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Toronto

Cost of living, housing, groceries, transportation and more.

Cost data reviewed 24 Sep 2026FX snapshot 25 Sep 2026 UTC
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Rent · 1BR non-prime
C$2,500
Monthly planning midpoint
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Groceries
C$500
Monthly planning midpoint
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Public transit
C$155
Monthly planning midpoint
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Eating out
C$240
Monthly planning midpoint

What the numbers suggest

The model midpoint for one person in Toronto is C$3,890. At the modeled component midpoint, rent represents roughly 65% of the six-category basket, food about 19%, and public transit about 4%.

This page shows a planning range rather than one “correct” household cost. Actual spending changes with neighbourhood, lease terms, consumption and lifestyle.

What is included

The headline includes rent, utilities/connectivity, groceries, eating out, public transit and household/personal essentials. Healthcare, childcare, car ownership, taxes, savings and discretionary lifestyle spending are separate.

Core monthly cost breakdown

6 of six core planning components for Toronto have captured numeric calibration evidence: 6 direct component observations and 0 broad calibrations. Broad calibration can come from household or per-person spending evidence and is not the same as a direct category measurement. The displayed midpoint remains a normalized planning estimate, not a quote or guaranteed household spend.

Rent · 1BR non-primeDirect component evidenceC$2,500
Utilities + connectivityDirect component evidenceC$300
GroceriesDirect component evidenceC$500
Eating outDirect component evidenceC$240
Public transitDirect component evidenceC$155
Household + personalDirect component evidenceC$180
Core evidence coverage6 direct · 0 broad · 0 model

Direct component evidence measures the category itself or a closely matched subcomponent. Broad calibration evidence uses a wider household/per-person benchmark. Source-linked model anchors have identified sources but no captured numeric observation yet.

  • Rent · 1BR non-prime: direct component evidence — Statistics Canada · 2026-Q2 — example Apartment - 1 bedroom — Average asking rent: 2,090 CAD/month
  • Utilities + connectivity: direct component evidence — Statistics Canada · 2023 — example Water, fuel and electricity for principal accommodation: 144.17 CAD/month
  • Groceries: direct component evidence — Statistics Canada · 2026-05 to 2026-07 — example food.milk_1l: 3.97 CAD
  • Eating out: direct component evidence — Statistics Canada · 2023 — example food purchased from restaurants: 3,351 CAD/year per household
  • Public transit: direct component evidence — Toronto Transit Commission · 2026 — example adult monthly fare cap: 155.1 CAD/month
  • Household + personal: direct component evidence — Statistics Canada · 2023 — example personal care: 1,860 CAD/year per household
Expanded evidence layer

Detailed source-backed profile

33 of 52 fields are public and source-backed for Toronto. Only verified fields are shown; unresolved work remains in the audit ledger.

