What Does It Cost To Live In The Most Popular Canadian Cities?

If you have plans to travel to Canada, whether it is to stay permanently or visit for just a couple of weeks or months, there are many things you need to think about. Firstly, you’ll need to decide on where you want to visit as well as your current budget. The truth is, staying in different parts of Canada varies significantly when it comes to basic costs. What you’ll pay for accommodation in Toronto is definitely not what you’ll pay in Calgary or Ottawa.

In order to know exactly what you can expect to pay for expenses such as basic food items, transport, gas, utilities, rent, childcare and education in 5 of Canada’s most popular cities, be sure to check out this infographic by onthemovetoronto.com

Living Costs In The Most Popular Canadian Cities

Living Costs In Popular Canadian Cities

As you can see from the infographic, when it comes to rent, that’s the expense that varies the most. The absolutely cheapest city to rent in is Montreal where you’ll only pay around $748 per month in the suburbs and $1099 per month in the city. This is quite the stark difference from Toronto, where you’ll pay $2047 in the city and $1615 in the suburbs for a 1 bedroom apartment. After Montreal, the next cheapest city is Calgary and then Ottawa. The most expensive is Vancouver and Toronto where there is only about a $50 – $100 difference in rent.

The next most defining difference is childcare. If you’ve just had a child or are planning on getting pregnant, then you should think about which Canadian city you’d like to raise your child in. The cost of childcare in a private pre-school is the most expensive in Toronto at approximately $1500 per month. It is the least expensive in Montreal at only $696 per month. Childcare costs almost the same in Calgary and Ottawa at $1033 and $1,101 per month respectively. Even though Vancouver is the second most expensive city for childcare, it till costs a couple hundred less than Toronto at $1264 per month.

The final point we will look at is education. Whether you’re moving to Canada to get a degree or if you’re a citizen and considering which city to move to in order to get an education, this is a very important factor to closely examine. The cost of education for Canadian citizens is relatively consistent across universities in the 5 main cities. Citizens can expect to pay between $5,360 – $8,040 per year at almost any university. Of course, certain specialties and degrees are more expensive or cheaper than others.

On the other hand, if you’re not a citizen of Canada, then the costs drastically increase. It ranges from $16,080 – $49,800 per year, according to the degree. The cheapest university out of the 5 that are compared in the infographic is McGill University in Montreal and the most expensive is the University of Toronto. However, these are just averages and it would be highly dependant on the subject you choose to study.

Wrapping Up

So, as you can see, the cost of living in different Canadian cities varies quite a bit and it is best to do a lot of research before you move. This will ensure that you choose a city that you can afford or at least help you to understand the costs of living before you find yourself in financial distress.