Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Salem

For one person, living is cheaper in Salem: $350 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $26,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
Learn more

Toronto Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Salem
Learn more

Salem Living Index

Jump to prices

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Salem

🇮🇳 India

$350

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Salem

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

A single person spends $2,561 per month in Toronto vs $350 in Salem, rent included.

Toronto $2,561
Salem $350

A couple spends around $3,694 per month in Toronto vs $555 in Salem, rent included.

Toronto $3,694
Salem $555

A family of three spends $4,826 per month in Toronto vs $760 in Salem, rent included.

Toronto $4,826
Salem $760

Toronto costs about 633% more than Salem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Toronto sits 90% above the global median, while Salem is 74% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 CA$24.29

$2.13 ₹202

706.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 CA$107

$7.11 ₹675

968.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.89

$3.61 ₹343

191.97%

Cappuccino

$4.02 CA$5.68

$1.25 ₹119

221.60%

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

$2.12 CA$3.00

$0.44 ₹41.46

381.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$0.16 ₹15.53

993.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.83

$2.07 ₹197

201.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 CA$10.02

$4.72 ₹448

50.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$0.58 ₹54.8

320.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.78

$0.45 ₹42.42

495.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$0.51 ₹48.37

339.22%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.03

$0.68 ₹64.5

423.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 CA$12.85

$5.13 ₹487

77.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.01

$2.57 ₹244

340.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 CA$20.55

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.12

$1.94 ₹184

86.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$0.72 ₹68.5

68.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.09

$1.33 ₹126

170.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.96

$0.37 ₹34.98

1037.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$0.41 ₹38.99

336.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$0.42 ₹40.03

278.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$0.25 ₹23.78

808.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CA$1.77

$0.29 ₹27.39

331.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 CA$19.53

$5.05 ₹480

173.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.27 CA$20.18

$3.03 ₹287

370.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.10

$1.45 ₹138

51.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.44

$2.20 ₹208

10.45%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.66 ₹348

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$0.20 ₹18.99

1095.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$157

$9.57 ₹909

1059.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$1.04 ₹98.7

179.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 CA$1.69

$0.14 ₹13.76

757.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.38 CA$30.23

$1.08 ₹102

1879.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.11 ₹105

9.01%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$15.0K ₹1.4M

87.37%

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

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$18.9K ₹1.8M

7.34%

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

$120 CA$170

$52.2 ₹4,960

130.38%

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

$32.26 CA$45.60

$2.82 ₹267

1043.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.93 CA$67.8

$9.75 ₹926

391.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.48 CA$54.4

$17.66 ₹1,677

117.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 CA$32.46

$9.56 ₹907

140.17%

Cinema Ticket

$12.38 CA$17.50

$2.06 ₹195

500.97%

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

$830 CA$1,173

$54.5 ₹5,173

1423.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K CA$32.6K

$1,682 ₹159.7K

1273.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 CA$71.7

$19.12 ₹1,815

165.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 CA$56.6

$14.31 ₹1,359

179.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 CA$139

$29.83 ₹2,833

228.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 CA$171

$27.41 ₹2,603

340.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 CA$2,251

$103 ₹9,734

1453.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 CA$1,994

$56.3 ₹5,346

2405.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 CA$3,775

$257 ₹24.4K

938.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 CA$3,042

$166 ₹15.7K

1198.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,945 CA$11.2K

$1,288 ₹122.3K

516.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,542 CA$9,249

$427 ₹40.5K

1433.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,727 CA$5,269

$342 ₹32.5K

988.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

10.4

-57.02%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Last update for Salem: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1%

Salem

$56 16.1% 96% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.3%

Salem

$89 25.4% 73.9% $251

Eating Out

Toronto

$278 10.9%

Salem

$65 18.6% 76.6% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.8%

Salem

$65 18.5% 67.7% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$139 5.4%

Salem

$41 11.7% 70.7% $98

Getting Around

Toronto

$129 5.1%

Salem

$12 3.5% 90.6% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.5%

Salem

$22 6.2% 65.6% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,592 in Toronto versus $103 in Salem. 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 989% higher in Toronto, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Toronto versus $7.00 in Salem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $89.0 – making Salem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇮🇳 Salem

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

14:56 2:56 PM

9 h 30 min ahead of Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

831,038

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Toronto Salem 13,460 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Salem

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 Salem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,561 in Toronto, $350 in Salem – roughly 633% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,841 per month in Toronto and $524 in Salem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salem, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,561 in Toronto and $350 in Salem. That's a gap of about 633%.

Public transport costs about 1059% less in Salem. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Salem, where all-in costs run around $350, than in Toronto at $2,561. In Salem it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Salem – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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