Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Saguenay

For one person, living is cheaper in Saguenay: $1,427 a month against $2,589 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Saguenay
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Saguenay Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,589

/mo nomad

Saguenay

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Saguenay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,589 in Toronto versus $1,427 in Saguenay.

Toronto $2,589
Saguenay $1,427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,710 in Toronto versus $2,280 in Saguenay.

Toronto $3,710
Saguenay $2,280

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,831 in Toronto versus $3,132 in Saguenay.

Toronto $4,831
Saguenay $3,132

Living in Toronto is roughly 81% more expensive than in Saguenay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 90% above, Saguenay 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.60 CA$24.70

$15.39 CA$21.59

14.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.8 CA$109

$43.46 CA$61.0

79.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.86

$10.53 CA$14.78

0.57%

Cappuccino

$4.16 CA$5.83

$3.84 CA$5.38

8.33%

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

$2.04 CA$2.87

$1.53 CA$2.15

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.46

$1.23 CA$1.72

42.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 CA$9.23

$5.45 CA$7.64

20.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 CA$9.98

$5.30 CA$7.43

34.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 CA$3.56

$2.14 CA$3.00

18.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 CA$3.79

$2.88 CA$4.04

-6.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.14

$4.29 CA$6.03

-47.79%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.89

$2.79 CA$3.91

24.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.38 CA$13.16

$8.63 CA$12.12

8.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.60 CA$16.28

$7.17 CA$10.06

61.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.68 CA$20.61

$10.63 CA$14.92

38.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.26

$4.09 CA$5.75

-8.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.41 CA$1.98

-13.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.88

$3.87 CA$5.43

-10.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 CA$6.07

$4.14 CA$5.81

4.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.60

$2.91 CA$4.08

-36.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.37

$2.80 CA$3.94

-39.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 CA$3.13

$2.45 CA$3.44

-8.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CA$1.79

$0.76 CA$1.06

68.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.04 CA$19.71

$12.22 CA$17.15

14.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.43 CA$20.25

$11.61 CA$16.29

24.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 CA$3.03

$3.20 CA$4.48

-32.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.54

$3.40 CA$4.77

-25.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 CA$3.32

$2.61 CA$3.66

-9.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

$56.5 CA$79.3

98.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 CA$4.27

$2.95 CA$4.13

3.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.43 CA$2.01

-13.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.55 CA$31.65

$28.38 CA$39.83

-20.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.75

$1.21 CA$1.70

2.48%

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

$26.9K CA$37.8K

$27.8K CA$39.1K

-3.37%

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

$21.4K CA$30.0K

$19.6K CA$27.5K

9.03%

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

$125 CA$175

$64.4 CA$90.4

93.48%

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

$33.05 CA$46.39

$32.29 CA$45.31

2.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.96 CA$67.3

$45.01 CA$63.2

6.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.69 CA$51.5

$25.03 CA$35.12

46.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.67 CA$33.22

$19.54 CA$27.42

21.14%

Cinema Ticket

$13.08 CA$18.35

$9.52 CA$13.37

37.39%

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

$759 CA$1,065

$702 CA$985

8.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K CA$33.4K

$9,123 CA$12.8K

160.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$75.1

$56.2 CA$78.9

-4.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 CA$56.8

$36.19 CA$50.8

11.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 CA$141

$83.9 CA$118

19.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 CA$176

$108 CA$151

16.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 CA$2,287

$618 CA$868

163.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 CA$1,987

$470 CA$660

201.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,694 CA$3,781

$1,190 CA$1,671

126.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,101 CA$2,949

$970 CA$1,361

116.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,551 CA$10.6K

$5,670 CA$7,957

33.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,674 CA$9,366

$3,522 CA$4,943

89.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 CA$4,973

$2,554 CA$3,584

38.76%

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 Saguenay: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 54.7%

Saguenay

$470 33% 66.8% $946

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$345 13.3%

Saguenay

$317 22.2% 8.2% $28

Eating Out

Toronto

$285 11%

Saguenay

$250 17.5% 12.3% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$206 7.9%

Saguenay

$142 9.9% 31.1% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$144 5.6%

Saguenay

$128 9% 11.2% $16

Getting Around

Toronto

$131 5.1%

Saguenay

$77 5.4% 41.3% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.4%

Saguenay

$44 3.1% 29.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,630 in Toronto and $618 in Saguenay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 39% 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 $43 in Saguenay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $345 vs $317 per month, with Saguenay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇦 Saguenay

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

Same time as Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

144,723

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Toronto Saguenay 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Saguenay

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 Saguenay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto and Saguenay differ by about 81% in total monthly costs ($2,589 vs $1,427 including rent). Saguenay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 39% 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 $618 in Saguenay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $759 in Toronto versus $702 in Saguenay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Toronto. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,427 in Saguenay versus $2,589 in Toronto, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Saguenay but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Saguenay the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Saguenay 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.

Expats usually find Saguenay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.