Cost of Living Calculator: Compare 11 Canadian Cities

Key takeaways

Rent is the biggest difference between cities. In July 2026 a 1-bedroom averaged about $2,377 in Vancouver and $1,282 in Edmonton
Suburbs are not always cheaper once you add a longer commute: Surrey to downtown Vancouver needs a 3-zone pass ($211.65)
Transit passes range from $90 a month (Halifax) to about $155 (Toronto’s fare cap)
Groceries, phone and internet vary less between cities than rent does
Your first month costs far more than an average month. Plan for deposits and setup

How the calculator counts

For each city, the calculator adds up six monthly costs for your household:

Rent. The average asking rent for a 1-bedroom or 2-bedroom apartment in that city, from the Rentals.ca city pages for July 2026. If you pick a room in a shared home, we use $909 per adult, the national average for shared homes in August 2026 (B.C., Alberta, Ontario and Quebec).
Utilities, internet and tenant insurance: $150 + $75 + $30 a month. Some rents include heat or electricity, so your cost may be lower.
Groceries: $450 per adult and $250 per child each month.
Transit: one adult monthly pass (or monthly fare cap) for each person you enter.
Phone: $50 per adult. Prepaid plans can be cheaper; see our cheapest phone plans.

Groceries, phone, internet, utilities and insurance are our estimates for a modest newcomer household. We use the same numbers in every city, so the difference you see comes from rent and transit, which are sourced.

Rent and transit in 11 Canadian cities

Average asking rents and adult transit costs, as of October 2026.

City	1-bedroom	2-bedroom	Transit per month
Vancouver	$2,377	$3,255	$117.20 (1 zone)
Toronto	$2,234	$2,947	about $155.10 (fare cap)
Halifax	$2,071	$2,616	$90
Mississauga	$2,052	$2,445	$145 (MiWay)
Brampton	$2,001	$2,379	$148.50
Ottawa	$1,960	$2,449	$138.50
Surrey	$1,794	$2,239	$117.20 (1 zone)
Montreal	$1,769	$2,255	$110 (zone A)
Calgary	$1,513	$1,847	$126
Winnipeg	$1,463	$1,759	$119.35
Edmonton	$1,282	$1,638	$102 (fare cap)

Rent figures are average asking rents from Rentals.ca city pages for July 2026; real listings vary a lot by area and building. Transit: TTC (47 fares at $3.30, from September 1, 2026), TransLink (from July 1, 2026), MiWay (from January 1, 2026), Brampton Transit (from February 9, 2026), and the current adult fares of Calgary Transit, STM, OC Transpo, Edmonton Transit, Winnipeg Transit and Halifax Transit.

Across Canada, average asking rents were $2,035 in August 2026, down 4.8% from a year earlier. Falling rents give you more room to negotiate, especially in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton.

Worked example: Toronto or Calgary for one person

Take one adult renting a 1-bedroom and riding transit every day.

Monthly cost	Toronto	Calgary
Rent	$2,234	$1,513
Utilities, internet, insurance	$255	$255
Groceries	$450	$450
Transit	$155.10	$126
Phone	$50	$50
Total	$3,144	$2,394

Calgary costs about $750 less a month, or $9,000 a year. Almost all of the gap is rent. Before you choose, compare pay too: a higher salary in one city can cancel out higher rent. Our best city for me tool weighs jobs, climate and community as well as cost.

Are suburbs like Brampton, Mississauga and Surrey cheaper?

Rent is lower in the suburbs, but the gap is smaller than many people expect, and the commute adds cost.

Brampton and Mississauga: a 1-bedroom averaged $2,001 and $2,052, about $180 to $230 less than Toronto. If you work downtown, you may need a GO Transit fare as well as a local pass. Ontario’s One Fare program makes the TTC part of a GO trip free when you connect with the same card.
Surrey: a 1-bedroom averaged $1,794, about $580 less than Vancouver. A pass for all 3 zones costs $211.65 a month instead of $117.20, so a daily commute to downtown Vancouver eats about $95 of the saving.

Read our city guides for Brampton, Mississauga and Surrey, and check commute costs with the transit cost calculator.

Your first month costs more

An average month is not your first month. Before your first paycheque you may pay:

First and last month’s rent in Ontario, or a damage deposit in most other provinces (up to half a month in B.C., Manitoba and Nova Scotia, up to one month in Alberta, none in Quebec)
A temporary stay for 2 to 4 weeks while you look for a place
Furniture and kitchen basics, often $1,500 to $3,000 for a small apartment
Winter clothes: a warm coat, boots and layers. See winter clothing costs
A buffer of 3 to 6 months of costs while you look for work

Our newcomer budget calculator adds these up for your city and shows what is left from your pay.

Comparing a Canadian city with a city abroad

If you are deciding between Canada and another country, or thinking of leaving, compare like with like. Free city-by-city price sites are built from user reports and can be out of date. For country-level comparisons, economists use purchasing power parity (PPP): how much a basket of goods costs in each country, published by the OECD and the World Bank.

Three tips: compare take-home pay after tax, not salary; compare rent for the same size home; and include health care, which is public in Canada but may be private where you are going. Our salary purchasing power tool and move abroad budget help with this.

Budgeting when you support family at home

Money you send home is a regular cost. Put it in your budget from the start. A 1% difference in exchange rate on $300 a month is $36 a year; on $1,000 a month it is $120. Compare the total cost on our transfer comparison, or read our guides for India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, China and Nigeria.

Common questions

What is the cheapest big city in Canada for rent?

Of the cities in this calculator, Edmonton had the lowest average asking rent in July 2026: about $1,282 for a 1-bedroom. Winnipeg ($1,463) and Calgary ($1,513) were next.

How much do I need to live in Toronto as a single person?

With a 1-bedroom at the city average, our estimate is about $3,144 a month including rent, transit, groceries, phone, internet, utilities and insurance. A room in a shared home brings it closer to $1,800.

Why is Toronto transit shown as $155.10?

The TTC stopped selling most monthly passes on August 31, 2026. Instead, your trips are free after 47 paid fares in a calendar month on the same card. 47 × $3.30 = $155.10.

Are these rents what I will pay?

They are city-wide averages of asking rents. Newer buildings and central areas cost more; older buildings and outer areas less. Use them to compare cities, then check real listings.

Where do the grocery and phone numbers come from?

They are SettleCanada estimates for a modest household, the same in every city. Change your plan in the budget calculator if you know your real costs.

Sources

Checked against these sources on October 5, 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Cost of living calculator: compare Canadian cities

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