Toronto is one of the most expensive cities in Canada, where many people find it difficult to afford the high cost of living. While the high cost of living can be a challenging factor fr many people but still prefer to live in Toronto to grab the opportunities and get the benefits of living in Toronto. The yearly cost of living in Canada expenses for an individual willing to reside sepcifically in Toronto are approximately 31,000 CAD, which converts to around 18.93 lakhs INR for an applicant from India.

Accommodation prices are exceptionally high in this city especially for the students who come here to pursue their higher studies. Along with this cost, it is very difficult for the people to save money for other expenditures such as food, transportation, and leisure activities. Toronto has many wonderful aspects about living, but if you are planning to migrate there, you should be well aware of the high cost of living and plan everything accordingly. This article will help you to understand how to manage the expenses to live in Toronto and how you can save money.

Basic Living Expenses in Toronto

The most populous city in Canada, Toronto features a highly diverse and cosmopolitan community and this constitutes as the largest commercial, intellectual, and economical center of the nation with ranked universities in Toronto. This city offers excellent transportation options, a flourishing educational sector, good options for higher studies and a well-settled life. The real cost of living in Toronto, Canada differs across individuals and families, their preferred lifestyle and some other parameters. Here is the idea of the basic cost of living in Toronto, Canada:

Food and Dining Cost

The cost of the food for the individual living in Toronto with a Canada student visa is approximately $542 and for the family will be approximately $1424. The food and dining includes the following items:

Item	Price per kg (in CAD)	Price per kg (in INR)
White Bread	CAD 3.34 (for ½ kg)	INR 208.05
Cheese	CAD 15.23	INR 948.69
Milk	CAD 3.42	INR 213.04
Restaurant Meals	CAD 24.24-117.50 depends upon the type of restaurant and number of persons)	INR 1509.93-7319.19
Apples	CAD 4.66	INR 290.28
Oranges	CAD 4.40	INR 274.08
Onions	CAD 3.54	INR 220.51
Bananas	CAD 1.65	INR 102.78
Tomatoes	CAD 4.91	INR 305.85
Potatoes	CAD 3.57	INR 222.38
Eggs	CAD 4.17 (12 eggs)	INR 259.75
White Rice	CAD 3.98	INR 247.92
Chicken Fillets	CAD 16.20	INR 1009.11

Accomodation Cost

Toronto is one of the most expensive cities best provinces to live in Canada. It costs approximately $1968 to get a 1BHK apartment in Downtown Toronto and the average monthly rent for a 1 BHK apartment is about $1000 CAD. the prices may vary as per the location. The idea of the cost of housing is given as follows:

Item	Price (in CAD)	Price (in INR)
Rent of 1 BHK apartment (city-center)	CAD 2392.35	INR 149021.88
Rent of 3 BHK apartment (city-center)	CAD 3710.15	INR 231108.96
Rent of 1 BHK apartment (outside city-center)	CAD 1996.77	INR 124380.80
Rent of 3 BHK apartment (outside city-center)	CAD 3130.06	INR 194974.57

Transportation Cost

There are excellent transportation facilities available in Toronto for insdividuals with Canada PR. The public transportation facilities are also available in Toronto that includes street cars, subways, buses, and a commuter rail network. The idea of the cost of transportation is given below:

Item	Price (in CAD)	Price (in INR)
Taxi charges for 1 km	CAD 1.75	INR 109.01
Monthly transportation pass	CAD 156	INR 9717.40
Taxi starting tariff	CAD 4.41	INR 274.70
Local transportation (one-way ticket)	CAD 3.25	INR 202.45

Utility Cost

As the cost of living and other expenses is very difficult to afford. So, to meet all the expenses, it is observed that most of the families need two earning persons who can meet all the basic requirements. The average monthly utilities cost for a 2 BHK apartment without cable is CAD 167 and with cable, it will add $59 per month to the original cost. Here is the basic idea of the utilities cost of a person living in Toronto. Applicants can avail scholarships in Canada for international students which partially covers cost of living and tuition fee. 

