What to know
- Toronto’s cost of living shocks even out-of-towners, with sky-high prices for short-term accommodation.
- Montreal content creator Apollo Rising’s TikTok went viral after documenting his experience with steep prices and unusual listings.
- Locals chimed in, sharing their own struggles with rent, groceries, and everyday expenses.
- Airbnb says listings, including unique stays like tents, are permitted if they meet the platform’s standards, while hosts set their own prices.
- The story has reignited debate about who can afford to live, or even visit, in Toronto.
Toronto is known for its high prices, but even so, a recent visitor from Montreal was taken aback by how costly a short stay could be, starting with steep accommodation rates.
Montreal content creator Apollo Rising took his concern about Toronto’s high cost of living to TikTok, asking the city what it’s doing.
@apollorising.dc Are we for real #toronto #thesix ♬ original sound – Apollo Rising
“Toronto, what are we doing? I knew it’s expensive out there, and I had to go for two nights, but I didn’t realize how expensive it is,” he said in the video.
Despite being aware of Toronto’s high cost of living, Rising was shocked at the price for accommodation alone.
In the video, Rising showed that he saw most Airbnbs costing around $1000 for two nights and said, “It’s expensive, but I guess you have to expect it.”
So, he looked into North York and saw a place for $231, thinking it was really cheap. But that brink of hope quickly faded when he saw the place was a tent in someone’s lawn.
“But it’s not even a place, it’s a tent in someone’s lawn. Can you believe this? What the hell? But oh, don’t worry, if you have to shit, you can go in the house,” he said in the video.
He finished the video saying he may as well put a tent on King St himself if it’s that expensive.
Airbnb told Now Toronto that listings, including tents, can be found on their website, as long as they meet their criteria and host standards.
Though Airbnb does not control listing prices as they are set by hosts.
“We know affordability is important to travellers, and we offer tools that help allow travellers to find options that fit their budget and book with confidence,” an Airbnb spokesperson told Now Toronto.
“On Airbnb, guests can use search filters to help find listings within a set price range, while total price display means guests can see the total cost of their reservation, before taxes, when they browse listings in search results, helping to make it easier to compare options and book a stay that fits their budget.”
Rising’s experience highlights the growing affordability concerns facing residents, newcomers and visitors in the city.
Read More
- Buying a home in Ontario? These hidden costs can add thousands before you even move in
- Toronto home prices keep falling, but experts say the market is turning a corner
- Renters across Canada are still feeling squeezed by high prices: poll
- Will Toronto’s $1.5B housing deal actually make homes more affordable? Experts weigh in
For buyers, buying a house can feel like there’s a new expense every day. The minimum down payment depends on the full price of the home, but for homes under $500,000, it must be at least five per cent of the purchase price. Under 1.5 million is the same, plus 10 per cent on the portion above that amount, and over 1.5 million is a 20 per cent down payment. Plus, there’s the cost of a real estate lawyer. Right now, the average home price is $1,120,800.
For renters, the average rent is above $2,000, while a survey revealed that many renters’ budgets are maxed out at $1,500.
At this point, Torontonians learned to scrape by, living paycheque to paycheque, so residents commenting under Rising’s video aren’t surprised by the prices.
Read More
“NOW IMAGINE THE RENT,” a TikTok user commented.
“I’m not surprised given the Craigslist ad for an apartment, which was just a fold-up bed in an unfinished basement,” another shared.
“Capitalism,” another user stated.
“It’s f expensive… we work to pay rent only,” another wrote.
“It’s all over so expensive,” another user said.
The cost-of-living in Toronto is unaffordable for most, for more than just rent. Many residents are switching to store brands to save on groceries, according to a survey. A survey found that being single can also be more expensive.
Rising’s video arrives as affordability remains one of Toronto’s defining challenges.
From housing and groceries to transportation and everyday expenses, residents have increasingly voiced concerns about the rising cost of living, with many saying even middle-income earners are finding it harder to keep up.
As the comments under the video suggest, for many Torontonians, the biggest surprise wasn’t the price of a weekend stay—it was that visitors are only now discovering the reality many locals have been living for years.
Read More
- Are groceries more expensive for single Canadians? A survey says yes, some Torontonians disagree
- ‘It adds up fast,’ Toronto residents react to rising grocery prices and Marit Stiles’ food tax petition
- ‘It’s all the same’: Toronto shoppers reveal which grocery items they’ll never buy store-brand
- More Canadians are switching to store brands to save on groceries: Survey
