[Kabir]

Cost of living in Canadian cities like Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton - these are "huda kaam e" expensive. There's no shortage of land in Canada, and the cities are huge with no shortage either. For example, Burlington (about 50 km from downtown Toronto) has a TON of land - but the house prices are 500k+!!! And then, the houses are built almost adjacent to one another with a backyard that's more of a joke (literally no more than 15-20'. So from the perspective of real estate prices, Canadian cities are less affordable than they should be.

I don't consider food related expenses to be a huge issue for any city. Other expenses that are quite high for Toronto and its surrounding areas is car insurance (I pay ~230/month), car lease, gas price, etc. Clothing used to be much more expensive, but due to proximity to border the retailers are offering more competitive pricing now.

Monthly cost breakdown for my city (Mississauga) for a family of two:
Rent (1 bed +1den) - 1400
Utilities - 50
Car expenses (lease, insurance, gas) - 1000
Grocery: 1000 (depending on the type of food you like, such as organic, fresh fruits/frozen, etc)
Phone/internet/cell/cable - >270
Eating out (min 50 x 5-6 times a month) - >350
Transit expenses - 150
Gifts & other expenses (roop chorcha, habijabi)- >500

Total per month: ~4000

And that's just the basic needs. I don't do as much clubbing as Orphy, and don't drink. Anything beyond the above expenses are extra - namely, charity, special events (there's always something or the other).