Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Toronto vs Fredericton in 2026: cost index 120 vs 88, rent $2,500 vs $1,150, income $78,000 vs $58,000, QoL 58 vs 68.
Toronto vs Fredericton in 2026: cost index 120 vs 88, rent $2,500 vs $1,150, income $78,000 vs $58,000, QoL 58 vs 68.
Toronto ranks #1 with a cost index of 120 and rent of $2,500/month.
Average cost index across these cities: 104 (+3 vs national average of 101).
Average quality of life: 63/100. Top: Toronto at 58/100.
Safest city: Fredericton (72/100 safety score).
Strip away assumptions, and something unexpected emerges. Toronto stands out as the top-ranked city in this analysis. With a cost index of 120 and median income of $78,000, it offers competitive value despite costs slightly above the national median. That's a difference you notice every single month.
On quality of life, Fredericton leads with a composite score of 68/100 — reflecting its safety (72), healthcare (66), and walkability (58) metrics. And there's one more thing: affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and Canada is a good example of that tension.
The country average QoL score is 63/100. Toronto leads with 58/100, reflecting its safety, healthcare access, walkability, and green space.
Our index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Sub-categories cover housing, food, transport, utilities, and healthcare. Data sources include Statistics Canada, CMHC, CRA.
Toronto (ranked #1) has a cost index of 120 and rent of $2,500/mo. Fredericton (#2) has index 88 and rent $1,150/mo — a 32-point gap.