Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Waukesha, WI

For one person, living is cheaper in Waukesha, WI: $2,062 a month against $2,530 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Toronto outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Waukesha, WI
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Waukesha, WI Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Waukesha, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,062

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Waukesha, WI

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,530 in Toronto versus $2,062 in Waukesha, WI.

Toronto $2,530
Waukesha, WI $2,062

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,646 in Toronto versus $2,984 in Waukesha, WI.

Toronto $3,646
Waukesha, WI $2,984

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,761 in Toronto versus $3,905 in Waukesha, WI.

Toronto $4,761
Waukesha, WI $3,905

Living in Toronto is roughly 23% more expensive than in Waukesha, WI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 89% above, Waukesha, WI 54% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.67 CA$25.19

$17.04 $17.04

3.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.4 CA$110

$74.7 $74.7

3.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 CA$14.93

$11.14 $11.14

-6.01%

Cappuccino

$4.08 CA$5.82

$5.04 $5.04

-19.05%

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

$2.12 CA$3.02

$2.74 $2.74

-22.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 CA$2.51

$1.96 $1.96

-10.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 CA$8.80

$5.94 $5.94

3.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 CA$9.83

$7.64 $7.64

-9.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 CA$3.47

$0.84 $0.84

189.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 CA$3.92

$3.25 $3.25

-15.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 CA$3.18

$4.47 $4.47

-50.11%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.91

$3.53 $3.53

-2.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 CA$12.74

$8.63 $8.63

3.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 CA$16.31

$11.51 $11.51

-0.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.61 CA$20.83

$17.05 $17.05

-14.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.34

$5.26 $5.26

-28.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 CA$1.64

$1.64 $1.64

-29.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 CA$5.06

$3.56 $3.56

-0.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 CA$6.11

$5.11 $5.11

-16.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.63

$1.72 $1.72

7.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 CA$2.38

$2.62 $2.62

-36.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.69 $1.69

31.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.93 $1.93

-37.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.88 CA$19.79

$8.32 $8.32

66.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$20.32

$11.21 $11.21

27.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.13

$1.76 $1.76

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 CA$3.45

$3.50 $3.50

-30.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 CA$3.45

$1.95 $1.95

24.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$158

$51.0 $51.0

117.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 CA$4.13

$2.84 $2.84

2.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.80

$1.59 $1.59

-20.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.03 CA$31.41

$21.35 $21.35

3.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.74

$0.99 $0.99

23.23%

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

$27.6K CA$39.4K

$24.6K $24.6K

12.34%

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

$19.8K CA$28.3K

$25.2K $25.2K

-21.36%

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

$122 CA$174

$200 $200

-39.02%

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

$32.03 CA$45.67

$52.0 $52.0

-38.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.92 CA$68.3

$60.1 $60.1

-20.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.90 CA$55.5

$49.24 $49.24

-21.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.24 CA$33.13

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 CA$17.98

$14.35 $14.35

-12.13%

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

$834 CA$1,189

$1,508 $1,508

-44.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K CA$33.3K

$23.9K $23.9K

-2.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 CA$75.0

$54.1 $54.1

-2.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.26 CA$57.4

$40.95 $40.95

-1.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 CA$137

$88.1 $88.1

9.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 CA$175

$74.1 $74.1

65.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 CA$2,279

$985 $985

62.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 CA$2,046

$807 $807

77.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,657 CA$3,788

$1,624 $1,624

63.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 CA$2,989

$1,201 $1,201

74.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,033 CA$11.5K

$2,242 $2,242

258.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,557 CA$9,350

$2,261 $2,261

189.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,743 CA$5,337

$4,330 $4,330

-13.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

6.53

-31.55%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Last update for Waukesha, WI: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4%

Waukesha, WI

$807 39.6% 43.8% $628

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.1%

Waukesha, WI

$362 17.8% 6.4% $22

Eating Out

Toronto

$282 10.9%

Waukesha, WI

$294 14.4% 4.3% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$202 7.8%

Waukesha, WI

$312 15.3% 54.6% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$140 5.4%

Waukesha, WI

$116 5.7% 17.5% $25

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Waukesha, WI

$70 3.4% 46.4% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$64 2.5%

Waukesha, WI

$78 3.8% 21.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,598 in Toronto and $985 in Waukesha, WI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Waukesha, WI pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $77.0 in Toronto vs $75.0 in Waukesha, WI. Groceries flip the comparison at $340 vs $362, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇺🇸 Waukesha, WI

🕒 Local time

15:12 3:12 PM

14:12 2:12 PM

1 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

71,158

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.701 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Toronto Waukesha, WI 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Waukesha, WI

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 Waukesha, WI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Waukesha, WI is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and transport. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Waukesha, WI. 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: $1,598 in Toronto versus $985 in Waukesha, WI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Toronto pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Waukesha, WI – a meal for two runs $75.0 versus $77.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,062 in Waukesha, WI versus $2,530 in Toronto, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Waukesha, WI but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Waukesha, WI 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.

Safety-wise, Toronto and Waukesha, WI are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Waukesha, WI gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.