Cost of living comparison
compared to
Boston vs. Canada Cost of Living Summary
Boston is 68.9% more expensive than Canada overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 38.5% more in Boston
- Groceries
-
pay 52.3% more in Boston
- Transportation
-
pay 14.4% more in Boston
- Housing
-
pay 95.0% more in Boston
- Childcare
-
pay 3.1 times more in Boston
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 47.1% more in Boston
- Clothing
-
pay 27.3% more in Boston
The cost of childcare, housing, groceries, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and clothing in Boston are more expensive than in Canada. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in Boston.
Boston vs. Canada Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Boston instead of Canada, you would:
pay 38.5% more for restaurants
|
Canada
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.68
CA$23.07
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.26
CA$14.18
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.01
CA$2.77
|
$2.87
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.66
CA$2.30
|
$2.40
|
|
Canada vs. Boston - Cost of restaurants
pay 52.3% more for groceries
|
Canada
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.50
CA$3.46
|
$4.16
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.32
CA$7.36
|
$8.92
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.12
CA$11.23
|
$4.80
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.44
CA$4.75
|
$4.93
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.30
CA$7.33
|
$6.15
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.78
CA$2.46
|
$2.70
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.66
CA$0.91
|
$1.00
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.62
CA$2.25
|
$2.83
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.77
CA$2.44
|
$3.61
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.15
CA$1.59
|
$2.09
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.14
CA$1.58
|
$1.81
|
|
Canada vs. Boston - Cost of groceries
pay 14.4% more for transportation
|
Canada
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.22
CA$5.84
|
$3.46
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.98
CA$91.24
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,583.45
CA$33,995.22
|
$34,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.38
CA$22.65
|
$16.52
|
|
Canada vs. Boston - Cost of transportation
pay 95.0% more for housing
|
Canada
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$61.20
CA$84.63
|
$77.28
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,228.04
CA$1,698.20
|
$3,451.79
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,109.76
CA$1,534.63
|
$2,596.36
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$110.65
CA$153.02
|
$153.30
|
|
Canada vs. Boston - Cost of housing
pay 3.1 times more for childcare
|
Canada
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$720.23
CA$995.97
|
$2,793.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,062.51
CA$16,680.65
|
$27,500.00
|
|
Canada vs. Boston - Cost of childcare
pay 47.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Canada
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.23
CA$7.23
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.65
CA$5.04
|
$5.36
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.37
CA$18.49
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$43.26
CA$59.82
|
$88.48
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.18
CA$15.46
|
$15.00
|
|
Canada vs. Boston - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 27.3% more for clothing
|
Canada
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$53.62
CA$74.15
|
$69.87
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.27
CA$57.07
|
$43.75
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$86.13
CA$119.10
|
$107.71
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$103.00
CA$142.43
|
$152.08
|
|
Canada vs. Boston - 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: December 2025
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