Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. Canada Cost of Living Summary
United States is 25.0% more expensive than Canada overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 18.3% more in United States
- Groceries
- pay 16.3% more in United States
- Transportation
- pay 4.9% more in United States
- Housing
- pay 27.9% more in United States
- Childcare
- pay 92.4% more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 13.6% more in United States
- Clothing
- pay 1.8% more in United States
United States vs. Canada Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of Canada, you would:
pay 18.3% more for restaurants
Canada | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $16.68 CA$23.68 | $19.45 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $10.26 CA$14.56 | $11.12 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.01 CA$2.85 | $2.56 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $1.66 CA$2.36 | $2.00 | |
Canada vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 16.3% more for groceries
Canada | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.50 CA$3.55 | $3.56 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.32 CA$7.56 | $6.50 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $8.12 CA$11.53 | $3.97 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $3.44 CA$4.88 | $4.27 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $5.30 CA$7.52 | $5.41 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.78 CA$2.53 | $2.37 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.66 CA$0.94 | $0.78 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.62 CA$2.31 | $2.04 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.77 CA$2.51 | $2.21 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.15 CA$1.63 | $1.34 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.14 CA$1.63 | $1.38 | |
Canada vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 4.9% more for transportation
Canada | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.22 CA$5.99 | $3.41 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $65.98 CA$93.66 | $65.85 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $24,583.45 CA$34,894.97 | $32,336.38 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $16.38 CA$23.25 | $17.61 | |
Canada vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 27.9% more for housing
Canada | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $61.20 CA$86.87 | $68.97 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,228.04 CA$1,743.14 | $1,664.59 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,109.76 CA$1,575.25 | $1,416.15 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $110.65 CA$157.07 | $150.19 | |
Canada vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 92.4% more for childcare
Canada | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $720.23 CA$1,022.33 | $1,387.27 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $12,062.51 CA$17,122.13 | $23,196.46 | |
Canada vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 13.6% more for entertainment and sports
Canada | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $5.23 CA$7.43 | $5.84 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.65 CA$5.18 | $5.15 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $13.37 CA$18.98 | $9.90 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $43.26 CA$61.40 | $51.45 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $11.18 CA$15.87 | $13.64 | |
Canada vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.8% more for clothing
Canada | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $53.62 CA$76.12 | $51.08 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $41.27 CA$58.58 | $41.81 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $86.13 CA$122.26 | $87.56 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $103.00 CA$146.20 | $112.04 | |
Canada vs. United States - 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
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