Cost of Living Comparison: Canadian Cities Side by Side

This page compares the cost of living in Canadian cities two at a time.

Toronto vs Vancouver

Home prices, rents and taxes all differ between Toronto and Vancouver. The composite benchmark home price was $1,075,900 in Metro Vancouver in September 2026 and $917,600 in the GTA in September 2026, so Vancouver’s was 17% higher (Greater Vancouver REALTORS, TRREB). The average asking rent for a one-bedroom apartment was $2,090 in Toronto and $2,280 in Vancouver in the second quarter of 2026 (Statistics Canada). On an $80,000 salary, take-home pay is $854 higher a year in Vancouver, and at $120,000 the gap is $1,724 in Vancouver's favour.

Each city’s own costs are on the Toronto and Vancouver pages, and more city guides are in the cost of living hub.

Costs Side by Side

Read the last column as Toronto minus Vancouver. Rents come from Statistics Canada listings data for the second quarter of 2026, and the power bills from a Hydro-Québec survey of utility rates in force on April 1, 2025 (taxes excluded).

Buying a Home

Both boards publish MLS Home Price Index benchmarks, the price of a typical home of each type. A benchmark differs from the average house price, which moves with the mix of homes sold: the GTA’s average sale price for all home types was $1,006,409 in September 2026.

With 20% down and a 25-year amortization, a condo apartment at the benchmark price costs about $2,721 a month in Toronto and $3,523 in Vancouver at the Bank of Canada’s posted 5-year conventional rate of 6.09% (as of September 30, 2026), compounded semi-annually. The mortgage calculator works through other prices and rates. Toronto’s total 2026 residential property tax rate is 0.767% of assessed value (City of Toronto); Vancouver’s is on the Vancouver property tax page, and Toronto’s details on the Toronto property tax page.

Rent

Asking rents are what landlords advertise to new tenants, not what tenants in place pay. The average rent page compares more cities, and the Toronto and Vancouver rental market pages carry CMHC rents and vacancy rates.

Studios asked $1,750 in Toronto and $2,000 in Vancouver in the second quarter of 2026 (Statistics Canada Table 46-10-0092-01); the larger units are in the table above.

Within each region, rents vary by area. Rentals.ca’s apartment and condo asking rents (the two central cities for September 2026; the other areas for August 2026, the latest month the report published its city table):

Income and Taxes

Statistics Canada, Canadian Income Survey, census metropolitan areas, in 2024 dollars; the figures include part-time and part-year workers.

2021 Census (2020 incomes), province-wide; the census is the latest source that reports every occupation by province, and pay has risen since.

Take-Home Pay

2026 take-home pay after federal and provincial income tax, CPP and EI, for a single employee with employment income only and the basic credits. The Ontario figures include the Ontario surtax and the Ontario Health Premium. Provincial brackets are on the Ontario and British Columbia income tax pages. Sales tax is 13% HST in Ontario and 12% GST plus PST in British Columbia.

Getting Around

The TTC no longer sells adult monthly passes: once you have paid 47 eligible fares in a calendar month with the same PRESTO card, debit or credit card, the rest of your TTC trips that month are free. Most TTC monthly passes were discontinued on August 31, 2026, when monthly fare capping came into effect. Fares shown are the TTC’s fares as of September 2026 and TransLink’s fares from July 1, 2026. In British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, drivers must buy minimum coverage from the government insurer (ICBC, MPI and SGI). In Alberta, Ontario and the Atlantic provinces, drivers buy coverage from private insurers. (Statistics Canada.) Commute times are from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey.

Groceries

Grocery prices are published for Ontario and British Columbia, not for the two cities. On the food items both provinces share with the national survey (July 2026), British Columbia scored 105.4 and Ontario 98.6 against Canada’s 100, which leaves BC 7% higher. A kilogram of chicken breasts averaged $17.30 in BC and $14.26 in Ontario; a dozen eggs, $5.75 and $5.00. Household grocery spending by size is on the average grocery bill page.

Utilities

Average household spending on electricity and natural gas was $2,315 a year in Ontario and $1,869 in British Columbia in 2023, $446 lower in British Columbia (Statistics Canada). These averages count households that don’t use a service as $0, which pulls down natural gas especially.

