Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Saint John, New Brunswick

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint John, New Brunswick: $1,954 a month against $2,610 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Saint John, New Brunswick
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Saint John, New Brunswick Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,610

/mo nomad

Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,954

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Saint John, New Brunswick

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 Saint John, New Brunswick actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,610 in Toronto versus $1,954 in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Toronto $2,610
Saint John, New Brunswick $1,954

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,727 in Toronto versus $2,938 in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Toronto $3,727
Saint John, New Brunswick $2,938

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,844 in Toronto versus $3,922 in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Toronto $4,844
Saint John, New Brunswick $3,922

Living in Toronto is roughly 34% more expensive than in Saint John, New Brunswick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 93% above, Saint John, New Brunswick 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 CA$24.87

$18.44 CA$26.08

-4.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 CA$111

$61.0 CA$86.2

29.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 CA$15.16

$10.83 CA$15.31

-0.92%

Cappuccino

$4.09 CA$5.78

$2.96 CA$4.18

38.18%

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

$2.10 CA$2.97

$1.77 CA$2.50

18.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 CA$2.43

$1.07 CA$1.52

60.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.36 CA$8.99

$4.49 CA$6.35

41.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 CA$10.01

$5.00 CA$7.06

41.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.54 CA$3.59

$2.23 CA$3.16

13.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.81 CA$3.97

-3.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 CA$3.09

$2.99 CA$4.23

-27.09%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.13

$3.56 CA$5.03

1.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 CA$13.37

$13.47 CA$19.05

-29.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.32

$12.04 CA$17.02

-4.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.37 CA$20.32

$12.83 CA$18.14

12.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.23

$5.00 CA$7.07

-26.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$1.48 CA$2.10

-19.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.90

$4.16 CA$5.88

-16.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 CA$5.97

$4.03 CA$5.70

4.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$2.03 CA$2.86

-11.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 CA$2.33

$2.21 CA$3.12

-25.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CA$3.11

$2.48 CA$3.50

-11.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.38 CA$1.95

-8.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 CA$19.75

$14.23 CA$20.12

-1.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 CA$20.07

$9.67 CA$13.67

46.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$1.78 CA$2.52

26.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 CA$3.58

$2.08 CA$2.93

21.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$2.09 CA$2.95

11.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

$56.4 CA$79.8

97.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$2.81 CA$3.97

8.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.05 CA$1.48

16.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.69 CA$30.66

$17.60 CA$24.89

23.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.28 CA$1.80

-5.47%

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

$26.1K CA$37.0K

$26.4K CA$37.3K

-0.87%

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

$21.1K CA$29.9K

$21.4K CA$30.3K

-1.42%

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

$120 CA$169

$122 CA$173

-2.02%

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

$32.21 CA$45.54

$42.20 CA$59.7

-23.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.88 CA$69.1

$64.5 CA$91.2

-24.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.34 CA$55.6

$53.3 CA$75.4

-26.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.58 CA$33.34

$35.52 CA$50.2

-33.61%

Cinema Ticket

$12.58 CA$17.79

$12.61 CA$17.83

-0.24%

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

$832 CA$1,176

$372 CA$526

123.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K CA$33.4K

$11.3K CA$16.0K

108.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 CA$73.9

$50.5 CA$71.4

3.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 CA$55.8

$35.95 CA$50.8

9.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 CA$140

$101 CA$143

-1.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 CA$172

$107 CA$151

14.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 CA$2,306

$966 CA$1,366

68.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 CA$2,048

$826 CA$1,168

75.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,737 CA$3,869

$1,609 CA$2,275

70.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,129 CA$3,010

$1,353 CA$1,913

57.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,206 CA$11.6K

$2,035 CA$2,876

303.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,838 CA$9,666

$2,131 CA$3,013

220.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,520 CA$4,976

$2,596 CA$3,670

35.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

4.69

-4.69%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 18, 2026

Last update for Saint John, New Brunswick: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.5%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$826 42.3% 43% $622

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$343 13.1%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$356 18.2% 3.8% $13

Eating Out

Toronto

$283 10.9%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$259 13.3% 8.4% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.7%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$229 11.7% 14% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$141 5.4%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$132 6.8% 6% $8.4

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$73 3.7% 44% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$65 2.5%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$79 4% 21.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,631 in Toronto and $966 in Saint John, New Brunswick. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 36% 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: $79.0 in Toronto vs $61.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick. Groceries flip the comparison at $343 vs $356, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇦 Saint John, New Brunswick

🕒 Local time

07:40 7:40 AM

08:40 8:40 AM

1 h ahead of Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

70,063

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Toronto Saint John, New Brunswick 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Saint John, New Brunswick

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 Saint John, New Brunswick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint John, New Brunswick wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Toronto. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Saint John, New Brunswick the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 36% 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: $1,631 in Toronto versus $966 in Saint John, New Brunswick. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Saint John, New Brunswick – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $79.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,610 per month in Toronto versus $1,954 in Saint John, New Brunswick – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,954 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $2,610 in Toronto, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Saint John, New Brunswick but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Saint John, New Brunswick the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Saint John, New Brunswick gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.