Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Richmond, Canada

For one person, living is cheaper in Richmond: $2,459 a month against $2,589 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Toronto, Canada
Richmond, Canada
Toronto
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,589
/mo nomad
Richmond
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,459
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Richmond

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,589 in Toronto versus $2,459 in Richmond.

  • Toronto $2,589
  • Richmond $2,459

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,710 in Toronto versus $3,502 in Richmond.

  • Toronto $3,710
  • Richmond $3,502

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,831 in Toronto versus $4,545 in Richmond.

  • Toronto $4,831
  • Richmond $4,545

Living in Toronto is roughly 5% more expensive than in Richmond, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 90% above, Richmond 81% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Toronto
Richmond
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.60 CA$24.70
$16.21 CA$22.75
8.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.8 CA$109
$71.6 CA$101
8.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.59 CA$14.86
$9.08 CA$12.74
16.63%
Cappuccino
$4.16 CA$5.83
$4.22 CA$5.92
-1.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 CA$2.87
$2.04 CA$2.86
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 CA$2.46
$1.54 CA$2.16
13.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.58 CA$9.23
$5.42 CA$7.61
21.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.11 CA$9.98
$5.56 CA$7.80
27.88%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Toronto
Richmond
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.53 CA$3.56
$2.20 CA$3.08
15.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.70 CA$3.79
$2.16 CA$3.03
25.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 CA$3.14
$2.36 CA$3.31
-5.08%
Eggs
$3.48 CA$4.89
$3.15 CA$4.41
10.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.38 CA$13.16
$8.84 CA$12.40
6.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.60 CA$16.28
$10.81 CA$15.16
7.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.68 CA$20.61
$9.74 CA$13.67
50.72%
Apples (1kg)
$3.74 CA$5.26
$2.65 CA$3.72
41.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 CA$1.72
$1.29 CA$1.82
-5.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.48 CA$4.88
$2.63 CA$3.70
32.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.32 CA$6.07
$3.63 CA$5.09
19.01%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 CA$2.60
$2.10 CA$2.95
-11.90%
Onion (1kg)
$1.69 CA$2.37
$1.80 CA$2.52
-6.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.23 CA$3.13
$2.03 CA$2.85
9.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 CA$1.79
$1.22 CA$1.71
4.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.04 CA$19.71
$14.39 CA$20.19
-2.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.43 CA$20.25
$12.73 CA$17.87
13.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.16 CA$3.03
$2.18 CA$3.06
-0.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 CA$3.54
$2.18 CA$3.06
15.60%
🚌 Getting Around
Toronto
Richmond
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.37 CA$3.32
$2.17 CA$3.04
9.22%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$112 CA$158
$79.5 CA$112
41.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.04 CA$4.27
$2.98 CA$4.18
2.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.24 CA$1.74
$1.39 CA$1.96
-10.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$22.55 CA$31.65
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 CA$1.75
$1.34 CA$1.88
-7.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K CA$37.8K
$26.7K CA$37.5K
0.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.4K CA$30.0K
$20.8K CA$29.2K
2.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
Richmond
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$125 CA$175
$132 CA$185
-5.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.05 CA$46.39
$32.35 CA$45.39
2.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.96 CA$67.3
$46.70 CA$65.5
2.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
Richmond
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.69 CA$51.5
$23.75 CA$33.33
54.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.67 CA$33.22
$2.41 CA$3.38
882.16%
Cinema Ticket
$13.08 CA$18.35
$12.46 CA$17.48
4.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Toronto
Richmond
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$759 CA$1,065
$800 CA$1,122
-5.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.8K CA$33.4K
$10.7K CA$15.0K
122.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
Richmond
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.5 CA$75.1
$53.2 CA$74.6
0.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.44 CA$56.8
$32.29 CA$45.31
25.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 CA$141
$95.4 CA$134
5.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 CA$176
$118 CA$166
5.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Toronto
Richmond
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,630 CA$2,287
$1,831 CA$2,570
-11.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,416 CA$1,987
$1,409 CA$1,977
0.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,694 CA$3,781
$2,523 CA$3,540
6.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,101 CA$2,949
$2,140 CA$3,003
-1.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,551 CA$10.6K
$8,487 CA$11.9K
-11.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,674 CA$9,366
$6,437 CA$9,033
3.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Toronto
Richmond
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,543 CA$4,973
$3,072 CA$4,311
15.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.45
4.77
-6.71%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 26, 2026

Last update for Richmond: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Toronto
$1.4K
Richmond
$1.4K 0.5% $7.1
Groceries & Markets
Toronto
$345
Richmond
$298 13.5% $47
Eating Out
Toronto
$285
Richmond
$260 8.7% $25
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
$206
Richmond
$211 2.5% $5.2
Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
$144
Richmond
$135 6.4% $9.2
Getting Around
Toronto
$131
Richmond
$98 25.2% $33
Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
$63
Richmond
$49 22.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,630 in Toronto and $1,831 in Richmond. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 15% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $78 in Toronto vs $72 in Richmond for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $345 vs $298 per month, with Richmond cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Toronto
🇨🇦 Richmond
🕒 Local time
11:45 11:45 AM
08:45 8:45 AM
3 h behind Toronto
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,731,571
198,309
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Toronto Richmond 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Toronto
  • Richmond

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 Richmond: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Toronto or Richmond?
Richmond wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Toronto. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Richmond the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Toronto or in Richmond?
Average pay runs 15% 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 much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Toronto compared to Richmond?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,630 in Toronto versus $1,831 in Richmond. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Toronto compared to Richmond?
A monthly transit pass in Richmond runs roughly 29% less than in Toronto. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Toronto and in Richmond?
Childcare runs $759 in Toronto versus $800 in Richmond. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Toronto or in Richmond?
Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Richmond is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Should I move to Toronto or to Richmond?
It comes down to priorities – Richmond wins on affordability, Toronto on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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