 CA$14.90

$7.95 JMD 1,261

31.70%

Cappuccino

$4.08 CA$5.80

$5.47 JMD 866

-25.41%

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

$2.12 CA$3.01

$1.14 JMD 180

85.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 CA$2.50

$0.75 JMD 118

134.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 CA$8.78

$2.26 JMD 358

173.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 CA$9.80

$3.13 JMD 496

120.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$4.12 JMD 654

-41.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 CA$3.91

$3.79 JMD 600

-27.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 CA$3.17

$1.59 JMD 251

40.25%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.90

$3.56 JMD 564

-3.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 CA$12.71

$11.22 JMD 1,778

-20.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 CA$16.27

$6.48 JMD 1,026

76.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.61 CA$20.78

$10.22 JMD 1,620

42.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.33

$5.89 JMD 933

-36.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 CA$1.63

$3.90 JMD 619

-70.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 CA$5.05

$7.34 JMD 1,163

-51.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 CA$6.09

$3.06 JMD 485

39.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.62

$3.23 JMD 511

-42.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 CA$2.37

$2.67 JMD 423

-37.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 CA$3.15

$3.05 JMD 483

-27.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.51 JMD 240

-19.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.88 CA$19.74

$9.51 JMD 1,507

45.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$20.27

$11.32 JMD 1,793

25.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.12

$2.82 JMD 447

-21.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 CA$3.44

$4.10 JMD 649

-40.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 CA$3.44

$0.78 JMD 123

210.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$158

$37.32 JMD 5,914

196.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 CA$4.12

$1.24 JMD 196

133.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.79

$3.18 JMD 504

-60.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.03 CA$31.33

$6.46 JMD 1,023

241.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.74

$1.42 JMD 225

-14.08%

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

$27.6K CA$39.3K

$44.7K JMD 7.1M

-38.13%

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

$19.8K CA$28.2K

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

-39.69%

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

$122 CA$173

$169 JMD 26.7K

-27.74%

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

$32.03 CA$45.56

$29.11 JMD 4,613

10.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.92 CA$68.2

$52.9 JMD 8,390

-9.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.90 CA$55.3

$62.5 JMD 9,904

-37.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.24 CA$33.05

$17.63 JMD 2,793

31.82%

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 CA$17.94

$13.28 JMD 2,104

-5.05%

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

$834 CA$1,186

$357 JMD 56.6K

133.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K CA$33.2K

$8,163 JMD 1.3M

185.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 CA$74.8

$23.85 JMD 3,780

120.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.26 CA$57.3

$31.37 JMD 4,971

28.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 CA$137

$78.0 JMD 12.4K

23.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 CA$175

$102 JMD 16.1K

21.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 CA$2,273

$957 JMD 151.6K

67.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 CA$2,041

$576 JMD 91.3K

148.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,657 CA$3,779

$2,139 JMD 338.9K

24.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 CA$2,981

$1,391 JMD 220.5K

50.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,033 CA$11.4K

$2,892 JMD 458.2K

177.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,557 CA$9,327

$2,080 JMD 329.6K

215.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,743 CA$5,324

$733 JMD 116.1K

410.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

9.45

-52.70%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4%

Kingston

$576 34.2% 59.8% $858

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.1%

Kingston

$384 22.8% 13% $44

Eating Out

Toronto

$282 10.9%

Kingston

$223 13.2% 20.9% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$202 7.8%

Kingston

$251 14.9% 24.2% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$140 5.4%

Kingston

$106 6.3% 24.7% $35

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Kingston

$58 3.4% 55.6% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$64 2.5%

Kingston

$89 5.3% 38.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,598 in Toronto and $957 in Kingston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 411% 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: $77.0 in Toronto vs $74.0 in Kingston. Groceries flip the comparison at $340 vs $384, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

23:47 11:47 PM

22:47 10:47 PM

1 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

660,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.31 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Toronto Kingston 2,870 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Kingston

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 Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kingston wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Toronto. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kingston the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 411% 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: $1,598 in Toronto versus $957 in Kingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $834 in Toronto versus $357 in Kingston. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Toronto pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,668 in Kingston versus $2,530 in Toronto, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kingston but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Kingston 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 Kingston gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.