Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Winston-Salem, NC and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Winston-Salem, NC: $2,384 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Toronto outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Winston-Salem, NC
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Winston-Salem, NC Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Winston-Salem, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,384

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Winston-Salem, NC 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 Winston-Salem, NC and in Toronto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,384 in Winston-Salem, NC versus $2,561 in Toronto.

Winston-Salem, NC $2,384
Toronto $2,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,790 in Winston-Salem, NC versus $3,694 in Toronto.

Winston-Salem, NC $3,790
Toronto $3,694

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,195 in Winston-Salem, NC versus $4,826 in Toronto.

Winston-Salem, NC $5,195
Toronto $4,826

Living in Winston-Salem, NC costs roughly 7% less than in Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Winston-Salem, NC 77% above, Toronto 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.56 $22.56

$17.18 CA$24.29

31.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 $79.2

$76.0 CA$107

4.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.10 $10.10

$10.54 CA$14.89

-4.17%

Cappuccino

$5.41 $5.41

$4.02 CA$5.68

34.58%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$2.12 CA$3.00

38.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.75 CA$2.48

17.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.04 $5.04

$6.24 CA$8.83

-19.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 $6.13

$7.09 CA$10.02

-13.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$2.44 CA$3.45

-40.98%

White Bread (500g)

$4.76 $4.76

$2.68 CA$3.78

77.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$9.57 $9.57

$2.24 CA$3.17

327.23%

Eggs

$5.31 $5.31

$3.56 CA$5.03

49.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.18 $18.18

$9.09 CA$12.85

100.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.89 $13.89

$11.33 CA$16.01

22.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.80 $26.80

$14.53 CA$20.55

84.45%

Apples (1kg)

$7.82 $7.82

$3.62 CA$5.12

116.02%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.21 CA$1.72

150.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$3.60 CA$5.09

87.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.46 $7.46

$4.21 CA$5.96

77.20%

Potato (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$1.79 CA$2.53

174.30%

Onion (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$1.59 CA$2.25

291.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.27 CA$3.21

21.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$1.25 CA$1.77

172.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.76 $7.76

$13.82 CA$19.53

-43.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$14.27 CA$20.18

6.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.20 CA$3.10

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.43 CA$3.44

79.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.39 CA$3.38

-14.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.85 $29.85

$111 CA$157

-73.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.95 $6.95

$2.91 CA$4.12

138.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.20 CA$1.69

94.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.74 $14.74

$21.38 CA$30.23

-31.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.21 CA$1.71

-22.31%

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

$35.2K $35.2K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

24.77%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$20.3K CA$28.6K

28.88%

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

$174 $174

$120 CA$170

44.20%

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

$51.1 $51.1

$32.26 CA$45.60

58.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.4 $63.4

$47.93 CA$67.8

32.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.72 $48.72

$38.48 CA$54.4

26.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.71 $15.71

$22.96 CA$32.46

-31.58%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 $11.95

$12.38 CA$17.50

-3.47%

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

$1,301 $1,301

$830 CA$1,173

56.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K $10.2K

$23.1K CA$32.6K

-55.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.65 $39.65

$50.7 CA$71.7

-21.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.82 $31.82

$40.02 CA$56.6

-20.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 $85.3

$98.0 CA$139

-12.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 $94.0

$121 CA$171

-22.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 $1,448

$1,592 CA$2,251

-9.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$947 $947

$1,410 CA$1,994

-32.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,639 $2,639

$2,670 CA$3,775

-1.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,917 $1,917

$2,152 CA$3,042

-10.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,350 $6,350

$7,945 CA$11.2K

-20.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,229 $3,229

$6,542 CA$9,249

-50.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,555 $3,555

$3,727 CA$5,269

-4.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

4.47

49.44%

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

Last update for Winston-Salem, NC: October 13, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Winston-Salem, NC

$947 39.7%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1% 48.9% $463

Groceries & Markets

Winston-Salem, NC

$574 24.1%

Toronto

$340 13.3% 40.8% $234

Eating Out

Winston-Salem, NC

$333 14%

Toronto

$278 10.9% 16.5% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Winston-Salem, NC

$288 12.1%

Toronto

$201 7.8% 30.4% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Winston-Salem, NC

$113 4.7%

Toronto

$139 5.4% 23.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Winston-Salem, NC

$73 3.1%

Toronto

$63 2.5% 12.9% $9.4

Getting Around

Winston-Salem, NC

$57 2.4%

Toronto

$129 5.1% 128% $73

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,448 in Winston-Salem, NC and $1,592 in Toronto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto 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: $79.0 in Winston-Salem, NC vs $76.0 in Toronto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $574 vs $340 per month, with Toronto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Winston-Salem, NC

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

04:57 4:57 AM

Same time as Winston-Salem, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,218

2,731,571

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Winston-Salem, NC Toronto 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Winston-Salem, NC
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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

Winston-Salem, NC vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Winston-Salem, NC is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and transport. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Toronto. 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: $1,448 in Winston-Salem, NC versus $1,592 in Toronto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Toronto pay roughly 69% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Winston-Salem, NC – a meal for two runs $79.0 versus $76.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Winston-Salem, NC 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 Winston-Salem, NC gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.