City snapshot
Cost of living in London
London offers affordable living, excellent healthcare, and strong education sectors in Southwestern Ontario.
Monthly baseline
$1,883
Total annual: $22,596
Balanced salary needed
$45,700
Balanced
Population
543,551
London CMA
Crime Severity Index
61.2
London CMA
Cost breakdown
Move-in costs
Plan the next step
City profile
Housing and rent
University and health-sector demand shape rental availability and neighbourhood pricing.
Rent (1bd): $1,371 · Total monthly: $1,883
Commute and daily life
Bus network and regional car commuting
Safety context
London's safety snapshot uses the Crime Severity Index for London CMA. CSI compares police-reported crime volume and seriousness; it is not a neighbourhood-level risk score.
- Crime Severity Index
- 61.2
- Violent CSI
- 76.2
- Non-violent CSI
- 55.8
How this city compares
London ranks #12 of 23 tracked cities by baseline monthly cost and is -$86 versus the cross-city average.
Salary guide for this city
Use these gross salary ranges as planning targets before running a detailed after-tax scenario for London.
Best for
London is strongest for affordable ontario living and a lower baseline than the tracked-city average.
Watch out for
Rent (1bd) is the largest cost driver in the baseline. Plan around $1,883 per month before discretionary spending, plus about $5,842 for a basic move-in setup.
Local reality check
Rent represents about 73% of the baseline essentials shown here. Compared with the tracked-city average, this city is -$86.
Living in London: what to budget for
Use this page as a starting point for London: monthly essentials, move-in cash, salary targets, local population context, housing notes and safety data are shown together so you can move from research to a concrete budget.
London is a mid-sized city in Southwestern Ontario with a major university and thriving healthcare sector.
The city provides affordable housing and lower living costs compared to larger Ontario cities.
Major employers include hospitals, Western University, and manufacturing companies.
The city provides a balanced lifestyle with urban amenities and accessible natural areas.
Highlights
- Affordable Ontario living
- Western University presence
- Major healthcare employers
- Family-friendly community
- Rich cultural amenities
Common questions
- What is included in London's monthly baseline?
- The baseline includes a 1-bedroom rent estimate, groceries and transport for one adult. It is a planning baseline, not a quote.
- Why do some metrics use a CMA or province?
- National public datasets often publish city data by census metropolitan area, census agglomeration, province or territory. The geography is shown beside each metric.
- How should I use the London salary estimate?
- Use it as a gross-income target, then run the income calculator with your province, city and real costs.
Sources and methodology
- Population: Statistics Canada Census 2021 table 98-10-0006-01 / Census Profile when noted.
- Crime Severity Index: Statistics Canada table 35-10-0026-01, 2024.
- Rent, groceries and transport: TrueIncome variable config synced from public market and Statistics Canada sources.
Data, sources, and assumptions
Results combine Canadian tax rules, city cost baselines, and market assumptions versioned with the site code.