Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Quebec City

For one person, living is cheaper in Quebec City: $1,935 a month against $2,589 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Quebec City
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Quebec City Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,589

/mo nomad

Quebec City

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Quebec City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,589 in Toronto versus $1,935 in Quebec City.

Toronto $2,589
Quebec City $1,935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,710 in Toronto versus $2,912 in Quebec City.

Toronto $3,710
Quebec City $2,912

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,831 in Toronto versus $3,889 in Quebec City.

Toronto $4,831
Quebec City $3,889

Living in Toronto is roughly 34% more expensive than in Quebec City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 90% above, Quebec City 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.60 CA$24.59

$21.22 CA$29.64

-17.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.8 CA$109

$63.9 CA$89.2

21.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.79

$10.75 CA$15.02

-1.49%

Cappuccino

$4.16 CA$5.81

$3.83 CA$5.35

8.62%

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

$2.04 CA$2.86

$2.13 CA$2.97

-4.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.45

$1.50 CA$2.09

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 CA$9.19

$5.68 CA$7.94

15.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 CA$9.94

$5.88 CA$8.21

20.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 CA$3.54

$2.06 CA$2.88

22.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 CA$3.78

$2.89 CA$4.04

-6.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.13

$4.14 CA$5.78

-45.89%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.87

$3.15 CA$4.40

10.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.38 CA$13.10

$9.13 CA$12.76

2.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.60 CA$16.20

$10.99 CA$15.35

5.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.68 CA$20.51

$10.62 CA$14.84

38.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.23

$4.17 CA$5.82

-10.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 CA$1.71

$1.55 CA$2.17

-21.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.86

$3.71 CA$5.18

-6.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 CA$6.04

$4.04 CA$5.64

6.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.59

$2.93 CA$4.10

-36.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.36

$2.86 CA$3.99

-40.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 CA$3.11

$2.73 CA$3.81

-18.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CA$1.78

$1.52 CA$2.12

-15.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.04 CA$19.62

$14.78 CA$20.65

-5.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.43 CA$20.16

$11.35 CA$15.86

27.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 CA$3.01

$3.24 CA$4.52

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.53

$3.44 CA$4.81

-26.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 CA$3.31

$2.91 CA$4.06

-18.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$157

$70.6 CA$98.7

59.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 CA$4.25

$2.89 CA$4.04

5.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 CA$1.73

$1.48 CA$2.07

-16.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.55 CA$31.51

$35.46 CA$49.54

-36.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.30 CA$1.81

-4.62%

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

$26.9K CA$37.6K

$28.7K CA$40.1K

-6.29%

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

$21.4K CA$29.9K

$22.2K CA$31.0K

-3.53%

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

$125 CA$174

$100 CA$140

24.40%

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

$33.05 CA$46.18

$32.19 CA$44.97

2.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.96 CA$67.0

$45.61 CA$63.7

5.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.69 CA$51.3

$33.12 CA$46.27

10.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.67 CA$33.07

$12.66 CA$17.68

86.97%

Cinema Ticket

$13.08 CA$18.27

$10.56 CA$14.75

23.86%

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

$759 CA$1,060

$676 CA$945

12.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K CA$33.2K

$9,492 CA$13.3K

150.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$74.8

$59.3 CA$82.9

-9.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 CA$56.5

$50.9 CA$71.2

-20.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 CA$140

$89.8 CA$126

11.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 CA$175

$109 CA$152

15.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 CA$2,277

$1,029 CA$1,437

58.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 CA$1,978

$821 CA$1,147

72.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,694 CA$3,764

$1,633 CA$2,281

65.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,101 CA$2,935

$1,333 CA$1,862

57.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,551 CA$10.5K

$4,733 CA$6,613

59.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,674 CA$9,324

$2,728 CA$3,811

144.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 CA$4,950

$2,906 CA$4,060

21.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.45

4.44

0.23%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 26, 2026

Last update for Quebec City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 54.7%

Quebec City

$821 42.4% 42% $595

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$345 13.3%

Quebec City

$347 18% 0.7% $2.6

Eating Out

Toronto

$285 11%

Quebec City

$303 15.6% 6.3% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$206 7.9%

Quebec City

$178 9.2% 13.5% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$144 5.6%

Quebec City

$139 7.2% 3.4% $4.9

Getting Around

Toronto

$131 5.1%

Quebec City

$93 4.8% 29.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.4%

Quebec City

$54 2.8% 13.7% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,630 in Toronto and $1,029 in Quebec City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 22% 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: $78 in Toronto vs $64 in Quebec City. Groceries flip the comparison at $345 vs $347, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇦 Quebec City

🕒 Local time

09:07 9:07 AM

Same time as Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

530,168

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Toronto Quebec City 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Quebec City

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 Quebec City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quebec City wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Toronto. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Quebec City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 22% 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: $1,630 in Toronto versus $1,029 in Quebec City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Quebec City runs roughly 37% less than in Toronto. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,589 per month in Toronto versus $1,935 in Quebec City – Quebec City is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

For families, Quebec City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Toronto, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Quebec City wins on affordability, Toronto on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.