Provincial comparisons are on the average utility bills page.

Child Care

In Ontario, licensed child care programs enrolled in the Canada-wide (CWELCC) system charge at most $22 a day for children under six, with no application needed; programs that aren't enrolled set their own fees. At the cap, a month comes to about $478.50 over 21.75 billing days, and since the cap took effect on January 1, 2025 the provincial average has been about $19 a day. In B.C., only designated $10 a Day ChildCareBC centres charge $10 a day, up to $200 a month, for full days; other licensed centres set their own fees, which the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative lowers at participating centres. In the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ 2026 fee survey (published August 19, 2026), British Columbia had the highest fees.

Climate

Environment and Climate Change Canada climate normals (Toronto city station; Vancouver airport).

How the Two Compare

• Buying: Vancouver’s composite benchmark price was 17% higher than the GTA’s.
• Renting: Toronto’s one-bedroom asking rent was $190 lower than Vancouver’s.
• Taxes: take-home pay on $80,000 was $854 higher a year in Vancouver.
• Groceries: British Columbia’s grocery prices were 7% higher than Ontario’s.
• Getting around: the TTC’s adult monthly fare cap was $37.90 higher than TransLink’s one-zone pass.

Career options, climate and neighbourhood matter alongside these figures. Other comparisons: Calgary vs Edmonton, Ottawa vs Montreal and affordable cities in Canada.

Calgary vs Edmonton

Calgary and Edmonton share Alberta’s income tax rates, the absence of a provincial sales tax and the province’s flat child care fee, so the differences between them are in housing, property tax, transit and utilities. In September 2026, the average home sold for $646,198 in the City of Calgary and $466,080 in the Greater Edmonton Area, so Edmonton’s average was 28% lower. The average asking rent for a one-bedroom apartment was $1,550 in Calgary and $1,260 in Edmonton in the second quarter of 2026 (Statistics Canada).

Each city’s own costs are on the Calgary and Edmonton pages, and more city guides are in the cost of living hub.

Costs Side by Side

Each figure in the last column is Calgary’s amount less Edmonton’s. Listing rents are Statistics Canada’s for the second quarter of 2026; power bills are pre-tax amounts from Hydro-Québec’s rate comparison (April 1, 2025 rates).

Example: one person renting a one-bedroom

This example uses each city’s asking rent, electricity bill and transit, plus the Canadian one-person household averages for groceries and cell phone and internet service in 2023 (the same in both columns). It leaves out heating, clothing, health, recreation and savings. The last rows compare the total with take-home pay on a $70,000 salary, which is the same in both cities.

For a fuller one-person budget, see the cost of living alone in Canada.

Buying a Home

The two boards cover different areas: the Calgary Real Estate Board figures are for the City of Calgary, and the REALTORS Association of Edmonton figures are for the Greater Edmonton Area. Prices for other cities are on the average house prices page.

An average moves with the mix of homes sold; the benchmark is the price of a typical home. With 20% down and a 25-year amortization, a home at the benchmark price costs about $2,925 a month in Calgary and $2,184 in Edmonton at the Bank of Canada’s posted 5-year conventional rate of 6.09% (as of September 30, 2026), compounded semi-annually; the mortgage calculator works through other prices and rates.

Property tax works the other way: Edmonton’s 2026 residential rate is higher than Calgary’s.

Rates are set by each city’s tax bylaw and apply to assessed market value. Details are on the Calgary and Edmonton property tax pages.

Rent

Asking rents (Statistics Canada) are what landlords advertise to new tenants. CMHC’s average rent covers the units in privately owned purpose-built rental buildings with three or more units, including long-term tenants on older leases.

Asking rents are for the second quarter of 2026 (Statistics Canada Table 46-10-0092-01). CMHC figures are for apartment buildings of six or more units. Vacancy trends and Alberta’s rent rules are on the Calgary and Edmonton rental market pages.

Incomes and Jobs

Employment income is from Statistics Canada’s Canadian Income Survey for people with employment income in each census metropolitan area, including part-time and part-year workers. The unemployment rate is a three-month moving average from the Labour Force Survey.

