Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan, Puerto Rico and Scarborough, Canada

Name: Scarborough
Address: Scarborough, CA

For one person, living costs are similar in San Juan and in Scarborough: $2,500 and $2,561 a month, rent and utilities included.

121

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
Learn more

San Juan Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
Learn more

Scarborough Living Index

Jump to prices

San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,500

/mo nomad

Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Juan and in Scarborough

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 Scarborough actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,500 per month in San Juan vs $2,561 in Scarborough, rent included.

San Juan $2,500
Scarborough $2,561

A couple spends around $3,548 per month in San Juan vs $3,474 in Scarborough, rent included.

San Juan $3,548
Scarborough $3,474

A family of three spends $4,596 per month in San Juan vs $4,388 in Scarborough, rent included.

San Juan $4,596
Scarborough $4,388

San Juan and Scarborough have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both San Juan and Scarborough sit above the global median – San Juan by 84%, Scarborough by 88%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.78 $18.78

$17.32 CA$24.20

8.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 $81.9

$70.3 CA$98.3

16.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 $9.23

$10.89 CA$15.21

-15.24%

Cappuccino

$3.57 $3.57

$3.99 CA$5.57

-10.53%

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

$1.83 $1.83

$2.03 CA$2.84

-9.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.47 CA$2.05

2.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 $2.92

$6.55 CA$9.15

-55.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 $4.90

$7.29 CA$10.18

-32.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.51 CA$3.51

-13.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.66 $3.66

$2.63 CA$3.68

39.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.28 CA$3.18

7.46%

Eggs

$7.30 $7.30

$3.64 CA$5.09

100.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.39 $12.39

$9.14 CA$12.77

35.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.70 $9.70

$11.44 CA$15.98

-15.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.35 $13.35

$12.96 CA$18.11

3.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$3.43 CA$4.79

44.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.21 CA$1.69

119.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$3.34 CA$4.67

47.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$4.17 CA$5.82

14.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.69 CA$2.37

118.34%

Onion (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$1.68 CA$2.35

129.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.20 CA$3.08

56.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.26 CA$1.76

30.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.76 $11.76

$14.00 CA$19.56

-16.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.36 $15.36

$12.58 CA$17.58

22.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.19 CA$3.06

43.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.55 CA$3.57

54.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 $0.78

$2.40 CA$3.35

-67.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.28 $30.28

$105 CA$147

-71.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$3.06 CA$4.28

-20.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.28 CA$1.79

20.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.10 $42.10

$22.52 CA$31.46

86.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.25 CA$1.75

-5.60%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$26.1K CA$36.5K

33.05%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$21.7K CA$30.4K

29.00%

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

$320 $320

$137 CA$192

132.89%

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

$68.3 $68.3

$35.21 CA$49.20

94.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$48.56 CA$67.8

46.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.05 $41.05

$35.87 CA$50.1

14.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.39 $7.39

$35.96 CA$50.2

-79.45%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 $10.43

$12.95 CA$18.10

-19.46%

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

$836 $836

$749 CA$1,047

11.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K $12.5K

$10.8K CA$15.1K

15.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 $57.3

$53.4 CA$74.6

7.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.6 $61.6

$40.94 CA$57.2

50.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$85.1 CA$119

28.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$105 CA$147

9.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,934 $1,934

$1,744 CA$2,437

10.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 $1,109

$1,415 CA$1,977

-21.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,515 $3,515

$2,122 CA$2,965

65.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,606 $1,606

$1,758 CA$2,456

-8.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,447 $7,447

$7,770 CA$10.9K

-4.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,654 $4,654

$6,085 CA$8,501

-23.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,719 $2,719

$2,980 CA$4,163

-8.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

4.55

43.96%

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

Last update for San Juan: October 24, 2026

Last update for Scarborough: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$1.1K 44.4%

Scarborough

$1.4K 55.3% 27.6% $306

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$459 18.4%

Scarborough

$221 8.6% 51.9% $238

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$414 16.6%

Scarborough

$331 12.9% 20.1% $83

Eating Out

San Juan

$258 10.3%

Scarborough

$280 11% 8.5% $22

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$154 6.2%

Scarborough

$128 5% 17.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$62 2.5%

Scarborough

$62 2.4% 0.2% $0.1

Getting Around

San Juan

$44 1.7%

Scarborough

$124 4.8% 185% $80

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,934 in San Juan versus $1,744 in Scarborough. 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 10% higher in Scarborough. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82 in San Juan versus $70 in Scarborough. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $414 vs $331 – making Scarborough the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 San Juan

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🕒 Local time

10:35 10:35 AM

09:35 9:35 AM

1 h behind San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,854 Capital

29,960

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan Scarborough 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

San Juan
Scarborough

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 Scarborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,751 per month in San Juan and $3,841 in Scarborough. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Scarborough, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,744 there versus $1,934 in San Juan.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82 in San Juan and $70 in Scarborough. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 71% less in San Juan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,500 in San Juan and $2,561 in Scarborough. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. San Juan has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,500 in San Juan to $2,561 in Scarborough. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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