Cost of living comparison
compared to
Canada vs. California Cost of Living Summary
Canada is 24.1% cheaper than California.
Canada vs. California Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Canada instead of California, you would:
pay 23.1% less for restaurants
California | Canada | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $21.84 | $16.68 CA$23.68 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $12.33 | $10.26 CA$14.56 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.79 | $2.01 CA$2.85 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.17 | $1.66 CA$2.36 | |
California vs. Canada - Cost of restaurants
pay 15.4% less for groceries
California | Canada | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $4.20 | $2.50 CA$3.55 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.77 | $5.32 CA$7.56 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.73 | $8.12 CA$11.53 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $5.14 | $3.44 CA$4.88 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $6.05 | $5.30 CA$7.52 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.30 | $1.78 CA$2.53 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.92 | $0.66 CA$0.94 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.91 | $1.62 CA$2.31 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.38 | $1.77 CA$2.51 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.50 | $1.15 CA$1.63 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.41 | $1.14 CA$1.63 | |
California vs. Canada - Cost of groceries
pay 12.2% less for transportation
California | Canada | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.72 | $4.22 CA$5.99 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $63.04 | $65.98 CA$93.66 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $30,529.84 | $24,583.45 CA$34,894.97 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $21.43 | $16.38 CA$23.25 | |
California vs. Canada - Cost of transportation
pay 34.9% less for housing
California | Canada | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $67.96 | $61.20 CA$86.87 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $2,385.40 | $1,228.04 CA$1,743.14 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $2,043.56 | $1,109.76 CA$1,575.25 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $171.94 | $110.65 CA$157.07 | |
California vs. Canada - Cost of housing
pay 58.0% less for childcare
California | Canada | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,633.13 | $720.23 CA$1,022.33 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $30,339.97 | $12,062.51 CA$17,122.13 | |
California vs. Canada - Cost of childcare
pay 20.5% less for entertainment and sports
California | Canada | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $7.31 | $5.23 CA$7.43 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.58 | $3.65 CA$5.18 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $10.92 | $13.37 CA$18.98 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $68.02 | $43.26 CA$61.40 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $14.99 | $11.18 CA$15.87 | |
California vs. Canada - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.7% less for clothing
California | Canada | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $56.47 | $53.62 CA$76.12 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $40.47 | $41.27 CA$58.58 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $87.50 | $86.13 CA$122.26 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $119.94 | $103.00 CA$146.20 | |
California vs. Canada - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
Change currency:
Compare further: California vs. Canada
Salary Calculator · Free tool
What salary would you need in Canada?
→
Quality of Life Comparison · 2 statistics
Make 33.6% less money in Canada
→
Size Comparison · See true size
California is about 25 times smaller than Canada.
→
Moving from California to Canada · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→
City Size Comparison · See true size
Compare the size of Sacramento vs Toronto
→
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the cost of living in United States vs. Canada. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United States and Canada.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Canada or California. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.