Item	Price (in CAD)	Price (in INR)
Internet	CAD 74.48	INR 4639.43
Prepaid Mobile Phone Tariff (per minute)	CAD 0.41	INR 25.54
Cooling, Heating, Garbage, Water and Electricity	CAD 177.05	INR 11028.62

Cost of Living in Toronto v/s Vancouver

The cost of living in Vancouver is generally higher as compared to the cost of living in Toronto. This is due to the fact that Vancouver has some of the highest accommodation costs in the country, with an average home cost that is significantly higher than those in Toronto. Both the cities have high cost of living, so it is a challenging situation for the people who have decided to shift to these cities. However, there are some differences between both the cities that may make one more appealing than the other depending on the individual’s wish and desires and applicants fulfilling the Canada PR requirements can avail funding opprotunities. The table give below shows the cost differences in both the cities:

Items	Price in Toronto	Price in Vancouver
Meal in normal restaurant	CAD 24.24 (INR 1509.93)	CAD 25.50 (INR 1588.42)
White Bread	CAD 3.34 (for ½ kg) (INR 208.05)	CAD 3.99 (INR 248.54)
Cheese	CAD 15.23 (INR 948.69)	CAD 17.54 (INR 1092.58)
Milk	CAD 3.42 (INR 213.04)	CAD 2.87 (INR 178.78)
Taxi charges for 1 km	CAD 1.75 (INR 109.01)	CAD 2.30 (INR 143.27)
Monthly transportation pass	CAD 156 (INR 9717.40)	CAD 120 (INR 7474.92)
Taxi starting tariff	CAD 4.41 (INR 274.70)	CAD 4.00 (INR 249.16)
Local transportation (one-way ticket)	CAD 3.25 (INR 202.45)	CAD 3.10 (INR 193.10)
Internet	CAD 74.48 (INR 4639.43)	CAD 89.09 (INR 5549.51)
Cinema (1 seat)	CAD 15.40 (INR 959.28)	CAD 17.75 (INR 1105.67)
International Primary School, annually	CAD 26,895.00 (INR 1675316.48)	CAD 24,712.31 (INR 1539354.53)
Rent of 1 BHK apartment (city-center)	CAD 2392.35 (INR 149021.88)	CAD 2611.87 (INR 162696.00)
Rent of 3 BHK apartment (city-center)	CAD 3710.15 (INR 231108.96)	CAD 4606.91 (INR 286969.04)

Cost of Living in Toronto For Students

The cost of living for students in Toronto may be high, especially when it comes to the cost of accommodation which is not covered under the scholarships for studying in Canada. The rental prices in this city are very high and finding an apartment in the student’s budget might be a challenging task. Apart from this, candidates have to adjust in the tight budget for the other expenses such as food, transportation, fun, leisure activities, etc. The average cost of living in Toronto for international students may vary from CAD 1674 to CAD 1931 monthly. The table given below gives an idea of the expenses of the students living in Toronto:

Item	Price (in CAD)	Price (in INR)
On-Campus Accommodation	CAD 844	INR 52573.61
Off-Campus Accommodation	CAD 587	INR 36564.82
Transportation	CAD 152	INR 9468.23
Entertainment	CAD 70	INR 4360.37
Utilities	CAD 137	INR 8533.87
Food	CAD 696	INR 43354.54
Groceries	CAD 137	INR 8533.87
Medications	CAD 75	INR 4671.83
Other necessities like clothes	CAD 47	INR 2927.68

So, most of the students try to reduce their expenses while living in Toronto. This can be done by the use of discounts available on the transportation facilities, restaurants, movie tickets, etc especially for students who came to pursue their studies in Toronto. Overall, we can say that even though the cost of living is high in Toronto for international students, there are still many reasons to choose this city as a place to study and make a career here. It has some of the best universities and colleges and the city has a vibrant and attractive culture which attracts the students to come to this city and set their career here itself.

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