Canada Cost of Living Calculator
Add up monthly living costs in Canada and see the surplus, savings rate and housing share of your income.
About Canada Cost of Living Calculator
Summing the five major categories gives a monthly run rate, and subtracting it from net income gives what is genuinely left to save. The housing share is shown separately because the widely used affordability guideline caps it at about 30 per cent of net pay. Typical figures for Canada. Comparing two cities on rent alone is misleading — transport, utilities and tax move in different directions and only the total tells you which leaves you better off.
Formula
Canada Cost of Living
Total = rent + food + transport + utilities + other; surplus = net income − total
- net income
- Take-home pay after tax
- housing share
- Rent divided by net income, the standard affordability test
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Canada Cost of Living calculated?
Total = rent + food + transport + utilities + other; surplus = net income − total Summing the five major categories gives a monthly run rate, and subtracting it from net income gives what is genuinely left to save. The housing share is shown separately because the widely used affordability guideline caps it at about 30 per cent of net pay.
Why does Canada Cost of Living matter?
Typical figures for Canada. Comparing two cities on rent alone is misleading — transport, utilities and tax move in different directions and only the total tells you which leaves you better off.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 6 inputs: Rent or mortgage per month, Food and groceries per month, Transport per month, Utilities and connectivity per month, Everything else per month, Monthly net income. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.
Related Calculators
Canada specifics
- Currency
- C$ CADCanadian Dollar
- Region
- North America
- Country code
- CA
- Amounts look like
- $1,234,567.89
- Dates look like
- Mar 9, 2026
- Units
- metricWeek starts Sunday
Results on this page are expressed in CAD (Canadian Dollar). Figures are estimates for general planning — confirm current rates and thresholds with the relevant Canada authority before relying on them.