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Wondering about the cost of living in Ontario, Canada? We are here to help!
Ontario has some of the most expensive locations in Canada as well as the world. Even The cost of living between the cities in Ontario is high, as the province of Ontario is huge.
In fact, according to one study on statistica, Canadian people with poor financial planning have a lot of trouble keeping up with rising expenses.
Living in cities like Toronto and Ottawa is indeed expensive and luxurious. On the other hand cities like Sudbury and Windsor are some of the cheapest places to live in.
The Provincial Tax Rate in Ontario is 11.5%, and the Federal Tax Rate is 15%. Then the sales tax in Ontario, the Harmonized Sales Tax, which is the Goods and Service Tax plus Provincial Sales Tax is 13% when compared to 15% of other provinces in Canada.
You have plenty of options in Ontario, Canada, to choose the best suitable city for you to live in. The average income of Ontarians in a year is around $52,600.
And, the average income levels change with each of the cities in Ontario, and so do the costs of living.
This article gives you the information all you need to know about the cost of living in Ontario, Canada. Ontario is one of the biggest provinces in Canada.
Best Cities to Live in Ontario, Canada
Ontario has some of the best as well as some of the most expensive cities in Canada, like Ottawa, Toronto, Burlington, Vaughan, and many more.
The city has some of the financially robust cities like Toronto and Waterloo. Jobs in fields like science and technology are abundant and growing in Ontario due to its manufacturing prowess.
Since Ontario is enormous, you have the option of cities to choose from. In this list, we will first give you the best cities to live in in Ontario and then the average cost of living in Ontario, Canada.
Here are statistic and studies for a more detail look:-
Cost of Living in Ontario, Canada: An Overview
If you are thinking of moving to Canada, Ontario has some of the most livable on the planet and in Canada. If you already planned to move to one of the cities in Ontario, you will need to know about certain numbers about the cost of living in Ontario, Canada.
Check out our article Best province to Live in Canada: Top 5 choices.
1. Rents and Housing Prices
Like any other city in the world, location influences the price of rent and housing in Ontario, Canada.
The average rent in Ontario’s Toronto for a bedroom apartment is around CA$1400-$1700 per month, depending on the size of the apartment.
But in cities like Sudbury and Windsor where it is cheaper, rent is around CA$800-$1100. Average rent costs for a single-bedroom apartment in other cities like Ottawa, Hamilton, Oakville, and Burlington cost around $900-$1400.
Double bedroom apartments in Toronto cost from CA$2500-$3000, while in Ottawa, it may cost around $2000-$2500. In cities like Oakville and Hamilton, renting costs about $1000-$1200.
Housing prices are the highest in Toronto, with costs around $800-$1100 per square feet. In Ottawa, housing costs are usually around CA$250-$500, while in cities like Hamilton, it is $300-$500, and Oakville costs around CA$600-$900.
Rent costs occupy the largest share of the expenses of living in Ontario, Canada.
2. Groceries and Utilities
In Toronto, costs for groceries and utilities(phone bills, Internet bills) are around $500-$700 per month for a single person.
In Ottawa, groceries and utilities cost a little less than in Toronto, from $200-$300 per month. In other cities, costs for groceries and services usually cost way lesser than both the higher averages in Toronto and Ottawa.
In Oakville and Hamilton, the Costs of Groceries and Utilities cost a little less at $160-$200 per month. The fact about cellphone plans in Canada is they are expensive for anyone from outside Canada.
Cellphone plans with text messages, voice calls, and mobile data come in around $40-$60. Outgoing calls and incoming calls are both charged.
But, there are plenty of options for you to choose from if you do a little browsing for suitable cellphone plans. Local telephone companies like Rogers, Bell, and Telus are the leading telecom companies. Koodo, Virgin, Fido, Mobilicity and Wind are cheaper plans you can resort to.
3. Transportation Costs
The average cost of Transportation in Toronto sums up to $200-$250 per person for a month. Taxi on a normal tariff per mile costs around $3.50-$4.00.
And the cost of petrol per gallon costs $4.44 around Toronto. Tickets on public transport cost $3-$4 per person.
In Ottawa, the average costs of transportation sum up to $150-$200 per person per month. Taxi on an average tariff per mile costs $2-$4 per person. Public transport, on the other hand, requires around the same $3-$4. And the cost of petrol per gallon in Ottawa costs $4.31.
In Hamilton, the average cost of transportation is around $150-$200 per person per month. The same taxi fares on a standard tariff per mile cost the same $3-$4 per person. Public transport in Hamilton costs $3 per person. The cost of petrol per gallon in Hamilton costs $4.20.
And, if you are considering buying a car, it is safe to quote a maximum of $30,000 and a minimum of $18,000 per car. But, it depends upon the model and various other factors that are unique to each city in Ontario, Canada.
