Cost of living comparison
compared to
Thunder Bay vs. Canada Cost of Living Summary
Thunder Bay is 3.7% more expensive than Canada overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.9% more in Thunder Bay
- Groceries
-
pay 6.9% more in Thunder Bay
- Transportation
-
pay 2.9% more in Thunder Bay
- Housing
-
pay 17.1% more in Thunder Bay
- Childcare
-
pay 0.1% less in Thunder Bay
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 7.9% less in Thunder Bay
- Clothing
-
pay 3.1% more in Thunder Bay
The cost of housing, groceries, restaurants, clothing, and transportation in Thunder Bay are more expensive than in Canada. Expenses including entertainment and sports and childcare are lower in Thunder Bay.
Thunder Bay vs. Canada Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Thunder Bay instead of Canada, you would:
pay 3.9% more for restaurants
|
Canada
|
Thunder Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.68
CA$23.53
|
$17.99
CA$25.37
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.26
CA$14.47
|
$12.59
CA$17.76
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.01
CA$2.83
|
$1.94
CA$2.74
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.66
CA$2.34
|
$1.46
CA$2.07
|
|
Canada vs. Thunder Bay - Cost of restaurants
pay 6.9% more for groceries
|
Canada
|
Thunder Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.50
CA$3.53
|
$2.43
CA$3.42
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.32
CA$7.51
|
$8.50
CA$11.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.12
CA$11.45
|
$9.17
CA$12.94
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.44
CA$4.85
|
$3.56
CA$5.02
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.30
CA$7.48
|
$7.35
CA$10.37
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.78
CA$2.51
|
$1.56
CA$2.20
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.66
CA$0.93
|
$0.57
CA$0.81
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.62
CA$2.29
|
$1.78
CA$2.51
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.77
CA$2.49
|
$1.64
CA$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.15
CA$1.62
|
$1.17
CA$1.66
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.14
CA$1.61
|
$0.97
CA$1.37
|
|
Canada vs. Thunder Bay - Cost of groceries
pay 2.9% more for transportation
|
Canada
|
Thunder Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.22
CA$5.96
|
$4.03
CA$5.69
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.98
CA$93.07
|
$62.59
CA$88.29
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,583.45
CA$34,676.18
|
$24,444.83
CA$34,480.66
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.38
CA$23.10
|
$19.93
CA$28.11
|
|
Canada vs. Thunder Bay - Cost of transportation
pay 17.1% more for housing
|
Canada
|
Thunder Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$61.20
CA$86.32
|
$96.76
CA$136.49
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,228.04
CA$1,732.21
|
$1,007.20
CA$1,420.71
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,109.76
CA$1,565.37
|
$1,016.20
CA$1,433.40
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$110.65
CA$156.08
|
$151.29
CA$213.41
|
|
Canada vs. Thunder Bay - Cost of housing
pay 0.1% less for childcare
|
Canada
|
Thunder Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$720.23
CA$1,015.92
|
$719.43
CA$1,014.79
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,062.51
CA$17,014.78
|
?? | |
Canada vs. Thunder Bay - Cost of childcare
pay 7.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
Canada
|
Thunder Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.23
CA$7.38
|
$5.22
CA$7.36
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.65
CA$5.14
|
$3.47
CA$4.90
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.37
CA$18.86
|
$10.79
CA$15.22
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$43.26
CA$61.02
|
$29.85
CA$42.10
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.18
CA$15.77
|
$12.95
CA$18.27
|
|
Canada vs. Thunder Bay - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.1% more for clothing
|
Canada
|
Thunder Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$53.62
CA$75.64
|
$58.45
CA$82.45
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.27
CA$58.21
|
$35.55
CA$50.14
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$86.13
CA$121.49
|
$74.34
CA$104.86
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$103.00
CA$145.29
|
$135.10
CA$190.56
|
|
Canada vs. Thunder Bay - 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: November 2025
Change currency:
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 Thunder Bay or Canada. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.