Toronto

City Overview

Toronto is Canada's largest city with the largest Chinese diaspora (heavy concentrations in Markham, Richmond Hill, and Mississauga). Canada's immigration policies are relatively welcoming with multiple PR pathways. Cost of living is high; housing prices have surged in recent years.

Cost of Living Snapshot

Source: RichBay editorial estimate — indicative, not guaranteed Estimate baseline: 2026-07-20 · Actual costs vary by location, timing, and personal lifestyle.

Getting Around Toronto

TTC subway (4 lines) + buses cover the city; suburbs require a car or GO Transit rail. Uber/Lyft common. UP Express links Pearson Airport to Union Station.

Main transport

• TTC subway ↗ Four lines cross the city; tap on with a PRESTO card, a contactless bank card or phone. Line 1 (the U-shaped Yonge-University) is the spine.
• Streetcars & buses A dense streetcar grid downtown and buses everywhere else, all on the same TTC fare with free transfers within a 2-hour window.
• GO Transit & UP Express ↗ GO regional trains and buses reach the wider Greater Toronto Area; UP Express links Pearson Airport to Union Station in ~25 minutes.
• Cycling & taxis Bike Share Toronto docks are dense downtown and protected lanes are growing; taxis and Uber/Lyft fill late-night gaps but are pricey in traffic.

Typical costs

Airport access

• Toronto Pearson (YYZ) ↗ The main hub ~25 km west: UP Express to Union in ~25 min, or the TTC 900 bus to Kipling subway on a normal fare.
• Billy Bishop (YTZ) ↗ A small island airport right at the downtown waterfront — reached by a short pedestrian tunnel or a 90-second ferry; handy for regional flights.

Good to know for newcomers

• Just tap a contactless bank card or phone on any TTC vehicle — a PRESTO card is optional and adds nothing for most adults.
• One fare covers 2 hours of unlimited transfers across subway, streetcar and bus — plan errands inside that window.
• The TTC runs until ~1:30 am; the Blue Night bus/streetcar network covers the overnight gap.
• From Pearson, UP Express usually beats a rush-hour taxi to downtown; if you commute regionally, price a GO pass in.

Commuting & where to live

• Living on Line 1 or 2 near a station gives the shortest commutes; downtown condos cost the most, the inner suburbs (Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough) less.
• The 905 suburbs (Mississauga, Brampton, Markham) cut rent sharply but tie you to GO trains — price rent plus the GO pass together.
• Winter is real — a home with an underground PATH or covered-station connection is worth a premium Nov–Mar.
• Driving into downtown rarely pays: parking is expensive and the Gardiner/DVP clog at peak — most downtown workers ride transit.

Housing & Neighborhoods

Universities in Toronto (1)

• University of Toronto

Deep Dive Guides

Why Live Here

• Canada's top immigrant destination with multiple PR pathways
• Large Asian and immigrant communities, highly multicultural
• Free healthcare (provincial health insurance), high-quality education