Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brea, CA and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Toronto: $2,610 a month against $3,716 in Brea, CA, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

180

Cost of Living Index in Brea, CA
Learn more

Brea, CA Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
Learn more

Toronto Living Index

Jump to prices

Brea, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,716

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,610

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brea, CA 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 Brea, CA and in Toronto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,716 in Brea, CA versus $2,610 in Toronto.

Brea, CA $3,716
Toronto $2,610

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,124 in Brea, CA versus $3,727 in Toronto.

Brea, CA $5,124
Toronto $3,727

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,532 in Brea, CA versus $4,844 in Toronto.

Brea, CA $6,532
Toronto $4,844

Living in Brea, CA is roughly 42% more expensive than in Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brea, CA 174% above, Toronto 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.18 $25.18

$17.59 CA$24.87

43.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 $78.5

$78.8 CA$111

-0.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 $12.18

$10.73 CA$15.16

13.51%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$4.09 CA$5.78

36.67%

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

$2.69 $2.69

$2.10 CA$2.97

28.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.72 CA$2.43

15.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.34 $7.34

$6.36 CA$8.99

15.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.46 $9.46

$7.08 CA$10.01

33.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$2.54 CA$3.59

-53.54%

White Bread (500g)

$5.29 $5.29

$2.72 CA$3.85

94.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.18 CA$3.09

102.29%

Eggs

$4.86 $4.86

$3.63 CA$5.13

33.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.38 $15.38

$9.46 CA$13.37

62.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.87 $8.87

$11.54 CA$16.32

-23.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.91 $13.91

$14.37 CA$20.32

-3.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$3.70 CA$5.23

25.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.19 CA$1.68

51.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$3.46 CA$4.90

24.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$4.22 CA$5.97

36.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.79 CA$2.52

101.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.65 CA$2.33

86.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.20 CA$3.11

-2.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.26 CA$1.78

73.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.95 $11.95

$13.97 CA$19.75

-14.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.14 $15.14

$14.20 CA$20.07

6.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.25 CA$3.18

-21.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.53 CA$3.58

26.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 CA$3.28

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 $4.58

$3.06 CA$4.33

49.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.22 CA$1.72

48.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.28 $36.28

$21.69 CA$30.66

67.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.21 CA$1.72

29.75%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$26.1K CA$37.0K

6.29%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$21.1K CA$29.9K

23.18%

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

$218 $218

$120 CA$169

82.09%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$32.21 CA$45.54

119.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$48.88 CA$69.1

41.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.08 $30.08

$39.34 CA$55.6

-23.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.02 $20.02

$23.58 CA$33.34

-15.10%

Cinema Ticket

$19.98 $19.98

$12.58 CA$17.79

58.82%

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

$1,162 $1,162

$832 CA$1,176

39.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.8K $42.8K

$23.6K CA$33.4K

81.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.2 $62.2

$52.3 CA$73.9

19.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.12 $41.12

$39.44 CA$55.8

4.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.9 $80.9

$99.0 CA$140

-18.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$122 CA$172

-14.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 $2,241

$1,631 CA$2,306

37.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,354 $2,354

$1,448 CA$2,048

62.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,133 $3,133

$2,737 CA$3,869

14.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,521 $3,521

$2,129 CA$3,010

65.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,884 $5,884

$8,206 CA$11.6K

-28.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,172 $6,172

$6,838 CA$9,666

-9.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,939 $9,939

$3,520 CA$4,976

182.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

4.47

41.16%

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

Last update for Brea, CA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brea, CA

$2.4K 63.4%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.5% 38.5% $906

Groceries & Markets

Brea, CA

$411 11.1%

Toronto

$343 13.1% 16.7% $69

Eating Out

Brea, CA

$379 10.2%

Toronto

$283 10.9% 25.4% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brea, CA

$358 9.6%

Toronto

$201 7.7% 43.9% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Brea, CA

$130 3.5%

Toronto

$141 5.4% 8.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Brea, CA

$70 1.9%

Toronto

$65 2.5% 7.9% $5.5

Getting Around

Brea, CA

$14 * 0.4%

Toronto

$130 5% 855% $116

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,241 in Brea, CA and $1,631 in Toronto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brea, CA pays 182% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $79.0 in Brea, CA vs $79.0 in Toronto. Groceries flip the comparison at $411 vs $343, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brea, CA

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

14:48 2:48 PM

17:48 5:48 PM

3 h ahead of Brea, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,585

2,731,571

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brea, CA Toronto 3,470 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Brea, CA
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

Brea, CA vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Brea, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Toronto the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 182% higher in Brea, CA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,241 in Brea, CA versus $1,631 in Toronto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,162 in Brea, CA versus $832 in Toronto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Toronto – a meal for two runs $79.0 versus $79.0 in Brea, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Toronto is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Toronto delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,610 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Toronto hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Brea, CA and Toronto are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Toronto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Brea, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.