Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waukesha, WI and Toronto

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.

98

Cost of Living Index in Waukesha, WI
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Waukesha, WI Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
Learn more

Toronto Living Index

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Waukesha, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,062

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Waukesha, WI and in Toronto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Waukesha, WI costs roughly 19% less than in Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 $17.04

$17.67 CA$25.19

-3.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 $74.7

$77.4 CA$110

-3.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 $11.14

$10.47 CA$14.93

6.40%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$4.08 CA$5.82

23.53%

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

$2.74 $2.74

$2.12 CA$3.02

29.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.76 CA$2.51

11.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.94 $5.94

$6.17 CA$8.80

-3.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.64 $7.64

$6.89 CA$9.83

10.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$2.43 CA$3.47

-65.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.75 CA$3.92

18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.23 CA$3.18

100.45%

Eggs

$3.53 $3.53

$3.45 CA$4.91

2.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.63 $8.63

$8.93 CA$12.74

-3.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.51 $11.51

$11.44 CA$16.31

0.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.05 $17.05

$14.61 CA$20.83

16.70%

Apples (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$3.75 CA$5.34

40.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.15 CA$1.64

42.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$3.55 CA$5.06

0.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$4.28 CA$6.11

19.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.85 CA$2.63

-7.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.67 CA$2.38

56.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.22 CA$3.16

-23.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.21 CA$1.72

59.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.32 $8.32

$13.88 CA$19.79

-40.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.21 $11.21

$14.25 CA$20.32

-21.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.20 CA$3.13

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 $3.50

$2.42 CA$3.45

44.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.42 CA$3.45

-19.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.0 $51.0

$111 CA$158

-53.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 $2.84

$2.90 CA$4.13

-2.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.26 CA$1.80

26.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.35 $21.35

$22.03 CA$31.41

-3.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.22 CA$1.74

-18.85%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$27.6K CA$39.4K

-10.98%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$19.8K CA$28.3K

27.16%

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

$200 $200

$122 CA$174

64.00%

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

$52.0 $52.0

$32.03 CA$45.67

62.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.1 $60.1

$47.92 CA$68.3

25.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.24 $49.24

$38.90 CA$55.5

26.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.24 CA$33.13

Cinema Ticket

$14.35 $14.35

$12.61 CA$17.98

13.80%

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

$1,508 $1,508

$834 CA$1,189

80.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K $23.9K

$23.3K CA$33.3K

2.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 $54.1

$52.6 CA$75.0

2.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.95 $40.95

$40.26 CA$57.4

1.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.1 $88.1

$96.2 CA$137

-8.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.1 $74.1

$123 CA$175

-39.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 $985

$1,598 CA$2,279

-38.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 $807

$1,435 CA$2,046

-43.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,624 $1,624

$2,657 CA$3,788

-38.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 $1,201

$2,096 CA$2,989

-42.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,242 $2,242

$8,033 CA$11.5K

-72.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,261 $2,261

$6,557 CA$9,350

-65.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,330 $4,330

$3,743 CA$5,337

15.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

4.47

46.09%

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

Last update for Waukesha, WI: October 5, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waukesha, WI

$807 39.6%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4% 77.9% $628

Groceries & Markets

Waukesha, WI

$362 17.8%

Toronto

$340 13.1% 6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waukesha, WI

$312 15.3%

Toronto

$202 7.8% 35.3% $110

Eating Out

Waukesha, WI

$294 14.4%

Toronto

$282 10.9% 4.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Waukesha, WI

$116 5.7%

Toronto

$140 5.4% 21.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Waukesha, WI

$78 3.8%

Toronto

$64 2.5% 17.7% $14

Getting Around

Waukesha, WI

$70 3.4%

Toronto

$130 5% 86.4% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Waukesha, WI and $1,598 in Toronto. 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: $75.0 in Waukesha, WI vs $77.0 in Toronto. Groceries flip the comparison at $362 vs $340, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waukesha, WI

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

13:13 1:13 PM

14:13 2:13 PM

1 h ahead of Waukesha, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,158

2,731,571

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.701 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

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).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

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

From you

Waukesha, WI
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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

Waukesha, WI vs Toronto: 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.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Waukesha, WI, 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: $985 in Waukesha, WI versus $1,598 in Toronto. 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, Waukesha, WI and Toronto 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.