Can a Graphic Designer afford to live in Toronto?

Excellent38% of take-home left to save — you can save aggressively here.
Median salary (gross)
Graphic Designer · Toronto
$55,708
Income tax (~23% effective)
Canada
– $12,786
Take-home pay
$3,577/mo
$42,922
Living costs (1 person)
$2,212/mo · curated
– $26,544
Savings potential
$1,365/mo · 38% of take-home
$16,378

Single professional, after-tax. Salary − tax − living costs = what you could save each year.

Monthly cost breakdown · Toronto

Rent (1-bed)$1,387
Groceries$292
Dining out$219
Transport$102
Utilities$80
Entertainment$131

Universal healthcare. Rent surged post-2022 but still below NYC/SF.

Full salary breakdown →Is this a good salary in Toronto? →Compare Toronto with another city →

How we calculated this

• Salary: OECD 2024 median for Graphic Designer, adjusted for Toronto.

• Tax: Canada single-filer effective rate (~23%). Official calculator.

• Living costs: hand-curated local budget for a single professional.

Planning estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026. Your situation will differ.