Taking public transit is one of the cheapest and most efficient ways to get around in Toronto. But, compared to other cities in the world, Toronto transit prices are not exactly the kindest to our wallets.

A new report by international e-commerce company Picodi compares the fares of public transportation in big cities around the world.

The study examines the cost of a single ticket as well as monthly passes, provided by local public transport operators as of March 2023.

There are 45 cities included in the report, and it does not include cities with very different pricing policies on public transportation, such as Tokyo, Beijing, Jakarta, and Bangkok.

Picodi also factors in the average net wage in each city to determine how much of their income commuters are spending on public transportation.

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Most locals know by now that Toronto transit prices are going up by 10 cents on single cash and Presto rides starting on April 3rd, 2023.

However, even before this price hike, Toronto is one of the priciest cities in the world for public transportation.

Toronto’s single-ticket rides are the 4th most expensive of any city, and its monthly passes are even worse.

A monthly pass costs $156 in Toronto, which is 3.7% of the city’s average net wage, says Picodi.

This result is better than in London (7.4%) but worse than in New York (2.1%).

Below are the 10 most expensive cities in the world for public transportation:

  1. Sao Paulo
  2. Istanbul
  3. London
  4. Toronto
  5. Paris
  6. Melbourne’
  7. Stockholm
  8. Johannesburg
  9. Moscow
  10. Lisbon

In Canada, the most expensive cities for transit are:

  1. Toronto
  2. Calgary
  3. Winnipeg
  4. Vancouver
  5. Montreal
  6. Saskatoon
  7. Halifax
  8. St. John’s
  9. Yellowknife
  10. Moncton

The report uses the average exchange rate data from Google Finance for February 2023.

So, there you have it. If you’re looking for more affordable transit options, it looks like you’ll have to ditch the big city to find it.

Curiocity Staff

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