Cost of living comparison

compared to

Columbia vs. Toronto Cost of Living Summary

Columbia is 3.5% cheaper than Toronto.

Restaurants
pay 17.0% more in Columbia
Groceries
pay 21.8% more in Columbia
Transportation
pay 23.0% less in Columbia
Housing
pay 14.6% less in Columbia
Childcare
pay 14.7% more in Columbia
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.5% more in Columbia
Clothing
pay 5.7% less in Columbia

The cost of groceries, restaurants, childcare, and entertainment and sports in Columbia are more expensive than in Toronto. Expenses including transportation, housing, and clothing are lower in Columbia.

Columbia vs. Toronto Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Columbia instead of Toronto, you would:

pay 17.0% more for restaurants

 
Toronto
Columbia
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $17.53
CA$24.75
$20.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.52
CA$14.85
$12.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.08
CA$2.93
$2.77
 

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pay 21.8% more for groceries

 
Toronto
Columbia
Bread
1 loaf
$2.74
CA$3.87
$2.51
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.56
CA$6.44
$5.14
 
Milk (1 gallon) $9.44
CA$13.33
$3.08
 

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pay 23.0% less for transportation

 
Toronto
Columbia
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.68
CA$6.60
$3.59
 
Monthly public transit pass $109.41
CA$154.46
$40.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $27,760.48
CA$39,188.08
$35,112.00
 

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pay 14.6% less for housing

 
Toronto
Columbia
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$47.87
CA$67.57
$64.17
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,584.56
CA$2,236.84
$1,254.83
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,416.89
CA$2,000.15
$853.00
 

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pay 14.7% more for childcare

 
Toronto
Columbia
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $824.14
CA$1,163.40
$1,133.33
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $23,500.21
CA$33,174.07
$22,500.00
 

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pay 1.5% more for entertainment and sports

 
Toronto
Columbia
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $6.31
CA$8.91
$5.50
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.97
CA$5.61
$5.32
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$14.03
CA$19.80
$8.50
 

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pay 5.7% less for clothing

 
Toronto
Columbia
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$51.64
CA$72.90
$52.00
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$39.51
CA$55.77
$39.75
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$98.10
CA$138.48
$82.25
 

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

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