Cost of living in Toronto, prices and what it is like to live for an Expat, quality of life / hardship, and compare cost of living for Expatriates as at January 2021.

What is it like to live in Toronto?

Toronto: Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario.

Economy: Toronto is a major international centre for business and finance. Generally considered the financial capital of Canada, Toronto has a high concentration of banks and brokerage firms. The Toronto Stock Exchange is one of the world's largest. All of the Big Five banks of Canada are headquartered in Toronto, as are a majority of Canada's corporations.

Inflation: 1% for Canada as at January 2021.

Toronto Population: 5.9 Million (Metro) (2020 est.)

Expat Life: Business is conducted in a similar way to that of the US, UK and Australia. Canadians will generally invite you to call them by their first names. Expatriate dress code is generally conservative, suits are the norm. Women hold positions at the highest levels. The safety risk for expatriates in Canada is low. Risks include petty street crime mainly in low income neighbourhoods of major cities, as well as of terrorism.

Health Care: Health care facilities are good, however the cost of treatment can be very expensive for expatriates if you don’t meet provincial residency requirements for health care. The COVID-19 officially reported total deaths for Canada as at 4 March 2021 is 22,105, with 29,930 current active cases.

For other areas within the country see Canada.

Cost Of Living

What is the cost of living in Toronto?

The cost of living for expatriates in Toronto as at January 2021 is high in comparison to other places in the world, with an overall Cost of Living Index (COLI), for all 13 basket groups, of 87.25 (New York =100). We have collected prices for the same items, world wide, based on Expat spending norms, in or closest to the location, and converted them to $USD so that we can compare the cost of 13 different baskets in 780 global locations. For each basket, compared to New York, the equivalent cost in Toronto is as follows:

1) Alcohol and/or Tobacco: Cost is high for items such as beer, spirits, wine and tobacco related products such as cigarettes. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$980. Average price in a store for a midrange bottle of wine is USD$14.75, domestic/local beer (500ml) USD$2.84, imported/international beer (330ml) USD$3.30 and a pack of 20 cigarettes is USD$13.88.

2) Clothing: Cost is high for items such as business, casual and children's clothing and footwear. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$1010. Average price for an international brand of mens jeans is USD$47, a quality international brand of running shoes USD$72, mens leather shoes suitable for office wear USD$88 while a medium size international summer dress from a global chain store is USD$32.

3) Communication: Cost is very high for various communication costs such as home telephone rental, internet subscription, mobile service provider tariff and data costs. A basket costing USD$200 in New York costs USD$278. Average price for a monthly standard plan internet subscription is USD$50, while the benchmark mobile tariff is USD$0.27 per minute.

4) Education: Cost is low for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. A basket costing USD$30,000 in New York costs USD$18000. Average annual private international school fee (excluding extras) USD$11,734 for Primary School, and USD$13,058 for High School.

5) Furniture & Appliances: Cost is average for items such as dining table and chairs, home entertainment, kitchen appliances, and sofas. A basket costing USD$2,500 in New York costs USD$1950. Average price for a 6kg front loader Washing Machine is USD$679, and USD$583 for a 46+'' LED UHD TV.

6) Groceries: Cost is high for items such as consumables, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruit & vegetables, general food products, snacks, soft drinks. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$940. Average grocery prices in a major international retail store for 1 kg apples is USD$3.58, 1 kg oranges USD$3.47, 1 head lettuce USD$2.16, 1 kg potatos USD$2.63, 1 kg boneless, skinless, chicken breast USD$12.34, 1 kg cheddar cheese USD$13.92, 1 dozen large eggs USD$3.07, 500g loaf white bread USD$2.65, 1 L full cream milk USD$2.44, and 1.5 L water USD$1.87.

7) Healthcare: Cost is average for general heath care, doctor visits, hospital stays, non-prescription medicine, and medical insurance. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$620. Average healthcare cost for a private practice Doctor visit for an uninsured patient is USD$51, and a private hospital stay per day including nursing care, medications, diagnostic tests, food, and related costs is USD$1,554.

8) Household Accommodation: Cost is high for items such as apartment rent, house rent, property purchase, mortgage rate, and utilities. A basket costing USD$5,000 in New York costs USD$3400. Average expatriate house / apartment rent for a secure upmarket unfurnished apartment (3 bedrooms) is USD$3,063 in a central location, and USD$2,172 in a suburban location, per month, excluding utilities.

9) Miscellaneous: Cost is high for items such as dry cleaning, linen, magazines, newspapers, office supplies, and postage stamps. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$465. Average price for dry cleaning (1 mens 2 pc suit) is USD$9.09, while an international newspaper is USD$2.80.

10) Personal Care: Cost is very high for items such as cosmetics, hair care, and toiletries. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$485. Average cost for a mens haircut and blow dry is USD$39, while a womens hair colour, cut and blow dry - medium length is USD$194.

11) Recreation & Culture: Cost is high for items such as books, cinema, sport and theatre tickets. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$485. Average price for a latest release international cinema ticket (average of on and off peak where applicable) for one adult is USD$12.98, and an international fitness, recreation or sports club membership cost for one adult is USD$47 per month.

12) Restaurants Meals Out and Hotels: Cost is high for items such as hotel daily room rates, meals and beverages in a restaurant, and take away food and beverages. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$820. Average cappuccino price (regular, medium) is USD$3.87, coke/pepsi (330ml) USD$2.07, burger meal (international franchise or similar) USD$9.85, and a mid-range international restaurant meal for 2 USD$70.05.

13) Transport: Cost is high for items such as fuel (petrol/gasoline), car hire, public transport, vehicle purchase and maintenance. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$1170. Average average price over the last year for highest available octane petrol / gasoline (1L) is USD$0.81, while the benchmark car sedan purchase price including taxes/duties for a compact / small / economy vehicle (1.4 L) is USD$18,111.

How does the cost of living in Toronto compare?

Toronto is 21.1% more expensive than Houston TX for groceries, 75.4% more expensive for household costs than Kuala Lumpur, and 85.2% more expensive for transport costs than Dubai.

What is the quality of life / hardship in Toronto?

Toronto is ranked as a minimal hardship location.The hardship premium for Toronto for an expat from Perth, is for example 0%, i.e. host location (Toronto) premium of 10% minus home (Perth) location premium of 10%.

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