Housing & ownership 3
Three-bedroom non-primeAverage asking rent for an apartment with three or more bedrooms in the city CMA, 2026-Q2.
C$3,270
Mortgage interest-rate referenceBank of Canada conventional five-year posted rate on 2026-09-23.
6.09 %
Rental move-in cost rulesProvincial residential-tenancy rule; moving services, furnishings and utility connection charges are excluded.
If a rent deposit is agreed, Ontario limits it to one rental period and it is applied to the last rental period. Key deposits must be refundable and limited to expected replacement cost.
Utilities & connectivity 3
Energy/water for baseline dwellingCanada-wide average annual expenditure for one-person households in 2023: Water, fuel and electricity for principal accommodation; divided by 12.
C$144.17 /month
Residential broadbandCanada-wide average annual expenditure for one-person households in 2023: Internet access services; divided by 12.
C$70.42 /month
Mid-tier mobile planCanada-wide average annual expenditure for one-person households in 2023: Cell phone and pager services; divided by 12.
C$68.83 /month
Food & groceries 9
Milk 1 LThree latest monthly Ontario retail-price observations for Milk, 1 litre. No package-size conversion.
C$3.96–C$3.97
Bread 500 gThree latest monthly Ontario retail-price observations for White bread, 675 grams. Converted from the source package with factor 0.740741.
C$2.39–C$2.42
Rice/grains 1 kgThree latest monthly Ontario retail-price observations for White rice, 2 kilograms. Converted from the source package with factor 0.500000.
C$4.52–C$4.68
Eggs 12Three latest monthly Ontario retail-price observations for Eggs, 1 dozen. No package-size conversion.
C$5.00
Chicken 1 kgThree latest monthly Ontario retail-price observations for Chicken breasts, per kilogram. No package-size conversion.
C$14.01–C$14.26
Red-meat equivalent 1 kgThree latest monthly Ontario retail-price observations for Ground beef, per kilogram. No package-size conversion.
C$16.15–C$16.63
Fish 1 kgThree latest monthly Ontario retail-price observations for Salmon, per kilogram. No package-size conversion.
C$28.03–C$28.73
Representative fruit 1 kgThree latest monthly Ontario retail-price observations for Apples, per kilogram. No package-size conversion.
C$5.98–C$6.33
Representative vegetables 1 kgThree latest monthly Ontario retail-price observations for Tomatoes, per kilogram. No package-size conversion.
C$4.71–C$6.80
Transport 2
Single adult fareAdult PRESTO/contactless fare; cash fare is the upper observation.
C$3.30–C$3.35
Gasoline per litreThree latest monthly city observations for regular unleaded gasoline at self-service stations.
C$1.65–C$1.73 /L
Health 3
Public healthcare baseline/eligibilityOfficial provincial coverage and eligibility page; verify personal eligibility before relying on coverage.
Eligible Ontario residents can apply for OHIP. Medically necessary physician and hospital services are covered; eligibility and exclusions apply.
Prescription exposureCanada-wide average annual expenditure for one-person households in 2023: Prescribed medicines and pharmaceutical products; divided by 12.
C$28.58 /month
Supplemental/private coverageCanada-wide average annual expenditure for one-person households in 2023: Private health insurance plan premiums; divided by 12.
C$30.58 /month
Family 1
Childcare/daycareMaximum daily parent fee at participating CWELCC programs; space and eligibility are not guaranteed.
C$22.00 /day
Earnings & tax 4
Official earnings benchmarkMedian wages, salaries and commissions excluding zeros, age 25–54, total gender, city geography, 2024; monthly gross equivalent.
C$5,183.33 /month gross
Core cost divided by earningsCLC six-component one-person model midpoint divided by the official monthly gross earnings benchmark.
75 % of gross
Income remaining after core spendOfficial monthly gross earnings benchmark minus the CLC six-component model midpoint.
C$1,293.33 /month before tax
Tax structure2026 official marginal personal income tax brackets; not a tax estimate for a particular person.
2026 marginal personal income tax uses federal brackets of 14%–33% plus Ontario brackets of 5.05%–13.16%. Credits, Ontario surtax and payroll contributions affect the effective rate.
City context 2
Official crime/safety context2025 police-reported Crime Severity Index for the city CMA; 2006 Canada=100 and lower is less severe.
55 CSI
Climate normalsEnvironment and Climate Change Canada 1991–2020 composite-station climate normals.
1991–2020 daily-average normals: January -3.5°C; July 22.5°C; annual 9.7°C (Toronto (City)).
Detailed evidence sources

Cities with a similar core-budget scale

Using the site's bundled 2026-09-25 FX snapshot only to put model midpoints on a common scale, these covered cities sit closest to Toronto's six-category midpoint. This is a cost-model similarity, not a claim that the cities have the same housing market, wages or lifestyle.

Source and dates

Data model CLC-v5.9-global-detail-1 · site V7.1 · evidence granularity reviewed 2026-09-29 · core evidence mix 6 direct / 0 broad / 0 model. Missing fields are omitted; modeled anchors are labeled and may differ by neighbourhood and lifestyle.