Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Negombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Negombo: $402 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $25,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Toronto
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,561
/mo nomad
Negombo
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$402
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Negombo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,561 in Toronto versus $402 in Negombo.

  • Toronto $2,561
  • Negombo $402

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,694 in Toronto versus $649 in Negombo.

  • Toronto $3,694
  • Negombo $649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,826 in Toronto versus $897 in Negombo.

  • Toronto $4,826
  • Negombo $897

Living in Toronto is roughly 538% more expensive than in Negombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toronto is 90% above, Negombo is 70% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Toronto
Negombo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.18 CA$24.29
$4.48 LKR 1,483
283.48%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$76.0 CA$107
$16.63 LKR 5,508
356.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.54 CA$14.89
$7.59 LKR 2,516
38.87%
Cappuccino
$4.02 CA$5.68
$1.23 LKR 406
226.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 CA$3.00
$0.69 LKR 228
207.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 CA$2.48
$0.25 LKR 82.5
600.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.24 CA$8.83
$2.15 LKR 712
190.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.09 CA$10.02
$2.95 LKR 978
140.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Toronto
Negombo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.44 CA$3.45
$1.57 LKR 521
55.41%
White Bread (500g)
$2.68 CA$3.78
$0.53 LKR 174
405.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 CA$3.17
$0.74 LKR 245
202.70%
Eggs
$3.56 CA$5.03
$1.64 LKR 543
117.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.09 CA$12.85
$14.01 LKR 4,642
-35.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.33 CA$16.01
$4.12 LKR 1,366
175.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.53 CA$20.55
$6.00 LKR 1,986
142.17%
Apples (1kg)
$3.62 CA$5.12
$1.77 LKR 585
104.52%
Banana (1kg)
$1.21 CA$1.72
$0.69 LKR 229
75.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.60 CA$5.09
$2.23 LKR 738
61.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.21 CA$5.96
$1.19 LKR 395
253.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.79 CA$2.53
$0.73 LKR 242
145.21%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 CA$2.25
$0.81 LKR 267
96.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.27 CA$3.21
$0.93 LKR 308
144.09%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 CA$1.77
$0.43 LKR 142
190.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.82 CA$19.53
$10.14 LKR 3,359
36.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.27 CA$20.18
$13.52 LKR 4,480
5.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.20 CA$3.10
$1.95 LKR 646
12.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 CA$3.44
$3.01 LKR 997
-19.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Toronto
Negombo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.39 CA$3.38
$0.29 LKR 94.9
724.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$111 CA$157
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 CA$4.12
$0.38 LKR 125
665.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.20 CA$1.69
$0.37 LKR 124
224.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.38 CA$30.23
$0.90 LKR 297
2275.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 CA$1.71
$1.00 LKR 332
21.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K CA$39.8K
$37.3K LKR 12.3M
-24.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.3K CA$28.6K
$40.9K LKR 13.5M
-50.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
Negombo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 CA$170
$25.65 LKR 8,497
369.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.26 CA$45.60
$4.21 LKR 1,395
666.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.93 CA$67.8
$20.85 LKR 6,908
129.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
Negombo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.48 CA$54.4
$15.27 LKR 5,059
152.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.96 CA$32.46
$9.07 LKR 3,004
153.14%
Cinema Ticket
$12.38 CA$17.50
$2.45 LKR 813
405.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Toronto
Negombo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$830 CA$1,173
$37.97 LKR 12.6K
2085.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.1K CA$32.6K
$446 LKR 147.9K
5072.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
Negombo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.7 CA$71.7
$8.82 LKR 2,920
474.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.02 CA$56.6
$16.87 LKR 5,586
137.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.0 CA$139
$36.78 LKR 12.2K
166.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 CA$171
$24.22 LKR 8,023
398.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Toronto
Negombo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,592 CA$2,251
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,410 CA$1,994
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,670 CA$3,775
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,152 CA$3,042
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,945 CA$11.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,542 CA$9,249
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Toronto
Negombo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,727 CA$5,269
$180 LKR 59.7K
1967.47%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.47
12.69
-64.78%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Last update for Negombo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Toronto
$1.4K
Negombo
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Toronto
$340
Negombo
$194 42.8% $145
Eating Out
Toronto
$278
Negombo
$94 66.3% $184
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
$201
Negombo
$51 74.7% $150
Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
$139
Negombo
$39 72% $100
Getting Around
Toronto
$129
Negombo
$3.4 * 97.4% $126
Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
$63
Negombo
$20 68.1% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

Toronto pays 1967% 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: $76.0 in Toronto vs $17.00 in Negombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $194 per month, with Negombo cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Toronto
🇱🇰 Negombo
🕒 Local time
10:55 10:55 AM
20:25 8:25 PM
9 h 30 min ahead of Toronto
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,731,571
142,449
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Toronto Negombo 13,980 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Toronto
  • Negombo

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 Negombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Toronto or Negombo?
Negombo wins on cost – living expenses run 538% lower than in Toronto. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Negombo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Toronto or in Negombo?
Average pay runs 1967% higher in Toronto, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do childcare costs compare in Toronto and in Negombo?
Childcare runs $830 in Toronto versus $37.97 in Negombo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Toronto and in Negombo?
Dining out is cheaper in Negombo – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $76.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Toronto or in Negombo?
At $402 in Negombo versus $2,561 in Toronto, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Negombo but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Negombo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Toronto or Negombo?
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.
How safe is Toronto compared to Negombo?
Safety-wise, Toronto and Negombo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Negombo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 538% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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