Cost of living comparison
compared to
Thunder Bay vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Thunder Bay is 11.4% cheaper than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 11.3% less in Thunder Bay
- Groceries
-
pay 0.7% more in Thunder Bay
- Transportation
-
pay 0.5% more in Thunder Bay
- Housing
-
pay 6.7% less in Thunder Bay
- Childcare
-
pay 48.1% less in Thunder Bay
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 16.2% less in Thunder Bay
- Clothing
-
pay 1.2% more in Thunder Bay
The cost of clothing, groceries, and transportation in Thunder Bay are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and housing are lower in Thunder Bay.
Thunder Bay vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Thunder Bay instead of United States, you would:
pay 11.3% less for restaurants
|
United States
|
Thunder Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$17.99
CA$24.81
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$12.59
CA$17.37
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$1.94
CA$2.68
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$1.46
CA$2.02
|
|
United States vs. Thunder Bay - Cost of restaurants
pay 0.7% more for groceries
|
United States
|
Thunder Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$2.43
CA$3.35
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$8.50
CA$11.72
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$9.17
CA$12.65
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$3.56
CA$4.91
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$7.35
CA$10.14
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$1.56
CA$2.15
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.57
CA$0.79
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$1.78
CA$2.46
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$1.64
CA$2.26
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.17
CA$1.62
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$0.97
CA$1.34
|
|
United States vs. Thunder Bay - Cost of groceries
pay 0.5% more for transportation
|
United States
|
Thunder Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$4.03
CA$5.56
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$62.59
CA$86.33
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$24,444.83
CA$33,717.98
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$19.93
CA$27.49
|
|
United States vs. Thunder Bay - Cost of transportation
pay 6.7% less for housing
|
United States
|
Thunder Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$96.76
CA$133.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$1,007.20
CA$1,389.29
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$1,016.20
CA$1,401.69
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$151.29
CA$208.68
|
|
United States vs. Thunder Bay - Cost of housing
pay 48.1% less for childcare
|
United States
|
Thunder Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$719.43
CA$992.35
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
?? | |
United States vs. Thunder Bay - Cost of childcare
pay 16.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
Thunder Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$5.22
CA$7.19
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$3.47
CA$4.79
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$10.79
CA$14.89
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$29.85
CA$41.17
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$12.95
CA$17.86
|
|
United States vs. Thunder Bay - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.2% more for clothing
|
United States
|
Thunder Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$58.45
CA$80.62
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$35.55
CA$49.03
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$74.34
CA$102.54
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$135.10
CA$186.35
|
|
United States 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: December 2025
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