Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Thunder Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Thunder Bay: $2,169 a month against $2,610 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Toronto outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

126

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Thunder Bay
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Thunder Bay Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,610

/mo nomad

Thunder Bay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Thunder Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,610 in Toronto versus $2,169 in Thunder Bay.

Toronto $2,610
Thunder Bay $2,169

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,727 in Toronto versus $3,338 in Thunder Bay.

Toronto $3,727
Thunder Bay $3,338

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,844 in Toronto versus $4,508 in Thunder Bay.

Toronto $4,844
Thunder Bay $4,508

Living in Toronto is roughly 20% more expensive than in Thunder Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 93% above, Thunder Bay 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 CA$24.87

$17.63 CA$24.93

-0.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 CA$111

$60.2 CA$85.1

30.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 CA$15.16

$12.62 CA$17.84

-14.98%

Cappuccino

$4.09 CA$5.78

$3.40 CA$4.81

20.29%

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

$2.10 CA$2.97

$1.86 CA$2.63

12.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 CA$2.43

$1.59 CA$2.25

8.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.36 CA$8.99

$5.43 CA$7.68

17.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 CA$10.01

$5.03 CA$7.12

40.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.54 CA$3.59

$2.27 CA$3.20

11.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.55 CA$3.60

6.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 CA$3.09

$3.29 CA$4.65

-33.74%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.13

$3.59 CA$5.08

1.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 CA$13.37

$16.69 CA$23.59

-43.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.32

$15.91 CA$22.50

-27.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.37 CA$20.32

$16.25 CA$22.98

-11.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.23

$3.33 CA$4.71

11.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$1.21 CA$1.71

-1.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.90

$3.92 CA$5.54

-11.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 CA$5.97

$3.48 CA$4.92

21.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$2.50 CA$3.53

-28.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 CA$2.33

$2.16 CA$3.05

-23.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CA$3.11

$2.91 CA$4.12

-24.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$2.38 CA$3.36

-47.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 CA$19.75

$10.69 CA$15.11

30.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 CA$20.07

$8.67 CA$12.26

63.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$1.96 CA$2.77

14.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 CA$3.58

$2.92 CA$4.14

-13.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$2.28 CA$3.22

1.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

$64.3 CA$90.9

73.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$5.26 CA$7.44

-41.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$2.08 CA$2.94

-41.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.69 CA$30.66

$35.48 CA$50.2

-38.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.16 CA$1.63

4.31%

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

$26.1K CA$37.0K

$28.0K CA$39.6K

-6.59%

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

$21.1K CA$29.9K

$21.0K CA$29.7K

0.66%

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

$120 CA$169

$159 CA$225

-24.92%

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

$32.21 CA$45.54

$57.9 CA$81.8

-44.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.88 CA$69.1

$79.3 CA$112

-38.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.34 CA$55.6

$29.52 CA$41.73

33.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.58 CA$33.34

$18.06 CA$25.54

30.56%

Cinema Ticket

$12.58 CA$17.79

$17.88 CA$25.27

-29.64%

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

$832 CA$1,176

$670 CA$947

24.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K CA$33.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 CA$73.9

$76.7 CA$108

-31.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 CA$55.8

$35.15 CA$49.69

12.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 CA$140

$76.6 CA$108

29.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 CA$172

$130 CA$184

-6.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 CA$2,306

$1,053 CA$1,488

55.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 CA$2,048

$908 CA$1,283

59.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,737 CA$3,869

$1,898 CA$2,683

44.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,129 CA$3,010

$1,741 CA$2,461

22.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,206 CA$11.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,838 CA$9,666

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,520 CA$4,976

$3,027 CA$4,279

16.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

4.58

-2.40%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 18, 2026

Last update for Thunder Bay: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.5%

Thunder Bay

$908 41.9% 37.3% $541

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$343 13.1%

Thunder Bay

$396 18.3% 15.5% $53

Eating Out

Toronto

$283 10.9%

Thunder Bay

$271 12.5% 4.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.7%

Thunder Bay

$296 13.7% 47.7% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$141 5.4%

Thunder Bay

$143 6.6% 1.9% $2.7

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Thunder Bay

$89 4.1% 31.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$65 2.5%

Thunder Bay

$65 3% 1.2% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,631 in Toronto and $1,053 in Thunder Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 16% 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: $79.0 in Toronto vs $60.0 in Thunder Bay. Groceries flip the comparison at $343 vs $396, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇦 Thunder Bay

🕒 Local time

10:20 10:20 AM

Same time as Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

107,909

💱 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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Between locations

Toronto Thunder Bay 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Thunder Bay

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 Thunder Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thunder Bay is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and transport. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 16% 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: $1,631 in Toronto versus $1,053 in Thunder Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Thunder Bay – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $79.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,610 per month in Toronto versus $2,169 in Thunder Bay – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,169 in Thunder Bay versus $2,610 in Toronto, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Thunder Bay but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Thunder Bay the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Thunder Bay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.