Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $1,684 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
Learn more

Toronto Living Index

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San Juan

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,684

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,684 in San Juan versus $2,561 in Toronto.

San Juan $1,684
Toronto $2,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,772 in San Juan versus $3,694 in Toronto.

San Juan $2,772
Toronto $3,694

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,861 in San Juan versus $4,826 in Toronto.

San Juan $3,861
Toronto $4,826

Living in San Juan costs roughly 34% less than in Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Juan 25% above, Toronto 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,541

$17.18 CA$24.29

-28.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$76.0 CA$107

-19.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.46 ₡5,139

$10.54 CA$14.89

8.73%

Cappuccino

$4.42 ₡1,982

$4.02 CA$5.68

9.95%

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

$2.77 ₡1,240

$2.12 CA$3.00

30.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡870

$1.75 CA$2.48

10.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 ₡1,483

$6.24 CA$8.83

-46.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 ₡1,996

$7.09 CA$10.02

-37.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 ₡1,052

$2.44 CA$3.45

-4.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 ₡1,425

$2.68 CA$3.78

18.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.24 CA$3.17

12.05%

Eggs

$3.46 ₡1,551

$3.56 CA$5.03

-2.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.66 ₡4,782

$9.09 CA$12.85

17.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 ₡4,633

$11.33 CA$16.01

-8.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 ₡6,233

$14.53 CA$20.55

-4.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 ₡2,230

$3.62 CA$5.12

37.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡714

$1.21 CA$1.72

31.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 ₡2,079

$3.60 CA$5.09

28.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,771

$4.21 CA$5.96

-6.18%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,731

$1.79 CA$2.53

115.64%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,684

$1.59 CA$2.25

135.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡479

$2.27 CA$3.21

-52.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 ₡1,379

$1.25 CA$1.77

146.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,691

$13.82 CA$19.53

-56.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.72 ₡8,844

$14.27 CA$20.18

38.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₡1,236

$2.20 CA$3.10

25.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ₡1,654

$2.43 CA$3.44

51.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ₡614

$2.39 CA$3.38

-42.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$157

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.41 ₡1,079

$2.91 CA$4.12

-17.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡693

$1.20 CA$1.69

28.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.58 ₡3,849

$21.38 CA$30.23

-59.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡695

$1.21 CA$1.71

28.10%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-23.21%

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

$34.9K ₡15.6M

$20.3K CA$28.6K

72.13%

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

$96.4 ₡43.2K

$120 CA$170

-19.93%

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

$35.06 ₡15.7K

$32.26 CA$45.60

8.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.3 ₡26.6K

$47.93 CA$67.8

23.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.9 ₡30.0K

$38.48 CA$54.4

73.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 CA$32.46

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ₡3,362

$12.38 CA$17.50

-39.42%

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

$1,001 ₡449.1K

$830 CA$1,173

20.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$23.1K CA$32.6K

-27.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 ₡31.8K

$50.7 CA$71.7

39.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 ₡24.8K

$40.02 CA$56.6

38.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 ₡56.6K

$98.0 CA$139

28.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.2K

$121 CA$171

11.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₡321.3K

$1,592 CA$2,251

-55.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 ₡266.1K

$1,410 CA$1,994

-57.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,850 ₡829.6K

$2,670 CA$3,775

-30.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 ₡621.4K

$2,152 CA$3,042

-35.60%

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)

$3,727 CA$5,269

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.47

92.84%

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

Last update for San Juan: October 13, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$593 35.2%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1% 138% $817

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$398 23.6%

Toronto

$340 13.3% 14.6% $58

Eating Out

San Juan

$231 13.7%

Toronto

$278 10.9% 20.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$191 11.3%

Toronto

$201 7.8% 5.1% $9.8

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$174 10.3%

Toronto

$139 5.4% 20% $35

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$82 4.9%

Toronto

$63 2.5% 22.8% $19

Getting Around

San Juan

$16 * 0.9%

Toronto

$129 5.1% 729% $114

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 $717 in San Juan and $1,592 in Toronto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in San Juan vs $76.0 in Toronto. Groceries flip the comparison at $398 vs $340, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Juan

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

10:02 10:02 AM

2 h ahead of San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,000

2,731,571

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Juan Toronto 3,770 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Juan
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

San Juan vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan and Toronto differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($1,684 vs $2,561 including rent). San Juan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,526 in San Juan and $3,841 in Toronto to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $717 in San Juan versus $1,592 in Toronto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,001 in San Juan 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 San Juan – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $76.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,684 in San Juan versus $2,561 in Toronto, a $3,000 budget is realistic in San Juan but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes San Juan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, San Juan 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 San Juan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.