Upper Canada College
British
Confirmed on its own website
Cost of Living inToronto, ON, Canada
Ontario, Canada6.3MHigh incomeRemote-work friendly
Image credit: Thomas Quine
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Your money goes 1% further
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Canada: $57,990/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 33% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Overall
1.5x further
Prices are 33% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Rent
2.7x further
Prices are 63% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Groceries
1.4x further
Prices are 30% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Restaurants
1.4x further
Prices are 30% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Income Category
High
World Bank GNI
GDP per Capita
$57,990
PPP, International $
City Population
6.3M
Monthly Costs
Rent
1BR City Center$1,950/mo
1BR Outside Center$1,459/mo
3BR City Center$2,679/mo
3BR Outside Center$2,256/mo
Food
Cheap Meal$17
Mid-Range (2 people)$87
Milk (1L)$2.74
Eggs (12)$3.70
Transport
Monthly Pass$109
Gasoline (1L)$1.25
Utilities
Basic (85m² apt)$145/mo
Internet (60+ Mbps)$51/mo
Education
Preschool$964/mo
Intl Primary School$20,694/yr
Child Education
Public-school quality + expat access, alongside international and private school cost — the two paths a relocating family weighs.
Public schools
This describes Canada as a whole. Enrollment rules and school quality can vary within the country, so check with schools in Toronto, ON.
Quality
Good public schools
Assessment snapshot: 2022
Expat access
Available to residents
conditionalInstruction
English / French
Language fit is more manageable.
PISA / outcomes
497
Above OECD avg
PISA 2022 · OECD avg ~480
Why this quality rating
Canada has a strong public-school system overall, with dependable local-school infrastructure and many districts that are attractive for resident families.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Resident families can generally enroll, but school assignment is district-based and the long-term fit still depends on local English or French integration.
🗺️ Homeschooling
Varies by provinceLegal in all provinces/territories. Alberta and British Columbia have well-established frameworks with some funding available. Ontario requires notification only. Quebec has stricter requirements including annual progress reports.
Homeschool legality in Canada — check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
International & private schools
1 confirmed school
2 more suggested by AI, not verified
Typical fee
$32,597/yr
one school's published fee
- British1
Schools' websites are found with Wikidata and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), and each is checked on the school's own site.
Childcare & Domestic Help
Current nanny and household-help pricing snapshot for Toronto, ON, Canada.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$2,000-$3,300
monthly · confidence 0.65
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$2,400-$4,000
monthly · confidence 0.65
Source: curated family relocation research
Getting Around
The concrete mobility picture for Toronto: airport access, urban transit, and rideshare practicality.
Walkability score: 74/100 (transit supported). This is derived from the verified mobility profile and is used by the walkability gate.
Walkability
74/100
mobility profile transit backbone
Airport
Major international hub
Toronto Pearson is Canada’s largest and busiest airport, with broad domestic and international coverage plus direct rail access into downtown.
Urban transit
Subway, streetcar, rail, and bus
metrocommuter railtrambus
Toronto combines TTC subway and streetcar coverage with GO rail and airport rail, so many family-friendly neighborhoods are workable without a car.
Rideshare
Uber available
Uber is established in Toronto and is easy to use for airport trips and cross-town gaps outside the rail grid.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Canada.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
1,377 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 7 months ago
Healthcare system
StrongHigh national coverage, deep nursing capacity, and life expectancy is high support this rating.
Public care
StrongBroad public coverage, strong public funding, and relatively low patient cost-sharing support this rating.
Private care
GoodA large tracked hospital and clinic network and a clearly private facility base help, but self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse.
UHC coverage
92/100
2023
Physicians
2.82/1k
2023
Hospital beds
2.54/1k
2022
Out of pocket
15%
2024
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
82.1 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
12/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
3.4/1k
2024
International patient readiness
GoodA visible private hospital base and multiple facilities have websites help, but price transparency is still sparse.
