Cost of Living in Toronto: A Complete Guide for Planning Your Monthly Expenses

 

Imagine living your dream Toronto life. Imagine having a fresh cup of coffee from a local café, enjoying a delicious meal for lunch with friends, and exploring the city’s many attractions on the weekend.

To ensure that you have the freedom to enjoy all this, it can be a good idea to budget for your monthly expenses in Toronto.

Scroll through the categories below to learn about how much you will need to spend on different items, activities, and services.

 

Where did this information come from?

All cost estimations have been taken from Numbero, the world’s largest cost-of-living database. For the most up-to-date info about cost-of-living in Toronto, it can be a good idea to check Numbero and other local sources regularly.

 

Reasons to Have a Budget

The average cost of living in Toronto will vary for each person, so take the time to think about the kind of life you want to live then plan accordingly.

Will you be going to a lot of restaurants? Are there festivals you want to attend? How about destinations you want to visit?

 

What Housing Costs to Expect in Toronto

Accommodations can vary depending on where you live in Toronto or the Greater Toronto Area. Generally, you should expect to pay $700 - $1000 per month if you are living with a roommate. However, this number can increase if you want to live alone.

According to Numbero, accommodations close to Toronto’s city centre cost more, while apartments outside the city centre cost less.

As the FCT campus is in Midtown Toronto, nearby accommodations will cost a bit less than those in the downtown core.

 

Transit Prices in Toronto

Many factors influence transportation costs, including how often you travel, how close you live to campus, and what type of transportation you use.

In general, you should plan to spend $140 to $250 per month on transportation, or $1,700 to $3000 per year. Of course, if you live close to campus, you can always walk to class!

 

How Much Does Health Insurance Cost?

Upon enrollment, all FCT students are automatically registered with international student health insurance coverage provided by Guard.Me. That means you don’t have to worry about paying extra insurance costs.

 

For more resources related to wellbeing, please visit our health and wellness page.

 

Toronto Restaurant & Grocery Expenses

How often do you go to restaurants? What do you like to eat? How much do you order? Answering these questions will help you uncover a realistic food budget.

According to Numbero, a meal at an inexpensive restaurant in Toronto ranges from $15 to $40.

To help you plan a budget for your weekly shopping trip, explore this grocery data from Numbero.

Items	Price Range
Milk (regular) (1 litre)	1.50-5.00
Loaf of Fresh Bread (500g)	2.00-5.00
Rice (white) (1kg)	2.00-6.00
Eggs (regular) (12)	2.50-5.00
Local Cheese (1kg)	6.00-35.00
Chicken Fillets (1kg)	9.00-28.00
Beef Round (1kg)	8.00-30.00
Apples or Oranges (1kg)	2.00-6.00
Banana (1kg)	1.00-4.00
Tomato (1kg)	2.00-6.50
Potato (1kg)	0.88-5.49
Onion (1kg)	1.54-5.50
Lettuce (1 head)	1.99-4.00
Water (1.5 litre bottle)	0.99-3.00

 

Education Expenses

For the latest program tuitions, please visit the program page and click on one of the programs.

Besides tuition, you should expect to pay a certain amount for books and supplies. This number will vary for program and person. For example, a person who does not own a laptop should expect to pay more if they need one for their class.

 

Monthly Entertainment Costs

As the saying goes, the best things in life are free. FCT is close to various parks, and Toronto has many free festivals and concerts to enjoy throughout the year.

With that said, at the time of writing, Numbeo claims that most people spend from $53 to $180 monthly on sports and leisure activities. Again, if you like shopping and traveling, this number can be even higher.

 

Need More Help?

Need help estimating your average cost of living in Toronto per month? Or do you have other questions about life in Canada? Email info@flemingcollegetoronto.ca, and we will respond as soon as possible.