Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Recife and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Recife: $909 a month against $2,530 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Recife
Learn more

Recife Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
Learn more

Toronto Living Index

Jump to prices

Recife

🇧🇷 Brazil

$909

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $909 per month in Recife vs $2,530 in Toronto, rent included.

Recife $909
Toronto $2,530

A couple spends around $1,492 per month in Recife vs $3,646 in Toronto, rent included.

Recife $1,492
Toronto $3,646

A family of three spends $2,075 per month in Recife vs $4,761 in Toronto, rent included.

Recife $2,075
Toronto $4,761

Recife is about 64% cheaper than Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Recife sits 32% below the global median, while Toronto is 89% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.63 R$28.11

$17.67 CA$25.19

-68.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.54 R$187

$77.4 CA$110

-51.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.83 R$49.07

$10.47 CA$14.93

-6.11%

Cappuccino

$2.58 R$12.87

$4.08 CA$5.81

-36.76%

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

$1.05 R$5.25

$2.12 CA$3.02

-50.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 R$3.23

$1.76 CA$2.51

-63.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.56 R$7.80

$6.17 CA$8.80

-74.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 R$15.63

$6.89 CA$9.82

-54.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 R$6.90

$2.43 CA$3.46

-43.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 R$8.04

$2.75 CA$3.92

-41.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 R$7.93

$2.23 CA$3.18

-28.70%

Eggs

$1.89 R$9.43

$3.45 CA$4.91

-45.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.46 R$37.22

$8.93 CA$12.73

-16.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.52 R$22.58

$11.44 CA$16.31

-60.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.17 R$40.77

$14.61 CA$20.83

-44.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.80

$3.75 CA$5.34

-63.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.78

$1.15 CA$1.64

18.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.76 R$3.80

$3.55 CA$5.06

-78.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.40

$4.28 CA$6.10

-70.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.05

$1.85 CA$2.63

-23.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.56

$1.67 CA$2.38

-33.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 R$2.60

$2.22 CA$3.16

-76.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 R$4.51

$1.21 CA$1.72

-25.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.77 R$8.86

$13.88 CA$19.78

-87.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 R$39.36

$14.25 CA$20.31

-44.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 R$5.86

$2.20 CA$3.13

-46.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 R$7.67

$2.42 CA$3.45

-36.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 R$4.09

$2.42 CA$3.44

-66.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.85 R$189

$111 CA$158

-65.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 R$6.02

$2.90 CA$4.13

-58.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$3.90

$1.26 CA$1.80

-38.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 R$17.56

$22.03 CA$31.40

-84.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 R$6.81

$1.22 CA$1.74

11.48%

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

$24.1K R$120.2K

$27.6K CA$39.4K

-12.87%

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

$32.8K R$163.7K

$19.8K CA$28.3K

65.44%

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

$114 R$570

$122 CA$174

-6.36%

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

$13.46 R$67.2

$32.03 CA$45.66

-57.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.75 R$88.6

$47.92 CA$68.3

-62.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.55 R$108

$38.90 CA$55.5

-44.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.89 R$174

$23.24 CA$33.12

50.13%

Cinema Ticket

$8.62 R$43.02

$12.61 CA$17.97

-31.64%

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

$283 R$1,414

$834 CA$1,189

-66.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K R$58.6K

$23.3K CA$33.3K

-49.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.60 R$228

$52.6 CA$75.0

-13.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 R$254

$40.26 CA$57.4

26.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 R$384

$96.2 CA$137

-20.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.2 R$415

$123 CA$175

-32.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$516 R$2,574

$1,598 CA$2,278

-67.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$260 R$1,296

$1,435 CA$2,045

-81.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$883 R$4,406

$2,657 CA$3,787

-66.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 R$3,095

$2,096 CA$2,988

-70.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,958 R$9,776

$8,033 CA$11.5K

-75.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,091 R$5,445

$6,557 CA$9,347

-83.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$434 R$2,167

$3,743 CA$5,335

-88.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.75

4.47

162.86%

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

Last update for Recife: October 4, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Recife

$260 28.4%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4% 453% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Recife

$182 19.9%

Toronto

$340 13.1% 87.1% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Recife

$145 15.9%

Toronto

$202 7.8% 38.9% $57

Eating Out

Recife

$126 13.8%

Toronto

$282 10.9% 123% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Recife

$115 12.6%

Toronto

$140 5.4% 21.7% $25

Getting Around

Recife

$46 5.1%

Toronto

$130 5% 180% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Recife

$39 4.3%

Toronto

$64 2.5% 65.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $516 in Recife versus $1,598 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 762% 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 $38.00 in Recife versus $77.0 in Toronto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $182 vs $340 – making Recife the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Recife

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

00:49 12:49 AM

23:49 11:49 PM

1 h behind Recife

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,488,920

2,731,571

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Recife Toronto 7,290 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Recife
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

Recife vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto costs about 178% more than Recife, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,363 per month in Recife and $3,795 in Toronto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $283 per month in Recife and $834 in Toronto. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 87% more in Toronto, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Recife, where all-in costs run around $909, than in Toronto at $2,530. In Recife it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Recife costs $909 versus $2,530 in Toronto. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Recife. 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.