Pricing transparency
LimitedMultiple facilities have crawlable websites help, but published self-pay prices are scarce.
Facility coverage
Dentist: 458Pharmacy: 455Doctor: 185Clinic: 164Physiotherapy: 68Hospital: 27Laboratory: 20
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Canada yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre - Bayview Campus
Hospital · Emergency
Mount Sinai Hospital
Hospital · Emergency
Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital
Hospital · Emergency
Humber River Hospital
Hospital · Emergency
Baycrest Health Sciences
Hospital · Emergency
North York General Hospital
Hospital · Emergency
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-11-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Safety Index56/100
Crime Index44/100
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
Political Stability+0.96
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Construction | — |
| Finance & Insurance | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Real Estate | — |
2023 annual wages in Toronto, ON, Canada · Source: StatCan (region-adjusted)
Price Comparison vs. US
beer
$6.82Survey-verified12% cheaper
big mac
$5.81Estimated7% cheaper
bread 500g
$2.58Estimated24% cheaper
budget hotel
$304.04Survey-verified738% more
childcare preschool
$963.76Estimated38% cheaper
cinema
$17.10Survey-verified4% more
coca cola
$6.82Survey-verified217% more
eggs dozen
$3.70Estimated23% cheaper
gasoline liter
$34.09Survey-verified3210% more
inexpensive meal
$20.54Survey-verified3% cheaper
internet 60mbps
$51.37Estimated24% cheaper
iphone
$1049.00Estimated5% more
jeans
$81.97Survey-verified60% more
latte
$6.82Survey-verified28% more
luxury hotel
$304.04Survey-verified36% cheaper
mcmeal
$20.54Survey-verified103% more
milk liter
$2.74Estimated125% more
monthly pass
$34.09Survey-verified51% cheaper
nike shoes
$81.97Survey-verified10% cheaper
rent 1br
$1904.93Survey-verified5% more
rent 2br
$1904.93Survey-verified56% cheaper
rent 3br
$2678.68Estimated16% cheaper
subway fare
$34.09Survey-verified1315% more
taxi km
$1.47Estimated21% cheaper
utilities basic
$144.98Estimated32% cheaper
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
visa freeUp to 180 days
US passport holders can stay up to 180 days without a visa.
Long-Term Visa Programs
working holiday
IEC Working Holiday12 months
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Toronto compared with the US?
Your money goes roughly the same distance in Toronto as in the US — Toronto is close to purchasing-power parity with the baseline market right now.
Is Toronto cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Toronto is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 33% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Toronto.
How does rent in Toronto compare with New York City?
Rent in Toronto is about 63% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City).
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Toronto?
Groceries in Toronto are about 30% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 30% cheaper than the same benchmark.
About Toronto, ON
Toronto is Canada's largest city and financial capital, on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario, with five distinct linked urban municipalities forming the GTA. Relocators evaluating Toronto in 2024-2025 face one of the least affordable housing markets in North America relative to incomes, with rents and condo prices still recovering from a 2022 peak rather than meaningfully resetting. The economy is anchored by Big Five banking (RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO, CIBC all headquartered here), insurance, tech corridors along King West and the Discovery District, and an extensive film and television production base. The TTC subway covers central corridors but commute times stretch significantly into the 905 region. English is universal; functional French is rare outside government roles.
Cold winters (-5°C to 0°C), mild summers (20-25°C)Excellent internet infrastructure, 99%+ reliability for most providersHighly diverse expat community with established support networksVery walkable downtown core, excellent TTC transit systemMulticultural food scene with world cuisines, top restaurantsVibrant nightlife in Entertainment District and King WestAbundant coworking spaces (WeWork, Spaces, local hubs)Very safe, low violent crime rates in major neighborhoods
👑
See the full breakdown — free
20,748members624joined this month
or
No password needed. Takes ~30 seconds.
More cities in Canada
Cities with a similar cost of living
Comparable to Toronto — worth a look if you're weighing alternatives.