Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yellowknife and Toronto

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.

143

Cost of Living Index in Yellowknife
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Yellowknife Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Yellowknife

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,916

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Yellowknife $2,916
Toronto $2,561

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

Yellowknife $4,085
Toronto $3,694

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

Yellowknife $5,255
Toronto $4,826

Living in Yellowknife is roughly 14% more expensive than in Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.32 CA$27.31

$17.18 CA$24.29

12.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 CA$121

$76.0 CA$107

12.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.63 CA$12.19

$10.54 CA$14.89

-18.12%

Cappuccino

$4.22 CA$5.97

$4.02 CA$5.68

4.98%

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

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.12 CA$3.00

7.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 CA$2.93

$1.75 CA$2.48

18.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 CA$8.65

$6.24 CA$8.83

-1.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 CA$9.74

$7.09 CA$10.02

-2.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.83 CA$4.00

$2.44 CA$3.45

15.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 CA$3.74

$2.68 CA$3.78

-1.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.65 CA$6.57

$2.24 CA$3.17

107.59%

Eggs

$3.26 CA$4.60

$3.56 CA$5.03

-8.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.93 CA$9.80

$9.09 CA$12.85

-23.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.17 CA$22.86

$11.33 CA$16.01

42.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.33 CA$21.67

$14.53 CA$20.55

5.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 CA$6.80

$3.62 CA$5.12

32.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.04

$1.21 CA$1.72

19.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.05 CA$7.15

$3.60 CA$5.09

40.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.14 CA$10.10

$4.21 CA$5.96

69.60%

Potato (1kg)

$4.30 CA$6.08

$1.79 CA$2.53

140.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.08

$1.59 CA$2.25

126.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.43 CA$4.84

$2.27 CA$3.21

51.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 CA$1.48

$1.25 CA$1.77

-16.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.03 CA$24.08

$13.82 CA$19.53

23.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 CA$19.55

$14.27 CA$20.18

-3.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.09 CA$5.78

$2.20 CA$3.10

85.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 CA$8.68

$2.43 CA$3.44

152.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.13 CA$3.01

$2.39 CA$3.38

-10.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.7 CA$73.1

$111 CA$157

-53.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$2.91 CA$4.12

5.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$1.20 CA$1.69

14.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.38 CA$30.23

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 CA$1.82

$1.21 CA$1.71

6.61%

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

$23.4K CA$33.1K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-16.84%

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

$18.7K CA$26.5K

$20.3K CA$28.6K

-7.52%

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

$354 CA$501

$120 CA$170

194.50%

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

$56.9 CA$80.4

$32.26 CA$45.60

76.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$97.5 CA$138

$47.93 CA$67.8

103.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.3 CA$102

$38.48 CA$54.4

87.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 CA$32.46

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 CA$13.70

$12.38 CA$17.50

-21.73%

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

$575 CA$813

$830 CA$1,173

-30.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K CA$32.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 CA$89.9

$50.7 CA$71.7

25.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.39 CA$48.61

$40.02 CA$56.6

-14.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 CA$140

$98.0 CA$139

0.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 CA$161

$121 CA$171

-5.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 CA$1,991

$1,592 CA$2,251

-11.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,383 CA$1,955

$1,410 CA$1,994

-1.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,100 CA$2,969

$2,670 CA$3,775

-21.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,050 CA$2,898

$2,152 CA$3,042

-4.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,983 CA$4,217

$7,945 CA$11.2K

-62.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,765 CA$3,909

$6,542 CA$9,249

-57.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,903 CA$5,518

$3,727 CA$5,269

4.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

4.47

19.02%

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

Last update for Yellowknife: 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

Yellowknife

$1.4K 47.4%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1% 2% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yellowknife

$509 17.5%

Toronto

$201 7.8% 60.6% $308

Groceries & Markets

Yellowknife

$429 14.7%

Toronto

$340 13.3% 20.9% $90

Eating Out

Yellowknife

$293 10%

Toronto

$278 10.9% 5% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Yellowknife

$140 4.8%

Toronto

$139 5.4% 0.4% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Yellowknife

$92 3.2%

Toronto

$63 2.5% 31.1% $28

Getting Around

Yellowknife

$70 2.4%

Toronto

$129 5.1% 84.4% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,408 in Yellowknife and $1,592 in Toronto. 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: $85.0 in Yellowknife vs $76.0 in Toronto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $429 vs $340 per month, with Toronto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Yellowknife

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

09:10 9:10 AM

2 h ahead of Yellowknife

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,234

2,731,571

💱 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

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

From you

Yellowknife
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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

Yellowknife vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 5% higher in Yellowknife, 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: $1,408 in Yellowknife versus $1,592 in Toronto. 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.