Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Yellowknife

For one person, living is cheaper in Toronto: $2,561 a month against $2,916 in Yellowknife, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
143

Cost of Living Index in Yellowknife
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Yellowknife Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Yellowknife

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Yellowknife

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,561 in Toronto versus $2,916 in Yellowknife.

Toronto $2,561
Yellowknife $2,916

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,694 in Toronto versus $4,085 in Yellowknife.

Toronto $3,694
Yellowknife $4,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,826 in Toronto versus $5,255 in Yellowknife.

Toronto $4,826
Yellowknife $5,255

Living in Toronto costs roughly 12% less than in Yellowknife, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 90% above, Yellowknife 116% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 CA$24.29

$19.32 CA$27.31

-11.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 CA$107

$85.3 CA$121

-10.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.89

$8.63 CA$12.19

22.13%

Cappuccino

$4.02 CA$5.68

$4.22 CA$5.97

-4.74%

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

$2.12 CA$3.00

$2.27 CA$3.21

-6.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$2.07 CA$2.93

-15.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.83

$6.12 CA$8.65

1.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 CA$10.02

$6.89 CA$9.74

2.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$2.83 CA$4.00

-13.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.78

$2.65 CA$3.74

1.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$4.65 CA$6.57

-51.83%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.03

$3.26 CA$4.60

9.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 CA$12.85

$6.93 CA$9.80

31.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.01

$16.17 CA$22.86

-29.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 CA$20.55

$15.33 CA$21.67

-5.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.12

$4.81 CA$6.80

-24.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.45 CA$2.04

-16.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.09

$5.05 CA$7.15

-28.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.96

$7.14 CA$10.10

-41.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$4.30 CA$6.08

-58.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$3.60 CA$5.08

-55.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$3.43 CA$4.84

-33.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CA$1.77

$1.05 CA$1.48

19.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 CA$19.53

$17.03 CA$24.08

-18.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.27 CA$20.18

$13.83 CA$19.55

3.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.10

$4.09 CA$5.78

-46.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.44

$6.14 CA$8.68

-60.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$2.13 CA$3.01

12.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$157

$51.7 CA$73.1

114.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$3.07 CA$4.34

-5.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 CA$1.69

$1.37 CA$1.94

-12.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.38 CA$30.23

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.29 CA$1.82

-6.20%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$23.4K CA$33.1K

20.25%

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

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$18.7K CA$26.5K

8.14%

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

$120 CA$170

$354 CA$501

-66.04%

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

$32.26 CA$45.60

$56.9 CA$80.4

-43.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.93 CA$67.8

$97.5 CA$138

-50.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.48 CA$54.4

$72.3 CA$102

-46.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 CA$32.46

Cinema Ticket

$12.38 CA$17.50

$9.69 CA$13.70

27.76%

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

$830 CA$1,173

$575 CA$813

44.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K CA$32.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 CA$71.7

$63.6 CA$89.9

-20.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 CA$56.6

$34.39 CA$48.61

16.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 CA$139

$98.7 CA$140

-0.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 CA$171

$114 CA$161

6.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 CA$2,251

$1,408 CA$1,991

13.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 CA$1,994

$1,383 CA$1,955

1.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 CA$3,775

$2,100 CA$2,969

27.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 CA$3,042

$2,050 CA$2,898

4.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,945 CA$11.2K

$2,983 CA$4,217

166.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,542 CA$9,249

$2,765 CA$3,909

136.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,727 CA$5,269

$3,903 CA$5,518

-4.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

5.32

-15.98%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Last update for Yellowknife: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1%

Yellowknife

$1.4K 47.4% 1.9% $27

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.3%

Yellowknife

$429 14.7% 26.4% $90

Eating Out

Toronto

$278 10.9%

Yellowknife

$293 10% 5.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.8%

Yellowknife

$509 17.5% 154% $308

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$139 5.4%

Yellowknife

$140 4.8% 0.4% $0.5

Getting Around

Toronto

$129 5.1%

Yellowknife

$70 2.4% 45.8% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.5%

Yellowknife

$92 3.2% 45% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,592 in Toronto and $1,408 in Yellowknife. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yellowknife pays 5% 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 $85.0 in Yellowknife for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $429 per month, with Toronto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇦 Yellowknife

🕒 Local time

11:53 11:53 AM

09:53 9:53 AM

2 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

19,234

💱 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 Yellowknife 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
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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 Yellowknife: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Yellowknife. 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: $1,592 in Toronto versus $1,408 in Yellowknife. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Yellowknife. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Toronto – a meal for two runs $76.0 versus $85.0 in Yellowknife. 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.

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 Toronto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Yellowknife. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.