Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pasadena, CA and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Toronto: $2,561 a month against $4,276 in Pasadena, CA, rent and utilities included – about $20,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

207

Cost of Living Index in Pasadena, CA
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Pasadena, CA Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Pasadena, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,276

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,276 per month in Pasadena, CA vs $2,561 in Toronto, rent included.

Pasadena, CA $4,276
Toronto $2,561

A couple spends around $6,133 per month in Pasadena, CA vs $3,694 in Toronto, rent included.

Pasadena, CA $6,133
Toronto $3,694

A family of three spends $7,990 per month in Pasadena, CA vs $4,826 in Toronto, rent included.

Pasadena, CA $7,990
Toronto $4,826

Pasadena, CA costs about 67% more than Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Pasadena, CA and Toronto sit above the global median – Pasadena, CA by 217%, Toronto by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 $17.89

$17.18 CA$24.29

4.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.4 $76.4

$76.0 CA$107

0.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 $10.11

$10.54 CA$14.89

-4.08%

Cappuccino

$4.61 $4.61

$4.02 CA$5.68

14.68%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$2.12 CA$3.00

33.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.75 CA$2.48

-9.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 $4.95

$6.24 CA$8.83

-20.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 $5.71

$7.09 CA$10.02

-19.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$2.44 CA$3.45

-43.03%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.68 CA$3.78

49.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.24 CA$3.17

30.80%

Eggs

$5.22 $5.22

$3.56 CA$5.03

46.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.74 $13.74

$9.09 CA$12.85

51.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 $13.94

$11.33 CA$16.01

23.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.58 $12.58

$14.53 CA$20.55

-13.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$3.62 CA$5.12

27.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.21 CA$1.72

85.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.60 CA$5.09

26.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.13 $6.13

$4.21 CA$5.96

45.61%

Potato (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$1.79 CA$2.53

159.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.59 CA$2.25

50.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.27 CA$3.21

-18.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.25 CA$1.77

77.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.64 $11.64

$13.82 CA$19.53

-15.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 $10.96

$14.27 CA$20.18

-23.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$2.20 CA$3.10

-27.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$2.43 CA$3.44

-21.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.39 CA$3.38

-26.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 $103

$111 CA$157

-7.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.91 CA$4.12

21.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.20 CA$1.69

57.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.02 $24.02

$21.38 CA$30.23

12.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.21 CA$1.71

30.58%

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

$33.4K $33.4K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

18.53%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$20.3K CA$28.6K

26.03%

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

$248 $248

$120 CA$170

106.37%

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

$59.1 $59.1

$32.26 CA$45.60

83.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.4 $64.4

$47.93 CA$67.8

34.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.90 $34.90

$38.48 CA$54.4

-9.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.33 $35.33

$22.96 CA$32.46

53.88%

Cinema Ticket

$12.21 $12.21

$12.38 CA$17.50

-1.37%

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

$3,835 $3,835

$830 CA$1,173

362.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K $15.2K

$23.1K CA$32.6K

-34.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.04 $31.04

$50.7 CA$71.7

-38.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.98 $33.98

$40.02 CA$56.6

-15.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 $71.2

$98.0 CA$139

-27.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 $142

$121 CA$171

17.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,169 $3,169

$1,592 CA$2,251

99.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,907 $2,907

$1,410 CA$1,994

106.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,545 $5,545

$2,670 CA$3,775

107.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,978 $4,978

$2,152 CA$3,042

131.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,747 $8,747

$7,945 CA$11.2K

10.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,647 $8,647

$6,542 CA$9,249

32.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,199 $5,199

$3,727 CA$5,269

39.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.33

4.47

41.61%

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

Last update for Pasadena, CA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pasadena, CA

$2.9K 68%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1% 51.5% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Pasadena, CA

$407 9.5%

Toronto

$340 13.3% 16.5% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pasadena, CA

$372 8.7%

Toronto

$201 7.8% 46.1% $171

Eating Out

Pasadena, CA

$282 6.6%

Toronto

$278 10.9% 1.5% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Pasadena, CA

$125 2.9%

Toronto

$139 5.4% 11.3% $14

Getting Around

Pasadena, CA

$123 2.9%

Toronto

$129 5.1% 5.4% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Pasadena, CA

$59 1.4%

Toronto

$63 2.5% 6.6% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,169 in Pasadena, CA 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 40% higher in Pasadena, CA, 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 $76.0 in Pasadena, CA versus $76.0 in Toronto. Groceries tell a different story – $407 in Pasadena, CA vs $340 in Toronto – so Toronto wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Pasadena, CA

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

06:52 6:52 AM

09:52 9:52 AM

3 h ahead of Pasadena, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

137,122

2,731,571

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 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 →

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Between locations

Pasadena, CA Toronto 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Pasadena, CA
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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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $4,276 in Pasadena, CA, $2,561 in Toronto – roughly 67% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,414 per month in Pasadena, CA 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 Toronto, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,276 in Pasadena, CA and $2,561 in Toronto. That's a gap of about 67%.

Public transport costs about 8% less in Toronto. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,276 in Pasadena, CA and $2,561 in Toronto. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Pasadena, CA has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,561 in Toronto to $4,276 in Pasadena, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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