Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and St.James

For one person, living is cheaper in St.James: $921 a month against $2,599 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Toronto, Canada
St.James, Trinidad And Tobago
Toronto
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,599
/mo nomad
St.James
🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago
$921
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,599 per month in Toronto vs $921 in St.James, rent included.

  • Toronto $2,599
  • St.James $921

A couple spends around $3,700 per month in Toronto vs $1,598 in St.James, rent included.

  • Toronto $3,700
  • St.James $1,598

A family of three spends $4,801 per month in Toronto vs $2,275 in St.James, rent included.

  • Toronto $4,801
  • St.James $2,275

Toronto costs about 182% more than St.James, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Toronto sits 92% above the global median, while St.James is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Toronto
St.James
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.98 CA$25.20
$10.22 TTD 67.9
75.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$72.3 CA$101
$87.6 TTD 582
-17.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.83 CA$15.18
$8.85 TTD 58.8
22.37%
Cappuccino
$4.34 CA$6.09
$3.71 TTD 24.63
16.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 CA$3.03
$1.10 TTD 7.30
96.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 CA$2.32
$0.71 TTD 4.70
133.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.35 CA$8.90
$2.18 TTD 14.45
191.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.34 CA$10.29
$3.60 TTD 23.90
103.89%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Toronto
St.James
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.57 CA$3.60
$2.49 TTD 16.53
3.21%
White Bread (500g)
$2.71 CA$3.79
$2.49 TTD 16.53
8.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.28 CA$3.19
$2.92 TTD 19.40
-21.92%
Eggs
$3.60 CA$5.05
$4.45 TTD 29.55
-19.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.94 CA$12.54
$6.64 TTD 44.09
34.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.19 CA$15.69
$10.08 TTD 67.0
11.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.23 CA$21.34
$11.66 TTD 77.5
30.62%
Apples (1kg)
$3.74 CA$5.25
$5.69 TTD 37.80
-34.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.23 CA$1.72
$3.12 TTD 20.72
-60.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.58 CA$5.02
$3.75 TTD 24.93
-4.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.25 CA$5.96
$4.42 TTD 29.35
-3.85%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 CA$2.72
$2.13 TTD 14.18
-8.92%
Onion (1kg)
$1.67 CA$2.34
$1.94 TTD 12.87
-13.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.30 CA$3.22
$1.83 TTD 12.16
25.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 CA$1.77
$1.35 TTD 8.98
-6.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.19 CA$19.90
$5.85 TTD 38.86
142.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.25 CA$19.97
$19.15 TTD 127
-25.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.28 CA$3.20
$2.34 TTD 15.51
-2.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.58 CA$3.62
$3.04 TTD 20.20
-15.13%
🚌 Getting Around
Toronto
St.James
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.35 CA$3.30
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$111 CA$156
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.01 CA$4.22
$1.01 TTD 6.72
198.02%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.22 CA$1.71
$1.45 TTD 9.61
-15.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.82 CA$30.59
$21.99 TTD 146
-0.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 CA$1.73
$1.18 TTD 7.84
4.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.0K CA$37.8K
$37.0K TTD 246.0K
-27.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K CA$30.6K
$41.5K TTD 275.9K
-47.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
St.James
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$121 CA$169
$90.0 TTD 598
34.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.10 CA$46.40
$51.2 TTD 340
-35.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.09 CA$68.8
$56.3 TTD 374
-12.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
St.James
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.65 CA$51.4
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.01 CA$35.06
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.78 CA$17.91
$8.98 TTD 59.7
42.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Toronto
St.James
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$754 CA$1,058
$407 TTD 2,707
85.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$33.7K CA$47.2K
$16.9K TTD 112.3K
99.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
St.James
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.4 CA$70.6
$54.9 TTD 365
-8.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.43 CA$58.1
$50.9 TTD 338
-18.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 CA$142
$147 TTD 975
-31.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130 CA$183
$103 TTD 684
26.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Toronto
St.James
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,590 CA$2,228
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,424 CA$1,996
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,641 CA$3,702
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,090 CA$2,930
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,730 CA$10.8K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,892 CA$9,661
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Toronto
St.James
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,623 CA$5,078
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.45
5.75
-22.61%

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

Last update for Toronto: November 2, 2026

Last update for St.James: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Toronto
$1.4K
St.James
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Toronto
$345
St.James
$359 4% $14
Eating Out
Toronto
$290
St.James
$178 38.6% $112
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
$203
St.James
$198 2.7% $5.4
Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
$145
St.James
$160 10% $15
Getting Around
Toronto
$130
St.James
$8.2 * 93.6% $121
Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
$62
St.James
$18 * 71.1% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in Toronto versus $88 in St.James. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $359 – making Toronto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Toronto
🇹🇹 St.James
🕒 Local time
20:27 8:27 PM
21:27 9:27 PM
1 h ahead of Toronto
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,731,571
4,342
Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 TTD (1 TTD = 0.151 USD). 1 EUR = 7.46 TTD (1 TTD = 0.134 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Toronto St.James 4,050 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Toronto
  • St.James

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.James: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Toronto and in St.James compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,599 in Toronto, $921 in St.James – St.James comes out roughly 65% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Toronto compared to St.James?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,899 per month in Toronto and $1,381 in St.James. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city is more expensive overall: Toronto or St.James?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,599 in Toronto and $921 in St.James. That makes St.James about 65% cheaper.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Toronto and St.James?
Kindergarten costs $754 per month in Toronto and $407 in St.James. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in St.James, where all-in costs run around $921, than in Toronto at $2,599. In St.James it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Toronto and St.James?
It depends on your priorities. St.James has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $921 in St.James to $2,599 in Toronto. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Toronto vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?