2026 take-home pay for a single employee with employment income only and the basic credits, after federal and Alberta income tax, CPP and EI. Alberta’s brackets are on the Alberta income tax page; sales tax in both cities is the 5% GST.

Getting Around

Edmonton Transit Service charges adults paying with an Arc card, credit or debit card no more than the daily fare cap of $10.50 and the monthly fare cap of $102. Fares shown are Calgary Transit’s 2026 fares and ETS’s fares as of September 2026. Statistics Canada publishes car insurance averages for Alberta, not by city; Alberta’s Automobile Insurance Rate Board has a tool that shows average premiums by postal code. In Alberta, Ontario and the Atlantic provinces, drivers buy coverage from private insurers. More on car insurance in Calgary and Edmonton.

Groceries and Utilities

There is no separate grocery price series for either city; Statistics Canada reports Alberta as one market. In July 2026, a 4 L jug of milk averaged $6.68 in Alberta and a kilogram of ground beef $17.71, and the province’s food prices scored 105.2 on an index with Canada at 100. Spending by household size is on the average grocery bill page.

For energy, the gap between the cities shows up in the power bills in the table above. Alberta households overall spent $372 a month on electricity, heating fuel and water in 2023 (Statistics Canada), and the City of Calgary puts a typical metered home’s water, wastewater and stormwater bill at $119.21 a month for 2026. Provinces are compared on the average utility bills page.

Child Care and Tuition

In Alberta, children up to kindergarten age in a licensed daycare or family day home that receives affordability funding pay a flat parent fee of $326.25 a month for full-time care ($15 a day) or $230 for part-time care. The flat fee has applied since April 1, 2025 (Government of Alberta) and is the same in both cities.

Average undergraduate tuition for Canadian full-time students in Alberta is $8,260 a year in 2026/2027 (Statistics Canada). The University of Calgary, the University of Alberta, Mount Royal University and MacEwan University each publish their own fee schedules.

Climate

Environment and Climate Change Canada climate normals, airport stations.

How the Two Compare

• Buying: the average sale price in the Greater Edmonton Area was 28% lower than in the City of Calgary in September 2026.
• Renting: Calgary’s one-bedroom asking rent was $290 higher than Edmonton’s.
• Property tax: Edmonton’s residential rate was 56% higher than Calgary’s.
• Incomes: Calgary’s average employment income was 12% higher than Edmonton’s.
• Same in both: income tax, sales tax, the child care fee and the provincial car insurance average.

Other comparisons: Toronto vs Vancouver, Ottawa vs Montreal and affordable cities in Canada.

Ottawa vs Montreal

Ottawa and Montreal are in different provinces, so taxes and child care differ as well as rent. In the second quarter of 2026, the average asking rent for a one-bedroom apartment was $1,900 in Ottawa and $1,480 in Montreal, so Montreal’s was $420 lower a month (Statistics Canada). On an $80,000 salary, take-home pay is $3,290 higher a year in Ottawa. For families, one child in Quebec’s subsidized daycare costs about $210 a month, against $413 to $479 in Ontario’s capped system.

Each city’s own costs are on the Ottawa and Montreal pages, and more city guides are in the cost of living hub.

Costs Side by Side

Ottawa’s figure minus Montreal’s gives the last column. The rents are advertised rents from Statistics Canada for the second quarter of 2026, with Ottawa meaning the Ontario side of Ottawa-Gatineau. Hydro-Québec’s own survey of utility rates as of April 1, 2025 supplies the electricity bills, before tax.

Example: two children in licensed child care

This example sets the child care saving for two children under six against the gap in take-home pay between Quebec and Ontario for two earners at $60,000 each. Ontario’s range runs from the provincial average fee to the cap, at 21.75 billing days a month.

Netting the two, the household comes out $858 ahead in Montreal a year at the low end of Ontario’s fee range and $2,424 ahead in Montreal at the high end, before rent and other costs.

Buying a Home

The two boards measure prices differently: the Ottawa Real Estate Board publishes MLS HPI benchmarks (the price of a typical home), and APCIQ publishes median sale prices from Centris data for the Montreal census metropolitan area. The figures below are each board’s own, so the columns are not a like-for-like comparison. Prices for other cities are on the average house prices page.

