Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between West Lafayette, IN and Ajax, ON

For one person, living is cheaper in West Lafayette, IN: $2,355 a month against $2,515 in Ajax, ON, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in West Lafayette, IN
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West Lafayette, IN Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Ajax, ON
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Ajax, ON Living Index

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West Lafayette, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,355

/mo nomad

Ajax, ON

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,515

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in West Lafayette, IN and in Ajax, ON

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

A single person spends $2,355 per month in West Lafayette, IN vs $2,515 in Ajax, ON, rent included.

West Lafayette, IN $2,355
Ajax, ON $2,515

A couple spends around $3,410 per month in West Lafayette, IN vs $3,611 in Ajax, ON, rent included.

West Lafayette, IN $3,410
Ajax, ON $3,611

A family of three spends $4,465 per month in West Lafayette, IN vs $4,707 in Ajax, ON, rent included.

West Lafayette, IN $4,465
Ajax, ON $4,707

West Lafayette, IN is about 6% cheaper than Ajax, ON, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both West Lafayette, IN and Ajax, ON sit above the global median – West Lafayette, IN by 73%, Ajax, ON by 85%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.19 $12.19

$18.19 CA$25.43

-32.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 $63.9

$53.8 CA$75.2

18.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.65 $6.65

$10.50 CA$14.67

-36.67%

Cappuccino

$4.38 $4.38

$3.76 CA$5.25

16.49%

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

$1.90 $1.90

$1.83 CA$2.55

3.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.52 CA$2.13

2.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.31 $5.31

$3.52 CA$4.91

50.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 $3.40

$5.62 CA$7.86

-39.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 $0.69

$2.02 CA$2.82

-65.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.99 CA$4.18

9.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$3.41 CA$4.77

-41.06%

Eggs

$3.78 $3.78

$3.87 CA$5.41

-2.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.68 $21.68

$10.56 CA$14.75

105.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.09 $6.09

$11.77 CA$16.45

-48.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.48 $27.48

$17.12 CA$23.92

60.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$4.14 CA$5.78

8.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.73 CA$2.42

-27.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 $3.41

$3.15 CA$4.41

8.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$3.37 CA$4.71

54.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.31 CA$3.23

44.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.46 CA$3.44

37.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.20 CA$3.08

-10.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.94 CA$2.71

20.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.16 $11.16

$14.11 CA$19.73

-20.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 $11.14

$13.79 CA$19.27

-19.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.12 CA$2.97

-20.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.55 CA$3.57

100.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.47 CA$3.45

-58.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.64 $27.64

$86.5 CA$121

-68.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 $5.54

$3.38 CA$4.73

63.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 $0.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.18 $18.18

$24.55 CA$34.31

-25.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.18 CA$1.65

-26.27%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$28.2K CA$39.3K

-4.42%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$21.8K CA$30.4K

25.88%

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

$160 $160

$128 CA$179

25.17%

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

$53.4 $53.4

$29.35 CA$41.01

82.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.6 $63.6

$58.9 CA$82.3

8.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.07 $30.07

$33.96 CA$47.46

-11.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.61 $12.61

$10.73 CA$15.00

17.52%

Cinema Ticket

$13.24 $13.24

$10.33 CA$14.44

28.17%

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

$1,002 $1,002

$522 CA$729

92.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K CA$23.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.7 $75.7

$51.9 CA$72.6

45.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.86 $42.86

$51.8 CA$72.5

-17.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.3 $66.3

$94.9 CA$133

-30.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.1 $90.1

$107 CA$150

-16.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 $1,404

$1,510 CA$2,110

-7.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 $1,235

$1,374 CA$1,921

-10.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,342 $2,342

$2,351 CA$3,286

-0.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,949 $1,949

$2,173 CA$3,038

-10.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,830 $1,830

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,868 $1,868

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,580 $8,580

$3,081 CA$4,305

178.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

4.8

35.21%

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

Last update for West Lafayette, IN: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ajax, ON: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

West Lafayette, IN

$1.2K 52.4%

Ajax, ON

$1.4K 54.6% 11.3% $139

Groceries & Markets

West Lafayette, IN

$404 17.2%

Ajax, ON

$369 14.7% 8.7% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

West Lafayette, IN

$277 11.8%

Ajax, ON

$216 8.6% 22% $61

Eating Out

West Lafayette, IN

$217 9.2%

Ajax, ON

$264 10.5% 21.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

West Lafayette, IN

$124 5.3%

Ajax, ON

$138 5.5% 11.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

West Lafayette, IN

$57 2.4%

Ajax, ON

$55 2.2% 3.4% $1.9

Getting Around

West Lafayette, IN

$42 1.8%

Ajax, ON

$100 * 4% 137% $58

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,404 in West Lafayette, IN versus $1,510 in Ajax, ON. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in West Lafayette, IN are about 2.8 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in West Lafayette, IN versus $54 in Ajax, ON. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $404 vs $369 – making Ajax, ON the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 West Lafayette, IN

🇨🇦 Ajax, ON

🕒 Local time

12:37 12:37 PM

Same time as West Lafayette, IN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,997

119,677

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

West Lafayette, IN Ajax, ON 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

West Lafayette, IN
Ajax, ON

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

West Lafayette, IN vs Ajax, ON: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ajax, ON is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,533 per month in West Lafayette, IN and $3,773 in Ajax, ON. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,404 in West Lafayette, IN and $1,510 in Ajax, ON. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,355 in West Lafayette, IN and $2,515 in Ajax, ON. That makes West Lafayette, IN about 6% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 68% less in West Lafayette, IN. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,355 in West Lafayette, IN and $2,515 in Ajax, ON. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. West Lafayette, IN has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,355 in West Lafayette, IN to $2,515 in Ajax, ON. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.