Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Atenas and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Atenas: $1,546 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Atenas
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Atenas Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Atenas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,546

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Atenas and in Toronto

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Atenas and in Toronto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,546 per month in Atenas vs $2,561 in Toronto, rent included.

Atenas $1,546
Toronto $2,561

A couple spends around $2,543 per month in Atenas vs $3,694 in Toronto, rent included.

Atenas $2,543
Toronto $3,694

A family of three spends $3,540 per month in Atenas vs $4,826 in Toronto, rent included.

Atenas $3,540
Toronto $4,826

Atenas is about 40% cheaper than Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Atenas and Toronto sit above the global median – Atenas by 15%, Toronto by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.58 ₡4,298

$17.18 CA$24.29

-44.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.8 ₡25.5K

$76.0 CA$107

-25.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 ₡5,314

$10.54 CA$14.89

12.43%

Cappuccino

$3.82 ₡1,711

$4.02 CA$5.68

-4.98%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₡1,186

$2.12 CA$3.00

24.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₡852

$1.75 CA$2.48

8.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 ₡1,459

$6.24 CA$8.83

-47.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ₡1,966

$7.09 CA$10.02

-38.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,070

$2.44 CA$3.45

-2.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,401

$2.68 CA$3.78

16.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 ₡957

$2.24 CA$3.17

-4.91%

Eggs

$3.41 ₡1,528

$3.56 CA$5.03

-4.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 ₡4,802

$9.09 CA$12.85

17.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 ₡4,426

$11.33 CA$16.01

-12.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.36 ₡4,646

$14.53 CA$20.55

-28.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 ₡1,921

$3.62 CA$5.12

18.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡704

$1.21 CA$1.72

29.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 ₡1,148

$3.60 CA$5.09

-28.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,071

$4.21 CA$5.96

-43.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.70 ₡1,660

$1.79 CA$2.53

106.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 ₡1,205

$1.59 CA$2.25

69.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₡500

$2.27 CA$3.21

-51.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,387

$1.25 CA$1.77

147.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,690

$13.82 CA$19.53

-56.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.30 ₡8,207

$14.27 CA$20.18

28.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 ₡1,200

$2.20 CA$3.10

21.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₡1,208

$2.43 CA$3.44

10.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 ₡1,001

$2.39 CA$3.38

-6.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$157

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 ₡1,067

$2.91 CA$4.12

-18.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 ₡725

$1.20 CA$1.69

35.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.83 ₡3,960

$21.38 CA$30.23

-58.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.21 CA$1.71

28.93%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$22.3K ₡10.0M

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-20.80%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.6K ₡15.5M

$20.3K CA$28.6K

70.90%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$95.7 ₡42.9K

$120 CA$170

-20.51%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$35.36 ₡15.9K

$32.26 CA$45.60

9.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.0 ₡22.8K

$47.93 CA$67.8

6.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.47 ₡21.7K

$38.48 CA$54.4

25.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.78 ₡4,835

$22.96 CA$32.46

-53.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.90 ₡3,542

$12.38 CA$17.50

-36.19%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$994 ₡445.7K

$830 CA$1,173

19.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,652 ₡3.0M

$23.1K CA$32.6K

-71.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 ₡31.8K

$50.7 CA$71.7

39.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 ₡24.7K

$40.02 CA$56.6

37.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.2K

$98.0 CA$139

30.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 ₡58.0K

$121 CA$171

7.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$648 ₡290.6K

$1,592 CA$2,251

-59.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 ₡246.8K

$1,410 CA$1,994

-60.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 ₡682.3K

$2,670 CA$3,775

-43.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 ₡574.3K

$2,152 CA$3,042

-40.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,945 CA$11.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,542 CA$9,249

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,322 ₡592.9K

$3,727 CA$5,269

-64.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.47

92.84%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Atenas: October 10, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Atenas

$550 35.6%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1% 156% $860

Groceries & Markets

Atenas

$356 23.1%

Toronto

$340 13.3% 4.6% $17

Eating Out

Atenas

$201 13%

Toronto

$278 10.9% 38.2% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Atenas

$182 11.8%

Toronto

$201 7.8% 10.2% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Atenas

$172 11.2%

Toronto

$139 5.4% 19.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Atenas

$64 4.2%

Toronto

$63 2.5% 1.6% $1

Getting Around

Atenas

$19 * 1.3%

Toronto

$129 5.1% 567% $110

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $648 in Atenas versus $1,592 in Toronto. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 182% higher in Toronto, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Atenas versus $76.0 in Toronto. Groceries tell a different story – $356 in Atenas vs $340 in Toronto – so Toronto wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Atenas

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

23:23 11:23 PM

01:23 1:23 AM

2 h ahead of Atenas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

2,731,571

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Atenas Toronto 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Atenas
Toronto

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Atenas vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Toronto is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,319 per month in Atenas and $3,841 in Toronto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Atenas, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Atenas and $76.0 in Toronto. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Toronto – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Atenas, where all-in costs run around $1,546, than in Toronto at $2,561. In Atenas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Atenas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Atenas. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Toronto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.