The overall average costs of transportation in Ontario come easily around $180 per person per month.
4. Entertainment and Recreational costs
In Toronto and Ottawa, two of Ontario’s most expensive cities, an average theatre seat costs a person around $15.
If you are considering joining a fitness club in your locality, it may cost $50-$60 for the monthly fees for an adult.
Whereas in other cities like Oakville and Hamilton, it is comparatively cheap as $40-$50 per month per adult. The cinema theatre seat is also relatively inexpensive, like $14 per seat in Hamilton and Oakville.
Added to this, the costs of bars cost $5-$7 per person. If you don’t want to cook in your home and you prefer to eat outside at a typical and inexpensive restaurant, it costs around $17-$20 per person.
A good cappuccino coffee if you like, you will have to pay $4-$5 in some of the expensive cities we mentioned above. Cigarettes cost you $15 at most for a pack of 20 cigarettes.
If you need a little less costly and good food try visiting the multicultural neighbourhoods that serve cuisines of all cultures and countries for fun. You might find food from your motherland in these neighbourhoods.
One private piece of information you need to know about Canadian restaurants in general if you are a foreigner is, you need to tip your waiters. Don’t forget that.
Entertainment and Recreational costs in Ontario are some of the essential values of living in Ontario, Canada, if you are a single, young person moving into the city. This too adds to the cost of living in Ontario, Canada.
5. Childcare and Schooling
If you are a family man moving to Ontario, Canada, along with your wife and kids, you might want to the cost of schooling in Ontario, Canada.
The highest cost is in Toronto; Kindergarten in Toronto costs $1530 per month for one child. In Ottawa, preschool starts at $1100. In other cities like Oakville and Hamilton, preschooling costs $1300-$1500 per month.
Public schools in Canada are mostly free of cost for students of Canadian residents, but if you are a foreigner, your children will be charged to study in those public schools.
International primary schools for one child per year in Ontario, Canada, can cost you from $9,000-$30,000, with the highest being in Toronto at $26,000.
Schooling might also be one of the most expensive in Ontario, Canada, and it might take a considerable portion of your cost of living in Ontario, Canada.
6. Clothing and Accessories
Generally, all across Canada, certain European clothing brands like H&M, and Zara are a little costly. But, American clothing brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Gap, Fossil, and Levis are a little less expensive compared to European clothing brands.
A pair of Levis jeans in Toronto and Ottawa may cost around $60-$80, a summer dress in Zara or H&M may cost you about $45-$50, a pair of formal leather shoes for $130 and running shoes for $100-$110. Prices may vary easily from outlet to outlet.
In Oakville and Hamilton, the same pair of Levis jeans may cost you around $50-$70, a summer dress in Zara or H&M may cost $40-$50, a couple of leather shoes for $110 and good running shoes for same $100-$110.
Most of the prices mentioned here are of the average level. Remember that these prices tend to easily differ from one outlet to another and even city to city.
Clothing and accessories are some of the crucial factors in the cost of living in Ontario, Canada.
Closing Thoughts
Whether you are a student, intern, or an employee with a family looking forward to moving to Ontario in Canada, there is a lot in store for you to expect.
Ontario is a vast province with some of the best cities in the world. Don’t forget that the best cities like Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Oakville, and Burlington are expensive as well to live in.
As mentioned above, Toronto is indeed the costliest city in Canada to live in. But the wages in Toronto are better than in other cities own, and it is a trendy destination for startups.
The city is on its way to becoming the Silicon Valley of it. We suggest that you work in Toronto while you can choose to live outside Toronto. In this way, you can try and optimize your costs as maximum as possible.
Ottawa, the Capital city of Canada, is also another optimal destination to live in. Who hates to live in the capital city of a country, jobs in Ottawa pay well, and the average monthly costs is also better when compared to Toronto. Ottawa can be the optimal destination for all cities.
The numbers given above are just the highest and lowest averages of each aspect of the cost of living in Ontario, Canada. All the best for your time ahead in Ontario, Canada.
Word of advice: To learn more about the complexity of average monthly cost. data on monthly costs average person vs average salary promised in major Canadian cities, living expenses against the national average, and other small topics like ways to save money in major cities and Premium food prices vs average price. You can rely on the official govt site capital Ontario for better answers.
Also, if you have a more comprehensive breakdown of categories like; monthly food costs, National average monthly rent, living cost in specific Canadian dollars and average monthly food cost, please check out these studies.
Click here to read more.
Last Updated on by Priyanshi Sharma
The information you provided is definitely worth reading my friend, Sometimes many of us decide to move to another country with the excitement of maybe ambience and living, but we forget about the history or resources or even budget to take into consideration and therefore, many people lack shifting to another country and being settled! Ontario is definitely one of the best places to live in Canada and kudos to your work for giving this insightful information about the city so that people get to know about the place!