Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Phoenix

For one person, living is cheaper in Phoenix: $823 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Toronto
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,561
/mo nomad
Phoenix
🇲🇺 Mauritius
$823
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Phoenix

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,561 in Toronto versus $823 in Phoenix.

  • Toronto $2,561
  • Phoenix $823

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,694 in Toronto versus $1,303 in Phoenix.

  • Toronto $3,694
  • Phoenix $1,303

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,826 in Toronto versus $1,783 in Phoenix.

  • Toronto $4,826
  • Phoenix $1,783

Living in Toronto is roughly 211% more expensive than in Phoenix, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toronto is 90% above, Phoenix is 39% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Toronto
Phoenix
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.18 CA$24.29
$2.12 MUR 99.7
710.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$76.0 CA$107
$31.62 MUR 1,489
140.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.54 CA$14.89
$7.31 MUR 344
44.19%
Cappuccino
$4.02 CA$5.68
$5.18 MUR 244
-22.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 CA$3.00
$0.60 MUR 28.29
253.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 CA$2.48
$0.55 MUR 25.79
218.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.24 CA$8.83
$2.05 MUR 96.4
204.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.09 CA$10.02
$5.29 MUR 249
34.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Toronto
Phoenix
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.44 CA$3.45
$1.44 MUR 68.0
69.44%
White Bread (500g)
$2.68 CA$3.78
$0.40 MUR 19.01
570.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 CA$3.17
$2.16 MUR 101
3.70%
Eggs
$3.56 CA$5.03
$4.91 MUR 231
-27.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.09 CA$12.85
-
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.33 CA$16.01
$8.21 MUR 387
38.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.53 CA$20.55
$6.45 MUR 304
125.27%
Apples (1kg)
$3.62 CA$5.12
$7.50 MUR 353
-51.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.21 CA$1.72
$3.88 MUR 183
-68.81%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.60 CA$5.09
$4.58 MUR 215
-21.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.21 CA$5.96
$1.49 MUR 70.0
182.55%
Potato (1kg)
$1.79 CA$2.53
$0.85 MUR 40.12
110.59%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 CA$2.25
$0.86 MUR 40.69
84.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.27 CA$3.21
$0.72 MUR 34.03
215.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 CA$1.77
$0.76 MUR 35.76
64.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.82 CA$19.53
-
-
Wine (Bottle)
$14.27 CA$20.18
$10.39 MUR 489
37.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.20 CA$3.10
$2.04 MUR 95.9
7.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 CA$3.44
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Toronto
Phoenix
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.39 CA$3.38
$1.08 MUR 50.7
121.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$111 CA$157
$10.33 MUR 486
973.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 CA$4.12
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.20 CA$1.69
$1.46 MUR 68.7
-17.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.38 CA$30.23
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 CA$1.71
$1.33 MUR 62.5
-9.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K CA$39.8K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.3K CA$28.6K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
Phoenix
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 CA$170
-
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.26 CA$45.60
$14.01 MUR 659
130.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.93 CA$67.8
$24.77 MUR 1,166
93.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
Phoenix
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.48 CA$54.4
$25.58 MUR 1,204
50.43%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.96 CA$32.46
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.38 CA$17.50
$5.21 MUR 245
137.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Toronto
Phoenix
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$830 CA$1,173
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.1K CA$32.6K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
Phoenix
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.7 CA$71.7
$53.3 MUR 2,511
-4.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.02 CA$56.6
$52.7 MUR 2,481
-24.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.0 CA$139
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 CA$171
-
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Toronto
Phoenix
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,592 CA$2,251
$526 MUR 24.8K
202.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,410 CA$1,994
$311 MUR 14.6K
353.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,670 CA$3,775
$831 MUR 39.1K
221.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,152 CA$3,042
$535 MUR 25.2K
301.88%
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
Phoenix
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,727 CA$5,269
$959 MUR 45.1K
288.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.47
5
-10.60%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phoenix: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Toronto
$1.4K
Phoenix
$311 77.9% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Toronto
$340
Phoenix
$241 * 29.1% $99
Eating Out
Toronto
$278
Phoenix
$126 54.5% $152
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
$201
Phoenix
$39 * 80.7% $162
Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
$139
Phoenix
$48 * 65.7% $92
Getting Around
Toronto
$129
Phoenix
$22 * 83.1% $107
Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
$63
Phoenix
$36 43% $27

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 $1,592 in Toronto and $526 in Phoenix. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 289% 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 $32.00 in Phoenix for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $241 per month, with Phoenix cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Toronto
🇲🇺 Phoenix
🕒 Local time
10:54 10:54 AM
18:54 6:54 PM
8 h ahead of Toronto
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,731,571
115,289
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, 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).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Toronto Phoenix 15,270 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Toronto
  • Phoenix

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 Phoenix: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Toronto and in Phoenix?
Toronto and Phoenix differ by about 211% in total monthly costs ($2,561 vs $823 including rent). Phoenix is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Toronto or Phoenix?
Average pay runs 289% 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 apartment prices compare in Toronto and in Phoenix?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,592 in Toronto versus $526 in Phoenix. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Toronto. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Toronto or Phoenix?
All in, you'll spend $2,561 per month in Toronto versus $823 in Phoenix – a 211% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $823 in Phoenix versus $2,561 in Toronto, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Phoenix but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Phoenix the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Toronto and Phoenix?
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.
Is Toronto or Phoenix safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Toronto and Phoenix are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Toronto or Phoenix?
Expats usually find Phoenix gentler on the wallet – expenses run 211% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Toronto vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?