Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Seattle, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Toronto: $2,530 a month against $3,744 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 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
184

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,744

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Seattle, WA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,530 in Toronto versus $3,744 in Seattle, WA.

Toronto $2,530
Seattle, WA $3,744

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,646 in Toronto versus $5,703 in Seattle, WA.

Toronto $3,646
Seattle, WA $5,703

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,761 in Toronto versus $7,661 in Seattle, WA.

Toronto $4,761
Seattle, WA $7,661

Living in Toronto costs roughly 32% less than in Seattle, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 89% above, Seattle, WA 179% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.67 CA$25.13

$24.56 $24.56

-28.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.4 CA$110

$99.5 $99.5

-22.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 CA$14.90

$15.30 $15.30

-31.57%

Cappuccino

$4.08 CA$5.80

$6.62 $6.62

-38.37%

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

$2.12 CA$3.01

$3.25 $3.25

-34.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 CA$2.50

$3.11 $3.11

-43.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 CA$8.78

$7.77 $7.77

-20.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 CA$9.80

$7.93 $7.93

-13.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$1.21 $1.21

100.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 CA$3.91

$4.94 $4.94

-44.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 CA$3.17

$6.17 $6.17

-63.86%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.90

$4.96 $4.96

-30.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 CA$12.71

$19.00 $19.00

-53.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 CA$16.27

$18.69 $18.69

-38.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.61 CA$20.78

$23.14 $23.14

-36.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.33

$5.93 $5.93

-36.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 CA$1.63

$1.94 $1.94

-40.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 CA$5.05

$5.19 $5.19

-31.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 CA$6.09

$6.55 $6.55

-34.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.62

$3.62 $3.62

-48.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 CA$2.37

$3.16 $3.16

-47.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 CA$3.15

$2.91 $2.91

-23.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$2.38 $2.38

-49.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.88 CA$19.74

$12.36 $12.36

12.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$20.27

$15.02 $15.02

-5.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.12

$4.30 $4.30

-48.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 CA$3.44

$5.69 $5.69

-57.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 CA$3.44

$3.05 $3.05

-20.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$158

$109 $109

1.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 CA$4.12

$2.64 $2.64

9.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.79

$1.74 $1.74

-27.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.03 CA$31.33

$30.02 $30.02

-26.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.74

$1.46 $1.46

-16.44%

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

$27.6K CA$39.3K

$36.7K $36.7K

-24.79%

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

$19.8K CA$28.2K

$25.7K $25.7K

-22.82%

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

$122 CA$173

$299 $299

-59.29%

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

$32.03 CA$45.56

$69.7 $69.7

-54.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.92 CA$68.2

$90.1 $90.1

-46.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.90 CA$55.3

$80.0 $80.0

-51.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.24 CA$33.05

$35.62 $35.62

-34.76%

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 CA$17.94

$17.33 $17.33

-27.24%

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

$834 CA$1,186

$2,986 $2,986

-72.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K CA$33.2K

$31.3K $31.3K

-25.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 CA$74.8

$77.7 $77.7

-32.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.26 CA$57.3

$54.9 $54.9

-26.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 CA$137

$126 $126

-23.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 CA$175

$165 $165

-25.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 CA$2,273

$2,407 $2,407

-33.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 CA$2,041

$1,963 $1,963

-26.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,657 CA$3,779

$4,788 $4,788

-44.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 CA$2,981

$3,561 $3,561

-41.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,033 CA$11.4K

$7,430 $7,430

8.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,557 CA$9,327

$5,010 $5,010

30.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,743 CA$5,324

$6,280 $6,280

-40.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

6.85

-34.74%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4%

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.6% 36.8% $528

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.1%

Seattle, WA

$541 14.2% 59% $201

Eating Out

Toronto

$282 10.9%

Seattle, WA

$402 10.6% 42.6% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$202 7.8%

Seattle, WA

$459 12.1% 128% $257

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$140 5.4%

Seattle, WA

$191 5% 35.8% $50

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5% 1.9% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$64 2.5%

Seattle, WA

$115 3% 78.8% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,598 in Toronto and $2,407 in Seattle, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 68% 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: $77.0 in Toronto vs $99.0 in Seattle, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $541 per month, with Toronto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

23:43 11:43 PM

20:43 8:43 PM

3 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

737,015

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Toronto Seattle, WA 3,320 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Seattle, WA

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 Seattle, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 48% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 68% lower in Seattle, WA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,598 in Toronto versus $2,407 in Seattle, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Toronto – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $99.0 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,530 per month in Toronto versus $3,744 in Seattle, WA – a 48% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Toronto is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Toronto is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Seattle, WA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Toronto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.