With 20% down and a 25-year amortization, a condo at these prices costs about $1,965 a month in Ottawa and $2,219 in Montreal at the Bank of Canada’s posted 5-year conventional rate of 6.09% (as of September 30, 2026), compounded semi-annually; the mortgage calculator works through other prices and rates. Buyers pay a one-time transfer tax in both provinces (Ontario’s land transfer tax and Quebec’s welcome tax), covered by the Ontario and Quebec land transfer tax calculators. Property tax rates are on the Ottawa and Montreal property tax pages.

Rent

Montreal’s lower listing rents run through every unit size, from studios ($1,250 against $1,550 in Ottawa) to three-bedroom apartments in the table at the top. These are Statistics Canada’s figures for listings shown to new tenants in the second quarter of 2026; rents for tenants already in place are set by their existing leases. CMHC’s rents for all tenants, vacancy rates and each province’s rules on increases are on the Ottawa and Montreal rental market pages, and the average rent page lines up more cities.

Income and Taxes

Statistics Canada, Canadian Income Survey, census metropolitan areas (Ottawa-Gatineau includes Gatineau, on the Quebec side), including part-time and part-year workers.

Take-home pay is income minus income tax, CPP or QPP, EI and (in Quebec) QPIP, for a single employee with employment income only and the basic credits (2026).

The Ontario take-home figures include the Ontario surtax and the Ontario Health Premium (up to $900 a year). Brackets and credits are on the Ontario and Quebec income tax pages.

Getting Around

In Quebec, drivers must buy bodily injury coverage from the government insurer (the SAAQ) and can buy other coverage from private insurers. In Alberta, Ontario and the Atlantic provinces, drivers buy coverage from private insurers. According to Statistics Canada, the provincial averages above therefore cover different policies, and it notes that Quebec’s figure may be underestimated because it leaves out the government insurer. More on car insurance in Ontario and Quebec.

Groceries

Statistics Canada’s July 2026 averages scored Quebec at 98.0 and Ontario at 98.6 where Canada is 100, a −0.6% gap for Quebec, though single items swing both ways: 4 L of milk cost $8.51 in Quebec against $6.88 in Ontario, while a dozen eggs cost $4.43 and $5.00. Spending by household size is on the average grocery bill page.

Utilities

Electricity bills are from Hydro-Québec’s comparison of rates in effect April 1, 2025, before taxes. Heating differs too: Quebec households spent an average of $86 a year on natural gas and $1,568 on electricity in 2023, against $1,016 and $1,299 in Ontario (Statistics Canada). More on the average utility bills page.

Tuition

Quebec sets a per-credit tuition rate for students who qualify as Quebec residents: $103.92 a credit in 2026/2027, or about $3,118 for a 30-credit year before institutional fees. Average undergraduate tuition in Ontario was $9,306 for 2026/2027 (Statistics Canada), an average across programs and universities. The resident rate applies only to students who meet Quebec’s residency criteria.

Climate

January averages -10.0°C at Ottawa’s airport and -9.2°C at Montréal-Trudeau, and yearly snowfall runs to 232 cm and 217 cm (Environment and Climate Change Canada, 1991 to 2020 normals).

How the Two Compare

• Renting: Montreal’s one-bedroom asking rent was $420 lower than Ottawa’s.
• Taxes: take-home pay on $80,000 was $3,290 higher a year in Ottawa, and sales tax is 13% in Ontario against 14.975% in Quebec.
• Child care: one child in Quebec’s subsidized daycare costs about $210 a month, against $413 to $479 in Ontario.
• Electricity: a 1,000 kWh monthly bill was $60.61 higher in Ottawa.

Language, career sector and family plans also matter. Other comparisons: Toronto vs Vancouver, Calgary vs Edmonton, the cost of living in Quebec City and affordable cities in Canada.

Related pages

• Cost of living in Canada by province
• Cheapest cities to live in Canada
• Best cities to live in Canada
• Cost of living in Toronto
• Cost of living in Vancouver
• Cost of living in Calgary
• Cost of living in Edmonton
• Cost of living in Ottawa
• Cost of living in Montreal