🇨🇦 Canada · A realistic 2026 budget for newcomers — rent, food, transport, and what a month actually costs.
Wondering how far your salary goes in London ON? Here’s what everyday life costs, in local prices — the numbers that matter when you’re deciding to move or negotiating a package.
What things cost
One-bed apartment, downtown, Old South or Old NorthCAD 1,450–1,850 / month
One-bed apartment, east London, White Oaks or an older blockCAD 1,200–1,500 / month
Groceries, one personCAD 400–540 / month
Hydro, heat and water, one personCAD 120–220 / month, higher in an older converted house on electric baseboards
London Transit adult monthly CitipassAround CAD 115–125 / month — it was CAD 112 from January 2024 and has risen since
Mid-range restaurant meal, per personCAD 25–40, before the 13% HST and a 15–20% tip
Coffee at an independent roasterCAD 3.50–5.50
Good to know
Population
422,324 in the city at the 2021 census, 543,551 in the London census metropolitan area — Canada's eleventh-largest metro and the largest in southwestern Ontario
Languages
English. Long-established Portuguese, Polish and Italian communities, and large and growing Arabic-, Spanish-, Punjabi- and Mandarin-speaking ones
Currency
Canadian dollar (CAD)
Time zone
EST/EDT (GMT−5/−4) — the same clock as Toronto, Ottawa and New York
Power plug
Type A and B, 120 V, 60 Hz
Climate
Humid continental in the Great Lakes snowbelt — warm humid summers, cold grey winters, and roughly 194 cm of snow a year from squalls off Lake Huron
Driving side
Right
Sales tax
13% HST — 5% federal plus 8% provincial, the same rate as everywhere in Ontario
Local government
Single-tier: the City of London is politically separate from Middlesex County, though it remains the county seat. Public health is the Middlesex-London Health Unit, a board shared with the county rather than a City department
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.
A note on budgeting
Rent is usually the swing factor — location and whether bills are included move the number most. Build your estimate from the rent band above, add a monthly living figure, and keep a buffer for one-off setup costs (deposits, a residence permit, a local SIM, first-month transport). Globe Quest turns this into a personalized London ON checklist so nothing setup-related catches you off guard.
Plan your move to London ON
A free, AI-personalized plan — the language, culture, and setup steps timed to your move date.