Toronto vs New York City - Which Is Better To Visit In 2025?

Last Updated on 3rd December 2024

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Toronto vs New York City - Which Is Best To Visit In 2023?

Are you thinking about visiting Toronto or New York City? Perhaps you want to visit both but can’t decide which city to visit first! This Toronto vs New York City comparison guide helps you choose which city is the best to visit!

If you’ve read my blog for a long time, you’ll know that I’ve been obsessed with New York City for over fifteen years (so much so, I’ve actually written two whole books dedicated to my favourite place on Earth!).

Therefore, it’s easy to assume that my loyalty will lie with NYC, and while that certainly is true (even though I really do love Toronto!), I want to ensure that this Toronto vs New York City comparison guide is fair and equal!

In the guide below, I’ve covered everything you need to know about the size and population of each city, the weather/climate in each place, plus how walkable, clean and safe each city is!

Please note that all costs mentioned in this post are written in USD and are correct at the time of writing this post.

Toronto vs New York City summary

Size and population
Cost of living
Weather/climate
Crime/safety
Walkability
Cleanliness
Public transport
Entertainment

1. Size and population – Toronto vs New York City

New York City covers an area of more than 300 square miles (778.2 km²), with a population of over 8.5 million people; the most populated city in the United States..

Toronto, on the other hand, is slightly smaller with an area of approximately 243 square miles (630km²), and a population of almost 3 million people (the most populated city in Canada).

While both cities are relatively close in terms of square miles, the population in New York City vastly outweighs the population of Toronto, which isn’t necessarily always a good thing as it means that NYC is much more crowded and busy compared to Toronto.

2. Cost of living – Is Toronto more expensive than New York?

Both New York City and Toronto are two of the most expensive cities in North America in almost every way.

From the average cost of rent to food and drink at bars and restaurants to the cost of tours and activities, these North American cities certainly aren’t cheap to visit or live in!

According to Zumper, as of September 2023, the average rent for a one bedroom apartment in Toronto is $2,530 a month. The same website cites that the average rental price for a one bedroom apartment in New York City is just over $4,000 a month!

As you can see, the cost of living in Toronto when it comes to rental prices is very expensive, but it’s nothing compared to NYC!

Below, you can find the average cost of groceries in both Toronto and New York City for the most typical household items according to LivingCost.org.

Average costs of groceries in Toronto

Milk (1L) – $2.89
Eggs (12) – $3.86
Cheese (1kg) – $13.90
Steak (1kg) – $14
Chicken breast (1kg) – $13
Bread (500g) – $2.53
Potatoes (1kg) – $.266
Apples (1kg) – $3.60
Coca-Cola (2L) – $2.27
Tomatoes (1kg) – $3.47
Dinner in a restaurant (for 2 people) – $67.20
Price of a pint of beer in Toronto – $5.97

Average costs of groceries in New York City

Milk (1L) – $1.34
Eggs (12) – $5.41
Cheese (1kg) – $17.10
Steak (1kg) – $20.50
Chicken breast (1kg) – $16.40
Bread (500g) – $4.02
Potatoes (1kg) – $3.77
Apples (1kg) – $5.63
Coca-Cola (2L) – $3.38
Tomatoes (1kg) – $6.19
Dinner in a restaurant (for 2 people) – $86.40
Price of a pint of beer in New York City – $7.96

As you can see from the two comparisons above, the average cost of groceries New York City is much higher than in Toronto (apart from the cost of milk!).

When we also look at the cost of eating meals out in both cities (dinner for two, as well as the price of a pint of beer), the average costs are still significantly higher in NYC, so it doesn’t really matter whether you cook meals at home or you go out to eat in New York, you will nearly always pay more than in Toronto!

3. Is Toronto weather similar to New York?

Both New York and Toronto are great cities if you want to experience all four seasons every year. They are also both on the East Coast of North America and despite being almost 500 miles (800km) apart, it only takes around 8 hours of non-stop driving to get between the two cities.

Therefore, the weather and climate is somewhat similar in both Toronto and New York City, especially during the summer months.

