Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and St. Albert, AB

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Albert, AB: $1,167 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Toronto
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,561
/mo nomad
St. Albert, AB
🇨🇦 Canada
$1,167
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in St. Albert, AB

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 St. Albert, AB actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,561 per month in Toronto vs $1,167 in St. Albert, AB, rent included.

  • Toronto $2,561
  • St. Albert, AB $1,167

A couple spends around $3,694 per month in Toronto vs $2,457 in St. Albert, AB, rent included.

  • Toronto $3,694
  • St. Albert, AB $2,457

A family of three spends $4,826 per month in Toronto vs $3,747 in St. Albert, AB, rent included.

  • Toronto $4,826
  • St. Albert, AB $3,747

Toronto costs about 119% more than St. Albert, AB, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Toronto sits 90% above the global median, while St. Albert, AB is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Toronto
St. Albert, AB
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.18 CA$24.29
$19.29 CA$27.27
-10.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$76.0 CA$107
$69.2 CA$97.9
9.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.54 CA$14.89
$9.90 CA$14.00
6.46%
Cappuccino
$4.02 CA$5.68
$3.81 CA$5.38
5.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 CA$3.00
$2.05 CA$2.90
3.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 CA$2.48
$2.00 CA$2.82
-12.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.24 CA$8.83
$5.03 CA$7.11
24.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.09 CA$10.02
$5.64 CA$7.97
25.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Toronto
St. Albert, AB
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.44 CA$3.45
$1.68 CA$2.37
45.24%
White Bread (500g)
$2.68 CA$3.78
$2.18 CA$3.07
22.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 CA$3.17
$3.04 CA$4.30
-26.32%
Eggs
$3.56 CA$5.03
$3.46 CA$4.89
2.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.09 CA$12.85
$11.42 CA$16.14
-20.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.33 CA$16.01
$11.34 CA$16.03
-0.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.53 CA$20.55
$18.19 CA$25.71
-20.12%
Apples (1kg)
$3.62 CA$5.12
$4.22 CA$5.96
-14.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.21 CA$1.72
$1.39 CA$1.96
-12.95%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.60 CA$5.09
$4.29 CA$6.06
-16.08%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.21 CA$5.96
$3.96 CA$5.59
6.31%
Potato (1kg)
$1.79 CA$2.53
$2.63 CA$3.72
-31.94%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 CA$2.25
$2.64 CA$3.73
-39.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.27 CA$3.21
$2.57 CA$3.64
-11.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 CA$1.77
$1.56 CA$2.20
-19.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.82 CA$19.53
$13.93 CA$19.70
-0.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.27 CA$20.18
$11.72 CA$16.57
21.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.20 CA$3.10
$2.43 CA$3.43
-9.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 CA$3.44
$2.82 CA$3.99
-13.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Toronto
St. Albert, AB
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.39 CA$3.38
$2.03 CA$2.88
17.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$111 CA$157
$60.6 CA$85.6
83.20%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 CA$4.12
$2.93 CA$4.14
-0.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.20 CA$1.69
$1.36 CA$1.93
-11.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.38 CA$30.23
$20.90 CA$29.54
2.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 CA$1.71
$1.10 CA$1.56
10.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K CA$39.8K
$27.3K CA$38.6K
3.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.3K CA$28.6K
$19.5K CA$27.5K
4.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
St. Albert, AB
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 CA$170
$160 CA$227
-24.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.26 CA$45.60
$38.86 CA$54.9
-16.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.93 CA$67.8
$52.6 CA$74.4
-8.91%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
St. Albert, AB
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.48 CA$54.4
$40.02 CA$56.6
-3.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.96 CA$32.46
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.38 CA$17.50
$12.66 CA$17.90
-2.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Toronto
St. Albert, AB
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$830 CA$1,173
$748 CA$1,057
11.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.1K CA$32.6K
$9,306 CA$13.2K
148.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
St. Albert, AB
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.7 CA$71.7
$55.7 CA$78.8
-9.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.02 CA$56.6
$39.02 CA$55.2
2.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.0 CA$139
$83.3 CA$118
17.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 CA$171
$110 CA$156
9.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Toronto
St. Albert, AB
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,592 CA$2,251
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,410 CA$1,994
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,670 CA$3,775
$1,334 CA$1,886
100.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,152 CA$3,042
$1,124 CA$1,589
91.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,945 CA$11.2K
$2,488 CA$3,517
219.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,542 CA$9,249
$2,492 CA$3,523
162.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Toronto
St. Albert, AB
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,727 CA$5,269
$3,157 CA$4,462
18.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.47
4.51
-0.89%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Last update for St. Albert, AB: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Toronto
$1.4K
St. Albert, AB
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Toronto
$340
St. Albert, AB
$360 5.9% $20
Eating Out
Toronto
$278
St. Albert, AB
$282 1.5% $4.2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
$201
St. Albert, AB
$252 25.5% $51
Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
$139
St. Albert, AB
$130 6.8% $9.4
Getting Around
Toronto
$129
St. Albert, AB
$78 39.4% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
$63
St. Albert, AB
$65 3.4% $2.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 18% 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 $69.0 in St. Albert, AB. Groceries tell a different story – $340 in Toronto vs $360 in St. Albert, AB – so Toronto wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Toronto
🇨🇦 St. Albert, AB
🕒 Local time
01:28 1:28 AM
23:28 11:28 PM
2 h behind Toronto
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,731,571
68,232
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Toronto St. Albert, AB 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Toronto
  • St. Albert, AB

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 St. Albert, AB: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Toronto or St. Albert, AB?
Toronto costs about 119% more than St. Albert, AB, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Toronto and in St. Albert, AB?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,841 per month in Toronto and $1,751 in St. Albert, AB. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do dining costs compare in Toronto and in St. Albert, AB?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Toronto and $69.0 in St. Albert, AB. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Toronto compared to St. Albert, AB?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,561 in Toronto and $1,167 in St. Albert, AB. That's a gap of about 119%.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Toronto or in St. Albert, AB?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in St. Albert, AB, where all-in costs run around $1,167, than in Toronto at $2,561. In St. Albert, AB it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward St. Albert, AB – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Toronto or to St. Albert, AB?
If budget matters most, go with St. Albert, AB. 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.

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