Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Windsor

For one person, living is cheaper in Windsor: $2,233 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Toronto
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,561
/mo nomad
Windsor
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,233
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Windsor

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,561 in Toronto versus $2,233 in Windsor.

  • Toronto $2,561
  • Windsor $2,233

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,694 in Toronto versus $3,072 in Windsor.

  • Toronto $3,694
  • Windsor $3,072

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,826 in Toronto versus $3,910 in Windsor.

  • Toronto $4,826
  • Windsor $3,910

Living in Toronto is roughly 15% more expensive than in Windsor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 90% above, Windsor 65% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Toronto
Windsor
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.18 CA$24.29
$14.24 CA$20.14
20.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$76.0 CA$107
$63.9 CA$90.3
18.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.54 CA$14.89
$10.66 CA$15.07
-1.13%
Cappuccino
$4.02 CA$5.68
$3.43 CA$4.84
17.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 CA$3.00
$2.56 CA$3.62
-17.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 CA$2.48
$1.71 CA$2.42
2.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.24 CA$8.83
$4.89 CA$6.91
27.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.09 CA$10.02
$5.72 CA$8.09
23.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Toronto
Windsor
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.44 CA$3.45
$1.71 CA$2.41
42.69%
White Bread (500g)
$2.68 CA$3.78
$2.05 CA$2.90
30.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 CA$3.17
$2.88 CA$4.07
-22.22%
Eggs
$3.56 CA$5.03
$2.89 CA$4.09
23.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.09 CA$12.85
$9.87 CA$13.96
-7.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.33 CA$16.01
$9.86 CA$13.94
14.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.53 CA$20.55
$13.85 CA$19.58
4.91%
Apples (1kg)
$3.62 CA$5.12
$3.84 CA$5.43
-5.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.21 CA$1.72
$1.01 CA$1.43
19.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.60 CA$5.09
$3.07 CA$4.34
17.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.21 CA$5.96
$3.52 CA$4.97
19.60%
Potato (1kg)
$1.79 CA$2.53
$1.98 CA$2.80
-9.60%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 CA$2.25
$2.13 CA$3.01
-25.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.27 CA$3.21
$2.20 CA$3.11
3.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 CA$1.77
$1.23 CA$1.74
1.63%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.82 CA$19.53
$12.36 CA$17.48
11.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.27 CA$20.18
$11.54 CA$16.32
23.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.20 CA$3.10
$1.85 CA$2.61
18.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 CA$3.44
$3.21 CA$4.54
-24.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Toronto
Windsor
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.39 CA$3.38
$2.55 CA$3.61
-6.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$111 CA$157
$84.3 CA$119
31.54%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 CA$4.12
$2.38 CA$3.36
22.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.20 CA$1.69
$0.93 CA$1.31
29.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.38 CA$30.23
$14.17 CA$20.03
50.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 CA$1.71
$1.22 CA$1.73
-0.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K CA$39.8K
$28.2K CA$39.8K
-0.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.3K CA$28.6K
$19.3K CA$27.2K
5.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
Windsor
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 CA$170
$178 CA$252
-32.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.26 CA$45.60
$36.64 CA$51.8
-11.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.93 CA$67.8
$56.5 CA$79.9
-15.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
Windsor
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.48 CA$54.4
$43.57 CA$61.6
-11.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.96 CA$32.46
$27.49 CA$38.87
-16.48%
Cinema Ticket
$12.38 CA$17.50
$10.30 CA$14.56
20.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Toronto
Windsor
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$830 CA$1,173
$495 CA$700
67.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.1K CA$32.6K
$4,280 CA$6,050
439.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
Windsor
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.7 CA$71.7
$43.38 CA$61.3
16.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.02 CA$56.6
$32.51 CA$45.97
23.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.0 CA$139
$80.4 CA$114
21.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 CA$171
$80.9 CA$114
49.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Toronto
Windsor
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,592 CA$2,251
$1,168 CA$1,651
36.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,410 CA$1,994
$1,140 CA$1,611
23.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,670 CA$3,775
$1,760 CA$2,489
51.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,152 CA$3,042
$1,492 CA$2,109
44.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,945 CA$11.2K
$3,003 CA$4,245
164.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,542 CA$9,249
$2,943 CA$4,160
122.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Toronto
Windsor
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,727 CA$5,269
$2,962 CA$4,188
25.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.47
4.71
-5.10%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Last update for Windsor: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Toronto
$1.4K
Windsor
$1.1K 19.2% $270
Groceries & Markets
Toronto
$340
Windsor
$309 9.1% $31
Eating Out
Toronto
$278
Windsor
$240 13.7% $38
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
$201
Windsor
$272 35.5% $71
Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
$139
Windsor
$107 23.3% $32
Getting Around
Toronto
$129
Windsor
$102 21.5% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
$63
Windsor
$64 1.5% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,592 in Toronto and $1,168 in Windsor. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 26% 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: $76.0 in Toronto vs $64.0 in Windsor for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $309 per month, with Windsor cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Toronto
🇨🇦 Windsor
🕒 Local time
04:45 4:45 AM
04:45 4:45 AM
Same time as Toronto
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,731,571
217,188
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Toronto Windsor 330 km
From you
  • Toronto
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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 Windsor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Windsor cheaper than Toronto?
Windsor is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 15% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Toronto or Windsor?
Average pay runs 26% higher in Toronto, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Toronto and Windsor?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,592 in Toronto versus $1,168 in Windsor. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Toronto and in Windsor?
Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Toronto. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is eating out cheaper in Toronto or in Windsor?
Dining out is cheaper in Windsor – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $76.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Toronto or in Windsor?
At $2,233 in Windsor versus $2,561 in Toronto, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Windsor but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Windsor the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Toronto or in Windsor?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Windsor gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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