Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Francisco, CA and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Toronto: $2,530 a month against $4,319 in San Francisco, CA, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

211

Cost of Living Index in San Francisco, CA
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San Francisco, CA Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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San Francisco, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,319

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,319 per month in San Francisco, CA vs $2,530 in Toronto, rent included.

San Francisco, CA $4,319
Toronto $2,530

A couple spends around $6,503 per month in San Francisco, CA vs $3,646 in Toronto, rent included.

San Francisco, CA $6,503
Toronto $3,646

A family of three spends $8,686 per month in San Francisco, CA vs $4,761 in Toronto, rent included.

San Francisco, CA $8,686
Toronto $4,761

San Francisco, CA costs about 71% more than Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Francisco, CA and Toronto sit above the global median – San Francisco, CA by 222%, Toronto by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.68 $26.68

$17.67 CA$25.13

50.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$77.4 CA$110

55.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.77 $14.77

$10.47 CA$14.90

41.07%

Cappuccino

$6.03 $6.03

$4.08 CA$5.80

47.79%

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

$3.24 $3.24

$2.12 CA$3.01

52.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.76 CA$2.50

50.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.14 $8.14

$6.17 CA$8.78

31.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.26 $9.26

$6.89 CA$9.80

34.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 $1.73

$2.43 CA$3.46

-28.81%

White Bread (500g)

$5.29 $5.29

$2.75 CA$3.91

92.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.23 CA$3.17

113.00%

Eggs

$5.03 $5.03

$3.45 CA$4.90

45.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.16 $16.16

$8.93 CA$12.71

80.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.66 $15.66

$11.44 CA$16.27

36.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.18 $22.18

$14.61 CA$20.78

51.81%

Apples (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$3.75 CA$5.33

62.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.15 CA$1.63

147.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$3.55 CA$5.05

21.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.97 $6.97

$4.28 CA$6.09

62.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.85 CA$2.62

57.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.67 CA$2.37

114.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.22 CA$3.15

31.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.21 CA$1.72

126.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.17 $12.17

$13.88 CA$19.74

-12.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.73 $14.73

$14.25 CA$20.27

3.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.20 CA$3.12

47.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.42 CA$3.44

50.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.42 CA$3.44

22.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.4 $93.4

$111 CA$158

-15.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.90 CA$4.12

42.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.26 CA$1.79

57.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.24 $38.24

$22.03 CA$31.33

73.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.22 CA$1.74

27.87%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$27.6K CA$39.3K

34.08%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$19.8K CA$28.2K

30.81%

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

$213 $213

$122 CA$173

74.57%

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

$60.9 $60.9

$32.03 CA$45.56

90.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.0 $75.0

$47.92 CA$68.2

56.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$38.90 CA$55.3

207.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.14 $20.14

$23.24 CA$33.05

-13.34%

Cinema Ticket

$18.28 $18.28

$12.61 CA$17.94

44.96%

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

$2,918 $2,918

$834 CA$1,186

249.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.2K $42.2K

$23.3K CA$33.2K

80.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.5 $77.5

$52.6 CA$74.8

47.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.59 $47.59

$40.26 CA$57.3

18.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$96.2 CA$137

4.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$123 CA$175

13.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,807 $3,807

$1,598 CA$2,273

138.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,579 $2,579

$1,435 CA$2,041

79.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,674 $5,674

$2,657 CA$3,779

113.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,552 $4,552

$2,096 CA$2,981

117.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,816 $9,816

$8,033 CA$11.4K

22.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$6,557 CA$9,327

16.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,881 $6,881

$3,743 CA$5,324

83.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.76

4.47

51.23%

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

Last update for San Francisco, CA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Francisco, CA

$2.6K 60%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4% 44.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

San Francisco, CA

$516 12%

Toronto

$340 13.1% 34.1% $176

Eating Out

San Francisco, CA

$413 9.6%

Toronto

$282 10.9% 31.7% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Francisco, CA

$349 8.1%

Toronto

$202 7.8% 42.1% $147

Clothing & Footwear

San Francisco, CA

$164 3.8%

Toronto

$140 5.4% 14.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

San Francisco, CA

$156 3.6%

Toronto

$64 2.5% 58.9% $92

Getting Around

San Francisco, CA

$119 2.8%

Toronto

$130 5% 8.7% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,807 in San Francisco, CA 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 84% higher in San Francisco, 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 $120 in San Francisco, CA versus $77.0 in Toronto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $516 vs $340 – making Toronto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Francisco, CA

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

02:41 2:41 AM

05:41 5:41 AM

3 h ahead of San Francisco, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

873,965

2,731,571

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

San Francisco, CA Toronto 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Francisco, 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

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

Yes – San Francisco, CA is pricier by about 71%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,479 per month in San Francisco, CA 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 Toronto, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in San Francisco, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $120 in San Francisco, CA and $77.0 in Toronto. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,319 in San Francisco, CA and $2,530 in Toronto. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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