Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Richmond, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Toronto: $2,589 a month against $2,888 in Richmond, VA, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Richmond, VA
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Richmond, VA Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,589

/mo nomad

Richmond, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Richmond, VA

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

A single person spends $2,589 per month in Toronto vs $2,888 in Richmond, VA, rent included.

Toronto $2,589
Richmond, VA $2,888

A couple spends around $3,710 per month in Toronto vs $4,184 in Richmond, VA, rent included.

Toronto $3,710
Richmond, VA $4,184

A family of three spends $4,831 per month in Toronto vs $5,480 in Richmond, VA, rent included.

Toronto $4,831
Richmond, VA $5,480

Toronto is about 10% cheaper than Richmond, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Toronto and Richmond, VA sit above the global median – Toronto by 90%, Richmond, VA by 112%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.60 CA$24.70

$24.80 $24.80

-29.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.8 CA$109

$98.6 $98.6

-21.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.86

$13.56 $13.56

-21.90%

Cappuccino

$4.16 CA$5.83

$5.99 $5.99

-30.55%

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

$2.04 CA$2.87

$2.74 $2.74

-25.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.46

$2.36 $2.36

-25.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 CA$9.23

$7.19 $7.19

-8.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 CA$9.98

$8.16 $8.16

-12.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 CA$3.56

$1.15 $1.15

120.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 CA$3.79

$4.20 $4.20

-35.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.14

$3.83 $3.83

-41.51%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.89

$6.38 $6.38

-45.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.38 CA$13.16

$9.70 $9.70

-3.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.60 CA$16.28

$11.42 $11.42

1.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.68 CA$20.61

$20.96 $20.96

-29.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.26

$4.83 $4.83

-22.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.42 $1.42

-14.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.88

$3.94 $3.94

-11.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 CA$6.07

$4.33 $4.33

-0.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.60

$2.86 $2.86

-35.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.37

$2.43 $2.43

-30.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 CA$3.13

$2.66 $2.66

-16.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CA$1.79

$2.07 $2.07

-38.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.04 CA$19.71

$9.86 $9.86

42.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.43 CA$20.25

$13.16 $13.16

9.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 CA$3.03

$2.26 $2.26

-4.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.54

$4.53 $4.53

-44.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 CA$3.32

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

$29.90 $29.90

276.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 CA$4.27

$2.57 $2.57

18.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.58 $1.58

-21.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.55 CA$31.65

$22.48 $22.48

0.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.75

$1.01 $1.01

22.77%

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

$26.9K CA$37.8K

$27.3K $27.3K

-1.62%

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

$21.4K CA$30.0K

$25.7K $25.7K

-16.89%

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

$125 CA$175

$209 $209

-40.31%

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

$33.05 CA$46.39

$61.9 $61.9

-46.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.96 CA$67.3

$70.8 $70.8

-32.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.69 CA$51.5

$56.4 $56.4

-34.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.67 CA$33.22

$20.11 $20.11

17.70%

Cinema Ticket

$13.08 CA$18.35

$15.19 $15.19

-13.89%

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

$759 CA$1,065

$1,245 $1,245

-39.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K CA$33.4K

$31.0K $31.0K

-23.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$75.1

$94.4 $94.4

-43.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 CA$56.8

$46.32 $46.32

-12.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 CA$141

$101 $101

-0.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 CA$176

$117 $117

7.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 CA$2,287

$1,655 $1,655

-1.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 CA$1,987

$1,465 $1,465

-3.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,694 CA$3,781

$2,726 $2,726

-1.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,101 CA$2,949

$2,225 $2,225

-5.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,551 CA$10.6K

$3,132 $3,132

141.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,674 CA$9,366

$2,846 $2,846

134.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 CA$4,973

$4,325 $4,325

-18.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.45

6.49

-31.43%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 26, 2026

Last update for Richmond, VA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 54.7%

Richmond, VA

$1.5K 50.7% 3.5% $49

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$345 13.3%

Richmond, VA

$409 14.2% 18.6% $64

Eating Out

Toronto

$285 11%

Richmond, VA

$384 13.3% 34.8% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$206 7.9%

Richmond, VA

$342 11.8% 66.1% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$144 5.6%

Richmond, VA

$161 5.6% 12.2% $18

Getting Around

Toronto

$131 5.1%

Richmond, VA

$40 * 1.4% 69.2% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.4%

Richmond, VA

$87 3% 38.1% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,630 in Toronto versus $1,655 in Richmond, VA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 22% higher in Richmond, VA. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Toronto versus $99 in Richmond, VA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $409 – making Toronto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇺🇸 Richmond, VA

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

Same time as Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

226,610

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Toronto Richmond, VA 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Richmond, VA

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, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Richmond, VA is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,883 per month in Toronto and $4,332 in Richmond, VA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,630 in Toronto and $1,655 in Richmond, VA. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Richmond, VA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Toronto and $99 in Richmond, VA. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,589 in Toronto and $2,888 in Richmond, VA. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

If budget matters most, go with Toronto. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Richmond, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.