Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Stratford, ON

For one person, living is cheaper in Stratford, ON: $1,992 a month against $2,589 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
96

Cost of Living Index in Stratford, ON
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Stratford, ON Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,589

/mo nomad

Stratford, ON

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,992

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Stratford, ON

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,589 in Toronto versus $1,992 in Stratford, ON.

Toronto $2,589
Stratford, ON $1,992

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,710 in Toronto versus $3,189 in Stratford, ON.

Toronto $3,710
Stratford, ON $3,189

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,831 in Toronto versus $4,387 in Stratford, ON.

Toronto $4,831
Stratford, ON $4,387

Living in Toronto is roughly 30% more expensive than in Stratford, ON, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 90% above, Stratford, ON 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.60 CA$24.62

$17.70 CA$24.76

-0.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.8 CA$109

$49.39 CA$69.1

57.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.81

$11.27 CA$15.76

-6.03%

Cappuccino

$4.16 CA$5.82

$3.46 CA$4.83

20.23%

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

$2.04 CA$2.86

$1.49 CA$2.08

36.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.45

$1.33 CA$1.85

31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 CA$9.20

$4.16 CA$5.82

58.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 CA$9.95

$4.58 CA$6.40

55.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 CA$3.55

$2.14 CA$2.99

18.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 CA$3.78

$2.90 CA$4.06

-6.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.13

$3.75 CA$5.25

-40.27%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.87

$3.04 CA$4.25

14.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.38 CA$13.11

$10.42 CA$14.57

-9.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.60 CA$16.22

$11.60 CA$16.23

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.68 CA$20.54

$22.09 CA$30.89

-33.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.24

$3.63 CA$5.07

3.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 CA$1.71

$1.06 CA$1.49

15.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.87

$4.40 CA$6.16

-20.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 CA$6.05

$4.55 CA$6.36

-5.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.59

$3.46 CA$4.83

-46.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.36

$2.30 CA$3.21

-26.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 CA$3.12

$2.49 CA$3.49

-10.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CA$1.79

$1.47 CA$2.06

-12.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.04 CA$19.64

$11.13 CA$15.57

26.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.43 CA$20.18

$10.88 CA$15.21

32.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 CA$3.02

$3.36 CA$4.70

-35.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.53

$3.16 CA$4.42

-20.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 CA$3.31

$2.09 CA$2.92

13.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$157

$49.32 CA$69.0

128.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 CA$4.26

$2.33 CA$3.25

30.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 CA$1.73

$1.84 CA$2.58

-32.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.55 CA$31.55

$24.43 CA$34.17

-7.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.08 CA$1.51

14.81%

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

$26.9K CA$37.6K

$27.7K CA$38.8K

-2.93%

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

$21.4K CA$29.9K

$22.8K CA$31.8K

-6.03%

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

$125 CA$174

$121 CA$169

2.93%

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

$33.05 CA$46.23

$39.64 CA$55.4

-16.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.96 CA$67.1

$31.75 CA$44.40

51.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.69 CA$51.3

$42.49 CA$59.4

-13.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.67 CA$33.11

$19.24 CA$26.92

23.02%

Cinema Ticket

$13.08 CA$18.29

$10.31 CA$14.42

26.87%

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

$759 CA$1,061

$823 CA$1,152

-7.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K CA$33.3K

$17.0K CA$23.7K

40.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$74.9

$64.3 CA$90.0

-16.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 CA$56.6

$37.14 CA$52.0

8.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 CA$141

$86.1 CA$120

16.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 CA$175

$126 CA$177

-0.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 CA$2,280

$1,209 CA$1,691

34.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 CA$1,980

$883 CA$1,234

60.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,694 CA$3,768

$2,117 CA$2,961

27.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,101 CA$2,939

$1,892 CA$2,646

11.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,551 CA$10.6K

$3,782 CA$5,290

99.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,674 CA$9,335

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 CA$4,956

$2,765 CA$3,868

28.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.45

4.99

-10.82%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 26, 2026

Last update for Stratford, ON: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 54.7%

Stratford, ON

$883 44.3% 37.7% $533

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$345 13.3%

Stratford, ON

$385 19.4% 11.8% $41

Eating Out

Toronto

$285 11%

Stratford, ON

$258 13% 9.3% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$206 7.9%

Stratford, ON

$192 9.7% 6.4% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$144 5.6%

Stratford, ON

$141 7.1% 1.8% $2.6

Getting Around

Toronto

$131 5.1%

Stratford, ON

$69 3.5% 47.2% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.4%

Stratford, ON

$63 3.2% 0.4% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,630 in Toronto and $1,209 in Stratford, ON. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 28% 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: $78 in Toronto vs $49 in Stratford, ON. Groceries flip the comparison at $345 vs $385, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇦 Stratford, ON

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

Same time as Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

31,465

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Toronto Stratford, ON 130 km

From you

Toronto
Stratford, ON

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 Stratford, ON: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,589 in Toronto and $1,992 in Stratford, ON, so Stratford, ON is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 28% 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: $1,630 in Toronto versus $1,209 in Stratford, ON. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,589 per month in Toronto versus $1,992 in Stratford, ON – Stratford, ON is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Stratford, ON runs roughly 56% less than in Toronto. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Stratford, ON gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

It comes down to priorities – Stratford, ON wins on affordability, Toronto on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.