Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Markham

For one person, living is cheaper in Markham: $2,429 a month against $2,610 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
Learn more

Toronto Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Markham
Learn more

Markham Living Index

Jump to prices

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,610

/mo nomad

Markham

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,429

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Markham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,610 in Toronto versus $2,429 in Markham.

Toronto $2,610
Markham $2,429

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,727 in Toronto versus $3,533 in Markham.

Toronto $3,727
Markham $3,533

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,844 in Toronto versus $4,638 in Markham.

Toronto $4,844
Markham $4,638

Living in Toronto is roughly 7% more expensive than in Markham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 93% above, Markham 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 CA$24.87

$17.50 CA$24.74

0.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 CA$111

$52.7 CA$74.5

49.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 CA$15.16

$10.50 CA$14.85

2.19%

Cappuccino

$4.09 CA$5.78

$3.69 CA$5.22

10.84%

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

$2.10 CA$2.97

$1.77 CA$2.50

18.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 CA$2.43

$1.18 CA$1.67

45.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.36 CA$8.99

$3.62 CA$5.11

75.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 CA$10.01

$5.71 CA$8.07

23.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.54 CA$3.59

$1.92 CA$2.71

32.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.26 CA$3.19

20.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 CA$3.09

$1.91 CA$2.70

14.14%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.13

$3.18 CA$4.49

14.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 CA$13.37

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.32

$11.96 CA$16.91

-3.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.37 CA$20.32

$6.92 CA$9.79

107.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.23

$3.76 CA$5.32

-1.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$1.34 CA$1.89

-11.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.90

$2.32 CA$3.27

49.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 CA$5.97

$3.24 CA$4.58

30.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$2.02 CA$2.86

-11.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 CA$2.33

$1.98 CA$2.80

-16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CA$3.11

$2.85 CA$4.03

-22.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.49 CA$2.10

-15.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 CA$19.75

$13.22 CA$18.69

5.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 CA$20.07

$14.59 CA$20.63

-2.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$2.40 CA$3.39

-6.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 CA$3.58

$3.12 CA$4.41

-18.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$3.10 CA$4.38

-25.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

$91.7 CA$130

21.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$3.39 CA$4.79

-9.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 CA$1.72

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.69 CA$30.66

$18.30 CA$25.88

18.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.19 CA$1.68

1.68%

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

$26.1K CA$37.0K

$27.6K CA$39.0K

-5.23%

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

$21.1K CA$29.9K

$21.4K CA$30.2K

-1.24%

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

$120 CA$169

$126 CA$178

-5.22%

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

$32.21 CA$45.54

$27.25 CA$38.52

18.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.88 CA$69.1

$45.89 CA$64.9

6.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.34 CA$55.6

$42.66 CA$60.3

-7.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.58 CA$33.34

$21.28 CA$30.09

10.81%

Cinema Ticket

$12.58 CA$17.79

$10.00 CA$14.14

25.80%

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

$832 CA$1,176

$878 CA$1,242

-5.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K CA$33.4K

$27.5K CA$38.8K

-14.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 CA$73.9

$42.38 CA$59.9

23.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 CA$55.8

$38.11 CA$53.9

3.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 CA$140

$93.8 CA$133

5.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 CA$172

$106 CA$149

15.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 CA$2,306

$1,607 CA$2,271

1.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 CA$2,048

$1,395 CA$1,972

3.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,737 CA$3,869

$2,736 CA$3,868

0.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,129 CA$3,010

$2,343 CA$3,312

-9.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,206 CA$11.6K

$5,918 CA$8,367

38.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,838 CA$9,666

$5,456 CA$7,714

25.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,520 CA$4,976

$3,198 CA$4,520

10.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

4.56

-1.97%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 18, 2026

Last update for Markham: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.5%

Markham

$1.4K 57.4% 3.7% $53

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$343 13.1%

Markham

$282 * 11.6% 17.9% $61

Eating Out

Toronto

$283 10.9%

Markham

$257 10.6% 9.2% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.7%

Markham

$199 8.2% 0.7% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$141 5.4%

Markham

$126 5.2% 10.5% $15

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Markham

$107 * 4.4% 17.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$65 2.5%

Markham

$63 2.6% 2.9% $1.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,631 in Toronto and $1,607 in Markham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 10% 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 $53.0 in Markham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $343 vs $282 per month, with Markham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇦 Markham

🕒 Local time

06:58 6:58 AM

Same time as Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

338,503

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Toronto Markham 23 km

From you

Toronto
Markham

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 Markham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Markham wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Toronto. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Markham the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 10% 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 $1,607 in Markham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $832 in Toronto versus $878 in Markham. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Toronto. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Markham 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.

Safety-wise, Toronto and Markham are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Markham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.