Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Sault Ste. Marie

For one person, living is cheaper in Sault Ste. Marie: $2,059 a month against $2,610 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
Learn more

Toronto Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Sault Ste. Marie
Learn more

Sault Ste. Marie Living Index

Jump to prices

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,610

/mo nomad

Sault Ste. Marie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Sault Ste. Marie

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 Sault Ste. Marie actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,610 in Toronto versus $2,059 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Toronto $2,610
Sault Ste. Marie $2,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,727 in Toronto versus $3,008 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Toronto $3,727
Sault Ste. Marie $3,008

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,844 in Toronto versus $3,956 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Toronto $4,844
Sault Ste. Marie $3,956

Living in Toronto is roughly 27% more expensive than in Sault Ste. Marie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 93% above, Sault Ste. Marie 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 CA$24.87

$17.17 CA$24.28

2.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 CA$111

$70.6 CA$99.8

11.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 CA$15.16

$10.23 CA$14.46

4.89%

Cappuccino

$4.09 CA$5.78

$3.47 CA$4.90

17.87%

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

$2.10 CA$2.97

$1.64 CA$2.32

28.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 CA$2.43

$1.35 CA$1.91

27.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.36 CA$8.99

$4.68 CA$6.62

35.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 CA$10.01

$5.00 CA$7.07

41.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.54 CA$3.59

$2.42 CA$3.43

4.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.14 CA$3.02

27.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 CA$3.09

$3.27 CA$4.63

-33.33%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.13

$2.98 CA$4.22

21.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 CA$13.37

$8.32 CA$11.76

13.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.32

$9.97 CA$14.10

15.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.37 CA$20.32

$10.51 CA$14.86

36.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.23

$3.14 CA$4.43

17.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$0.99 CA$1.40

20.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.90

$3.06 CA$4.33

13.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 CA$5.97

$3.54 CA$5.01

19.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$1.97 CA$2.79

-9.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 CA$2.33

$1.69 CA$2.39

-2.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CA$3.11

$2.77 CA$3.92

-20.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.27 CA$1.79

-0.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 CA$19.75

$15.75 CA$22.26

-11.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 CA$20.07

$10.67 CA$15.08

33.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$1.84 CA$2.60

22.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 CA$3.58

$2.28 CA$3.23

10.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$2.24 CA$3.16

3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

$57.5 CA$81.2

94.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$3.47 CA$4.91

-11.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$2.31 CA$3.26

-47.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.69 CA$30.66

$22.97 CA$32.47

-5.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.08 CA$1.52

12.04%

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

$26.1K CA$37.0K

$26.5K CA$37.5K

-1.33%

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

$21.1K CA$29.9K

$20.3K CA$28.6K

4.24%

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

$120 CA$169

$174 CA$246

-31.35%

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

$32.21 CA$45.54

$44.36 CA$62.7

-27.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.88 CA$69.1

$76.7 CA$108

-36.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.34 CA$55.6

$50.3 CA$71.0

-21.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.58 CA$33.34

$17.62 CA$24.90

33.83%

Cinema Ticket

$12.58 CA$17.79

$11.18 CA$15.80

12.52%

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

$832 CA$1,176

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K CA$33.4K

$4,984 CA$7,046

373.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 CA$73.9

$45.63 CA$64.5

14.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 CA$55.8

$35.58 CA$50.3

10.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 CA$140

$74.8 CA$106

32.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 CA$172

$120 CA$170

1.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 CA$2,306

$893 CA$1,262

82.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 CA$2,048

$931 CA$1,316

55.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,737 CA$3,869

$1,325 CA$1,873

106.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,129 CA$3,010

$1,455 CA$2,057

46.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,206 CA$11.6K

$1,868 CA$2,640

339.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,838 CA$9,666

$5,432 CA$7,679

25.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,520 CA$4,976

$3,049 CA$4,310

15.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

5.53

-19.17%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sault Ste. Marie: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.5%

Sault Ste. Marie

$931 45.2% 35.7% $517

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$343 13.1%

Sault Ste. Marie

$299 14.5% 12.7% $44

Eating Out

Toronto

$283 10.9%

Sault Ste. Marie

$255 12.4% 9.9% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.7%

Sault Ste. Marie

$295 14.3% 47.1% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$141 5.4%

Sault Ste. Marie

$124 6% 11.7% $16

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Sault Ste. Marie

$81 4% 37.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$65 2.5%

Sault Ste. Marie

$73 3.5% 12.6% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,631 in Toronto and $893 in Sault Ste. Marie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 15% 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 $71.0 in Sault Ste. Marie for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $343 vs $299 per month, with Sault Ste. Marie cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇦 Sault Ste. Marie

🕒 Local time

11:02 11:02 AM

Same time as Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

73,368

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Toronto Sault Ste. Marie 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Sault Ste. Marie

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 Sault Ste. Marie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sault Ste. Marie is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 27% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,631 in Toronto versus $893 in Sault Ste. Marie. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sault Ste. Marie – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $79.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Sault Ste. Marie runs roughly 94% less than in Toronto. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,059 in Sault Ste. Marie versus $2,610 in Toronto, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Sault Ste. Marie but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.