Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Marathon

For one person, living is cheaper in Marathon: $2,236 a month against $2,589 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Toronto, Canada
Marathon, Canada
Toronto
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,589
/mo nomad
Marathon
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,236
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Marathon

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

A single person spends $2,589 per month in Toronto vs $2,236 in Marathon, rent included.

  • Toronto $2,589
  • Marathon $2,236

A couple spends around $3,710 per month in Toronto vs $3,207 in Marathon, rent included.

  • Toronto $3,710
  • Marathon $3,207

A family of three spends $4,831 per month in Toronto vs $4,177 in Marathon, rent included.

  • Toronto $4,831
  • Marathon $4,177

Toronto costs about 16% more than Marathon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Toronto and Marathon sit above the global median – Toronto by 90%, Marathon by 64%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Toronto
Marathon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.60 CA$24.70
$16.27 CA$22.83
8.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.8 CA$109
$61.0 CA$85.6
27.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.59 CA$14.86
$9.18 CA$12.88
15.36%
Cappuccino
$4.16 CA$5.83
$3.81 CA$5.34
9.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 CA$2.87
$1.77 CA$2.49
15.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 CA$2.46
$1.49 CA$2.10
17.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.58 CA$9.23
$5.49 CA$7.71
19.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.11 CA$9.98
$6.21 CA$8.71
14.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Toronto
Marathon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.53 CA$3.56
$2.09 CA$2.93
21.05%
White Bread (500g)
$2.70 CA$3.79
$2.61 CA$3.66
3.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 CA$3.14
$3.51 CA$4.92
-36.18%
Eggs
$3.48 CA$4.89
$3.44 CA$4.82
1.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.38 CA$13.16
$9.99 CA$14.01
-6.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.60 CA$16.28
$11.65 CA$16.35
-0.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.68 CA$20.61
$14.96 CA$20.99
-1.87%
Apples (1kg)
$3.74 CA$5.26
$3.86 CA$5.41
-3.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 CA$1.72
$1.36 CA$1.91
-10.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.48 CA$4.88
$3.75 CA$5.26
-7.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.32 CA$6.07
$3.89 CA$5.46
11.05%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 CA$2.60
$2.44 CA$3.43
-24.18%
Onion (1kg)
$1.69 CA$2.37
$2.30 CA$3.23
-26.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.23 CA$3.13
$2.42 CA$3.40
-7.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 CA$1.79
$1.60 CA$2.25
-20.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.04 CA$19.71
$13.86 CA$19.45
1.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.43 CA$20.25
$12.59 CA$17.67
14.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.16 CA$3.03
$2.69 CA$3.77
-19.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 CA$3.54
$3.10 CA$4.35
-18.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Toronto
Marathon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.37 CA$3.32
$2.64 CA$3.71
-10.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$112 CA$158
$58.7 CA$82.4
91.45%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.04 CA$4.27
$2.87 CA$4.02
5.92%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.24 CA$1.74
$1.51 CA$2.12
-17.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$22.55 CA$31.65
$26.34 CA$36.97
-14.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 CA$1.75
$1.04 CA$1.46
19.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K CA$37.8K
$27.5K CA$38.6K
-2.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.4K CA$30.0K
$18.7K CA$26.3K
14.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
Marathon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$125 CA$175
$137 CA$192
-8.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.05 CA$46.39
$38.33 CA$53.8
-13.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.96 CA$67.3
$54.2 CA$76.1
-11.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
Marathon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.69 CA$51.5
$34.55 CA$48.48
6.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.67 CA$33.22
$20.24 CA$28.40
16.95%
Cinema Ticket
$13.08 CA$18.35
$10.80 CA$15.16
21.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Toronto
Marathon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$759 CA$1,065
$609 CA$855
24.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.8K CA$33.4K
$12.9K CA$18.1K
84.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
Marathon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.5 CA$75.1
$56.1 CA$78.7
-4.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.44 CA$56.8
$38.45 CA$54.0
5.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 CA$141
$84.8 CA$119
18.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 CA$176
$104 CA$146
20.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Toronto
Marathon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,630 CA$2,287
$1,264 CA$1,773
28.98%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,416 CA$1,987
$1,132 CA$1,588
25.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,694 CA$3,781
$2,017 CA$2,830
33.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,101 CA$2,949
$1,694 CA$2,377
24.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,551 CA$10.6K
$4,326 CA$6,071
74.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,674 CA$9,366
$3,656 CA$5,131
82.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Toronto
Marathon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,543 CA$4,973
$1,772 CA$2,486
99.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.45
4.68
-4.91%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 26, 2026

Last update for Marathon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Toronto
$1.4K
Marathon
$1.1K 20.1% $284
Groceries & Markets
Toronto
$345
Marathon
$355 3% $10
Eating Out
Toronto
$285
Marathon
$256 10% $28
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
$206
Marathon
$229 11.4% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
$144
Marathon
$127 11.4% $16
Getting Around
Toronto
$131
Marathon
$80 39.2% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
$63
Marathon
$56 10.6% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,630 in Toronto versus $1,264 in Marathon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 100% higher in Toronto. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Toronto versus $61 in Marathon. Groceries tell a different story – $345 in Toronto vs $355 in Marathon – so Toronto wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Toronto
🇨🇦 Marathon
🕒 Local time
14:39 2:39 PM
14:39 2:39 PM
Same time as Toronto
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,731,571
3,300
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Toronto Marathon 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Toronto
  • Marathon

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 Marathon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Marathon cheaper than Toronto?
Yes – Toronto is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,883 per month in Toronto and $3,354 in Marathon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Marathon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,264 there versus $1,630 in Toronto.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $759 per month in Toronto and $609 in Marathon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Toronto and in Marathon?
Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Toronto – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Toronto or in Marathon?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Marathon, where all-in costs run around $2,236, than in Toronto at $2,589. In Marathon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Toronto or Marathon more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Marathon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Marathon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Toronto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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