Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and St.Catharines

For one person, living is cheaper in St.Catharines: $2,309 a month against $2,610 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
112

Cost of Living Index in St.Catharines
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St.Catharines Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,610

/mo nomad

St.Catharines

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,309

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in St.Catharines

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

A single person spends $2,610 per month in Toronto vs $2,309 in St.Catharines, rent included.

Toronto $2,610
St.Catharines $2,309

A couple spends around $3,727 per month in Toronto vs $3,210 in St.Catharines, rent included.

Toronto $3,727
St.Catharines $3,210

A family of three spends $4,844 per month in Toronto vs $4,111 in St.Catharines, rent included.

Toronto $4,844
St.Catharines $4,111

Toronto costs about 13% more than St.Catharines, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Toronto and St.Catharines sit above the global median – Toronto by 93%, St.Catharines by 70%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 CA$24.87

$14.32 CA$20.24

22.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 CA$111

$57.6 CA$81.5

36.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 CA$15.16

$12.63 CA$17.86

-15.04%

Cappuccino

$4.09 CA$5.78

$3.03 CA$4.29

34.98%

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

$2.10 CA$2.97

$1.65 CA$2.34

27.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 CA$2.43

$1.60 CA$2.27

7.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.36 CA$8.99

$4.65 CA$6.58

36.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 CA$10.01

$4.61 CA$6.52

53.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.54 CA$3.59

$2.09 CA$2.96

21.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.18 CA$3.08

24.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 CA$3.09

$4.60 CA$6.50

-52.61%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.13

$4.28 CA$6.06

-15.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 CA$13.37

$14.90 CA$21.06

-36.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.32

$11.22 CA$15.86

2.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.37 CA$20.32

$14.04 CA$19.85

2.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.23

$5.19 CA$7.34

-28.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$1.11 CA$1.57

7.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.90

$4.36 CA$6.17

-20.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 CA$5.97

$4.14 CA$5.85

1.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$2.82 CA$3.99

-36.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 CA$2.33

$4.39 CA$6.20

-62.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CA$3.11

$2.60 CA$3.67

-15.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.29 CA$1.83

-2.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 CA$19.75

$13.73 CA$19.41

1.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 CA$20.07

$12.65 CA$17.88

12.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$3.00 CA$4.24

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 CA$3.58

$3.02 CA$4.28

-16.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$2.46 CA$3.48

-5.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

$70.9 CA$100

57.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$2.88 CA$4.07

6.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$2.22 CA$3.14

-45.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.69 CA$30.66

$22.28 CA$31.50

-2.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.15 CA$1.63

5.22%

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

$26.1K CA$37.0K

$26.4K CA$37.4K

-1.07%

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

$21.1K CA$29.9K

$22.0K CA$31.1K

-3.91%

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

$120 CA$169

$178 CA$251

-32.76%

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

$32.21 CA$45.54

$33.39 CA$47.21

-3.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.88 CA$69.1

$47.75 CA$67.5

2.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.34 CA$55.6

$31.41 CA$44.41

25.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.58 CA$33.34

$41.10 CA$58.1

-42.63%

Cinema Ticket

$12.58 CA$17.79

$11.04 CA$15.60

13.95%

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

$832 CA$1,176

$504 CA$713

64.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K CA$33.4K

$27.6K CA$39.0K

-14.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 CA$73.9

$73.6 CA$104

-29.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 CA$55.8

$52.2 CA$73.8

-24.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 CA$140

$80.1 CA$113

23.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 CA$172

$76.7 CA$108

59.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 CA$2,306

$1,210 CA$1,710

34.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 CA$2,048

$1,159 CA$1,638

24.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,737 CA$3,869

$1,707 CA$2,413

60.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,129 CA$3,010

$1,557 CA$2,201

36.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,206 CA$11.6K

$3,026 CA$4,277

171.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,838 CA$9,666

$2,705 CA$3,824

152.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,520 CA$4,976

$2,969 CA$4,198

18.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

5.71

-21.72%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 18, 2026

Last update for St.Catharines: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.5%

St.Catharines

$1.2K 50.2% 20% $289

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$343 13.1%

St.Catharines

$381 16.5% 11.2% $39

Eating Out

Toronto

$283 10.9%

St.Catharines

$234 10.2% 17.2% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.7%

St.Catharines

$259 11.2% 29.1% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$141 5.4%

St.Catharines

$127 5.5% 9.6% $14

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

St.Catharines

$95 4.1% 27.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$65 2.5%

St.Catharines

$53 2.3% 17.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,631 in Toronto versus $1,210 in St.Catharines. 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 19% 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 $79.0 in Toronto versus $58.0 in St.Catharines. Groceries tell a different story – $343 in Toronto vs $381 in St.Catharines – so Toronto wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇦 St.Catharines

🕒 Local time

02:04 2:04 AM

Same time as Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

133,113

💱 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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Toronto St.Catharines 56 km

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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.Catharines: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Toronto is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,916 per month in Toronto and $3,464 in St.Catharines. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 57% less in St.Catharines. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $832 per month in Toronto and $504 in St.Catharines. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in St.Catharines, where all-in costs run around $2,309, than in Toronto at $2,610. In St.Catharines it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward St.Catharines – 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 St.Catharines. 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.