Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Oshawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Oshawa: $2,370 a month against $2,599 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
113

Cost of Living Index in Oshawa
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Oshawa Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,599

/mo nomad

Oshawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,370

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Oshawa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,599 in Toronto versus $2,370 in Oshawa.

Toronto $2,599
Oshawa $2,370

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,700 in Toronto versus $3,414 in Oshawa.

Toronto $3,700
Oshawa $3,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,801 in Toronto versus $4,457 in Oshawa.

Toronto $4,801
Oshawa $4,457

Living in Toronto is roughly 10% more expensive than in Oshawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 92% above, Oshawa 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 CA$25.09

$14.25 CA$19.90

26.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.3 CA$101

$63.6 CA$88.7

13.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 CA$15.11

$8.33 CA$11.63

30.01%

Cappuccino

$4.34 CA$6.06

$3.54 CA$4.95

22.60%

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

$2.16 CA$3.01

$1.77 CA$2.47

22.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 CA$2.31

$1.36 CA$1.90

22.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.35 CA$8.86

$4.86 CA$6.79

30.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.34 CA$10.25

$6.04 CA$8.43

21.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.57 CA$3.59

$2.91 CA$4.06

-11.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 CA$3.78

$2.91 CA$4.06

-6.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 CA$3.18

$4.12 CA$5.75

-44.66%

Eggs

$3.60 CA$5.03

$2.97 CA$4.14

21.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.94 CA$12.48

$10.14 CA$14.15

-11.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.19 CA$15.62

$13.74 CA$19.19

-18.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.23 CA$21.25

$16.60 CA$23.17

-8.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.23

$4.20 CA$5.87

-10.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 CA$1.71

$1.22 CA$1.70

0.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 CA$5.00

$2.94 CA$4.10

21.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 CA$5.93

$3.84 CA$5.36

10.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 CA$2.71

$3.36 CA$4.69

-42.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 CA$2.33

$2.57 CA$3.59

-35.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 CA$3.21

$2.35 CA$3.28

-2.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.76

$1.73 CA$2.41

-27.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.19 CA$19.81

$14.29 CA$19.95

-0.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$19.89

$12.63 CA$17.63

12.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 CA$3.18

$3.53 CA$4.92

-35.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 CA$3.61

$3.49 CA$4.87

-26.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 CA$3.29

$2.82 CA$3.94

-16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$155

$87.1 CA$122

27.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 CA$4.21

$2.74 CA$3.82

9.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 CA$1.71

$1.44 CA$2.00

-15.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.82 CA$30.47

$19.58 CA$27.33

11.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 CA$1.72

$1.24 CA$1.74

-0.81%

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

$27.0K CA$37.6K

$28.8K CA$40.2K

-6.32%

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

$21.8K CA$30.5K

$22.9K CA$32.0K

-4.68%

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

$121 CA$169

$139 CA$194

-13.07%

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

$33.10 CA$46.21

$37.94 CA$53.0

-12.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.09 CA$68.5

$54.3 CA$75.9

-9.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.65 CA$51.2

$22.91 CA$31.98

59.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.01 CA$34.91

$29.28 CA$40.87

-14.58%

Cinema Ticket

$12.78 CA$17.84

$10.86 CA$15.17

17.68%

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

$754 CA$1,053

$922 CA$1,287

-18.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.7K CA$47.0K

$8,083 CA$11.3K

316.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.4 CA$70.3

$58.3 CA$81.4

-13.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.43 CA$57.8

$57.7 CA$80.5

-28.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 CA$141

$107 CA$150

-5.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 CA$182

$129 CA$180

1.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 CA$2,219

$1,400 CA$1,954

13.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,424 CA$1,988

$1,207 CA$1,685

17.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,641 CA$3,687

$2,003 CA$2,795

31.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,090 CA$2,918

$1,824 CA$2,546

14.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,730 CA$10.8K

$5,158 CA$7,200

49.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,892 CA$9,620

$10.3K CA$14.4K

-33.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,623 CA$5,057

$3,049 CA$4,256

18.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.45

4.53

-1.77%

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

Last update for Toronto: November 2, 2026

Last update for Oshawa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 54.8%

Oshawa

$1.2K 50.9% 15.2% $217

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$345 13.3%

Oshawa

$390 16.5% 13.1% $45

Eating Out

Toronto

$290 11.2%

Oshawa

$230 9.7% 20.6% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$203 7.8%

Oshawa

$231 9.8% 13.9% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$145 5.6%

Oshawa

$158 6.7% 8.9% $13

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Oshawa

$108 4.6% 16.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$62 2.4%

Oshawa

$45 1.9% 28.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,590 in Toronto and $1,400 in Oshawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 19% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $72 in Toronto vs $64 in Oshawa. Groceries flip the comparison at $345 vs $390, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇦 Oshawa

🕒 Local time

19:53 7:53 PM

Same time as Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

159,458

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Toronto vs Oshawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oshawa wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Toronto. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Oshawa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 19% 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: $1,590 in Toronto versus $1,400 in Oshawa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Oshawa – a meal for two runs $64 versus $72 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,599 per month in Toronto versus $2,370 in Oshawa – Oshawa is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Oshawa 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 – Oshawa wins on affordability, Toronto on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.