Cost of Living in Toronto for Low-Income Households

The City of Toronto monitors food affordability every year using the Ontario Nutritious Food Basket (ONFB) costing tool. Food prices, among other essential needs, have increased considerably in the last several years in Toronto. People receiving social assistance and earning low wages often do not have enough money to cover the cost of basic expenses, including food. As such, ONFB data is best used to assess the cost of living in Toronto by examining food affordability in relation to income, alongside other local basic expenses. The dataset describes the affordability of food and other basic expenses relative to income for 11 household scenarios. * Scenarios were selected to reflect household characteristics that increase the risk of being food insecure, including reliance on social assistance as the main source of income, single-parent households, and rental housing. A median income scenario has also been included as a comparator. * Income, including federal and provincial tax benefits, and the cost of four basic living expenses - rent, food, child care, and transportation - are estimated for each scenario. * Results show the estimated amount of money remaining at the end of the…

Publisher

City of Toronto

Resources

6

Catalogue metadata updated

2026-02-19