Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Redwood City, CA and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Toronto: $2,561 a month against $4,197 in Redwood City, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

203

Cost of Living Index in Redwood City, CA
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Redwood City, CA Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Redwood City, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,197

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,197 in Redwood City, CA versus $2,561 in Toronto.

Redwood City, CA $4,197
Toronto $2,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,241 in Redwood City, CA versus $3,694 in Toronto.

Redwood City, CA $6,241
Toronto $3,694

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,286 in Redwood City, CA versus $4,826 in Toronto.

Redwood City, CA $8,286
Toronto $4,826

Living in Redwood City, CA is roughly 64% more expensive than in Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Redwood City, CA 211% above, Toronto 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.04 $25.04

$17.18 CA$24.29

45.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 $110

$76.0 CA$107

44.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.44 $13.44

$10.54 CA$14.89

27.51%

Cappuccino

$5.64 $5.64

$4.02 CA$5.68

40.30%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$2.12 CA$3.00

52.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.75 CA$2.48

51.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.20 $8.20

$6.24 CA$8.83

31.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.87 $8.87

$7.09 CA$10.02

25.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.44 CA$3.45

-37.30%

White Bread (500g)

$5.37 $5.37

$2.68 CA$3.78

100.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$2.24 CA$3.17

116.96%

Eggs

$7.74 $7.74

$3.56 CA$5.03

117.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.07 $15.07

$9.09 CA$12.85

65.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 $10.63

$11.33 CA$16.01

-6.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.61 $19.61

$14.53 CA$20.55

34.96%

Apples (1kg)

$6.25 $6.25

$3.62 CA$5.12

72.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.21 CA$1.72

135.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$3.60 CA$5.09

24.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$4.21 CA$5.96

47.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.79 CA$2.53

67.04%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$1.59 CA$2.25

129.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.27 CA$3.21

22.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.25 CA$1.77

109.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.85 $11.85

$13.82 CA$19.53

-14.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.28 $20.28

$14.27 CA$20.18

42.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.20 CA$3.10

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.43 CA$3.44

40.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.39 CA$3.38

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$157

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.25 $4.25

$2.91 CA$4.12

46.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.20 CA$1.69

0.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.38 $38.38

$21.38 CA$30.23

79.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.21 CA$1.71

29.75%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

32.80%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$20.3K CA$28.6K

31.00%

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

$237 $237

$120 CA$170

97.06%

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

$53.7 $53.7

$32.26 CA$45.60

66.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.5 $69.5

$47.93 CA$67.8

45.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$239 $239

$38.48 CA$54.4

521.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.93 $29.93

$22.96 CA$32.46

30.36%

Cinema Ticket

$17.91 $17.91

$12.38 CA$17.50

44.67%

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

$2,907 $2,907

$830 CA$1,173

250.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.0K $43.0K

$23.1K CA$32.6K

86.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.86 $45.86

$50.7 CA$71.7

-9.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.04 $25.04

$40.02 CA$56.6

-37.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 $98.8

$98.0 CA$139

0.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$121 CA$171

-5.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,248 $4,248

$1,592 CA$2,251

166.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,521 $2,521

$1,410 CA$1,994

78.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,692 $5,692

$2,670 CA$3,775

113.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,469 $4,469

$2,152 CA$3,042

107.70%

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)

$8,008 $8,008

$3,727 CA$5,269

114.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

4.47

52.57%

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

Last update for Redwood City, CA: 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

Redwood City, CA

$2.5K 60.1%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1% 44.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Redwood City, CA

$493 11.8%

Toronto

$340 13.3% 31.1% $154

Eating Out

Redwood City, CA

$390 9.3%

Toronto

$278 10.9% 28.8% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Redwood City, CA

$360 8.6%

Toronto

$201 7.8% 44.4% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Redwood City, CA

$275 6.6%

Toronto

$63 2.5% 77% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Redwood City, CA

$128 3%

Toronto

$139 5.4% 9.1% $12

Getting Around

Redwood City, CA

$29 * 0.7%

Toronto

$129 5.1% 340% $100

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 $4,248 in Redwood City, CA and $1,592 in Toronto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Redwood City, CA pays 115% 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: $110 in Redwood City, CA vs $76.0 in Toronto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $493 vs $340 per month, with Toronto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Redwood City, CA

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

11:06 11:06 AM

3 h ahead of Redwood City, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,314

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Redwood City, CA Toronto 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

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

Redwood City, CA and Toronto differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($4,197 vs $2,561 including rent). Toronto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 115% higher in Redwood City, 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: $4,248 in Redwood City, CA versus $1,592 in Toronto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,907 in Redwood City, CA versus $830 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 $76.0 versus $110 in Redwood City, 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 cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Toronto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Redwood City, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.