Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Toronto: $2,589 a month against $2,725 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
Learn more

Toronto Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
Learn more

Vancouver Living Index

Jump to prices

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,589

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Vancouver

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,589 in Toronto versus $2,725 in Vancouver.

Toronto $2,589
Vancouver $2,725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,710 in Toronto versus $4,039 in Vancouver.

Toronto $3,710
Vancouver $4,039

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,831 in Toronto versus $5,352 in Vancouver.

Toronto $4,831
Vancouver $5,352

Living in Toronto costs roughly 5% less than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 90% above, Vancouver 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.60 CA$24.70

$17.65 CA$24.77

-0.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.8 CA$109

$72.4 CA$102

7.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.86

$10.84 CA$15.21

-2.31%

Cappuccino

$4.16 CA$5.83

$3.91 CA$5.49

6.39%

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

$2.04 CA$2.87

$2.10 CA$2.95

-2.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.46

$1.64 CA$2.30

6.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 CA$9.23

$5.74 CA$8.06

14.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 CA$9.98

$6.36 CA$8.93

11.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 CA$3.56

$2.21 CA$3.10

14.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 CA$3.79

$2.64 CA$3.71

2.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.14

$4.68 CA$6.56

-52.14%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.89

$4.24 CA$5.95

-17.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.38 CA$13.16

$11.92 CA$16.73

-21.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.60 CA$16.28

$13.12 CA$18.42

-11.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.68 CA$20.61

$20.40 CA$28.63

-28.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.26

$4.10 CA$5.76

-8.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.38 CA$1.93

-11.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.88

$3.83 CA$5.37

-9.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 CA$6.07

$3.92 CA$5.50

10.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.60

$2.77 CA$3.89

-33.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.37

$2.84 CA$3.98

-40.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 CA$3.13

$2.60 CA$3.65

-14.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CA$1.79

$1.59 CA$2.24

-19.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.04 CA$19.71

$15.87 CA$22.27

-11.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.43 CA$20.25

$14.00 CA$19.64

3.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 CA$3.03

$2.57 CA$3.61

-15.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.54

$3.01 CA$4.23

-16.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 CA$3.32

$2.55 CA$3.59

-7.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

$84.1 CA$118

33.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 CA$4.27

$2.67 CA$3.74

13.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.58 CA$2.22

-21.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.55 CA$31.65

$32.19 CA$45.17

-29.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.75

$1.45 CA$2.04

-14.48%

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

$26.9K CA$37.8K

$27.5K CA$38.6K

-2.12%

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

$21.4K CA$30.0K

$21.3K CA$29.9K

0.29%

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

$125 CA$175

$82.5 CA$116

51.13%

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

$33.05 CA$46.39

$37.46 CA$52.6

-11.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.96 CA$67.3

$51.7 CA$72.5

-7.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.69 CA$51.5

$40.52 CA$56.9

-9.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.67 CA$33.22

$12.69 CA$17.81

86.52%

Cinema Ticket

$13.08 CA$18.35

$12.66 CA$17.77

3.32%

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

$759 CA$1,065

$1,080 CA$1,515

-29.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K CA$33.4K

$20.1K CA$28.3K

18.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$75.1

$58.5 CA$82.0

-8.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 CA$56.8

$34.10 CA$47.85

18.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 CA$141

$96.9 CA$136

3.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 CA$176

$97.4 CA$137

28.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 CA$2,287

$1,813 CA$2,545

-10.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 CA$1,987

$1,576 CA$2,211

-10.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,694 CA$3,781

$3,217 CA$4,514

-16.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,101 CA$2,949

$2,651 CA$3,721

-20.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,551 CA$10.6K

$8,590 CA$12.1K

-12.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,674 CA$9,366

$6,649 CA$9,331

0.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 CA$4,973

$3,733 CA$5,239

-5.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.45

4.28

3.97%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 26, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 54.7%

Vancouver

$1.6K 57.8% 11.3% $160

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$345 13.3%

Vancouver

$401 14.7% 16.2% $56

Eating Out

Toronto

$285 11%

Vancouver

$277 10.2% 2.7% $7.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$206 7.9%

Vancouver

$172 6.3% 16.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$144 5.6%

Vancouver

$129 4.7% 10.3% $15

Getting Around

Toronto

$131 5.1%

Vancouver

$105 3.9% 20% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.4%

Vancouver

$66 2.4% 4.8% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,630 in Toronto and $1,813 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 5% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $78 in Toronto vs $72 in Vancouver. Groceries flip the comparison at $345 vs $401, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

15:05 3:05 PM

3 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

631,486

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Toronto Vancouver 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Vancouver

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 Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Toronto. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,630 in Toronto versus $1,813 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Vancouver. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Vancouver – a meal for two runs $72 versus $78 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Toronto is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Toronto is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Vancouver, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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