However, Toronto is generally much colder than New York in the winter months as the city faces much harsher and colder temperatures. New York typically gets much more snowfall than Toronto, however.

The average summer temperatures between June and August in New York is between 26°C and 29°C (76°F and 84°F).

The average summer temperatures between June and August in Toronto is between 22°C and 25°C (72°F and 77°F).

New York is definitely warmer than Toronto, but it also has more average days of rainfall and snowfall.

4. Crime/Safety – Is Toronto safer than New York?

According to the WorldPopulationReview, Toronto is the 6th safest city in the whole world, making it safer than NYC! New York ranks #15 on the same list.

In general, Toronto is considered to be a safer city than New York, with a lower crime rate.

However, the crime rate in Toronto has increased slightly in recent years and in 2018, Toronto’s homicide rate increased to around 3.6 per 100,000 people, higher than New York City (at around 3.51 per 100,000 people in the same year).

5. Which city is more walkable?

According to Walk Score, New York City has a walkability score of 88, compared to Toronto’s score of 61.

After spending time in both cities over the years, I can definitely agree that New York is a more walkable city than Toronto. You can easily explore both cities on foot, but NYC is much easier to navigate and get around than Toronto.

However, it’s definitely still possible (and very enjoyable!) to get around Toronto on foot!

6. Is public transport better in New York or Toronto?

Both Toronto and New York City are renowned for their excellent public transport systems in the form of buses, subways and taxis.

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) operates the third-largest system in North America, whereas the New York Subway system takes first place in terms of size and number of annual users.

New York City also has significantly more stations than Toronto, despite only being approximately 50 square miles bigger (472 stations in NYC compared to just 75 stations in Toronto).

Both subway systems are quick, cheap and easy to use/navigate. A single fare journey on the Toronto Subway costs $2.44 USD ($3.30 CAD), whereas a single journey on the NYC Subway costs $2.90 USD.

7. Is New York City or Toronto cleaner?

When it comes to cleanliness, Toronto is generally considered to be much cleaner than New York City.

NYC is renowned for mounds of rubbish piled up outside on the street. This is largely due to a lack of funds for waste management facilities in the city; Toronto doesn’t seem to struggle with this problem quite as much.

The streets of Toronto also just feel much cleaner in general and the air quality feels a bit better than in NYC.

However, a lot of these cleanliness factors can be argued that because New York has a much larger population than Toronto, it’s much harder to keep the city clean due to the sheer number of people living there!

8. Entertainment options in New York and Toronto

Both cities rank very well in terms of entertainment options as there are plenty of awesome things to see and do in both New York and Toronto.

New York City has five observation decks (Summit, Empire State Building, Edge, Top of the Rock and One World Observatory), compared to Toronto’s one observation deck at the top of the CN Tower.

New York boasts museums such as the MoMA, The Met and the American Museum of Natural History, whereas Toronto has the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario.

In terms of bars, restaurants and nightlife, New York is considered to be the overall winner as there are enough dining options in the city to last for more than two decades if you were to eat out for three meals a day every single day!

There are plenty of incredible museums, parks, shopping centres, restaurants and bars to visit in both cities, but New York City definitely has the upper hand over Toronto when it comes to entertainment options.

9. Is Toronto more like New York or Chicago?

Toronto, New York and Chicago are very much all unique and individual cities with their own personal charm and character.

However, I would argue than Toronto is more like Chicago than New York. Both Chicago and Toronto have super cold winters and while they are both bustling metropolis cities, they’re nowhere near as busy or crowded as NYC!

10. Conclusion – Toronto vs New York City

In conclusion, I think that New York City is the better city to visit overall!

It has better entertainment options, better nightlife, a more diverse food scene and generally has better weather (it’s great in the summer and in the winter if you want to experience snow!). However, Toronto is considered to be safer, cleaner, cheaper overall and typically better for families.

This post about Toronto vs New York City is largely based on my own personal opinions (NYC will always be my favourite place in the world!), but if you still can’t decide whether New York City or Toronto is better, I’d encourage you to visit both cities to make the comparison for yourself!

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