Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Rafael and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in San Rafael: $1,732 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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San Rafael

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,732

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,732 per month in San Rafael vs $2,561 in Toronto, rent included.

San Rafael $1,732
Toronto $2,561

A couple spends around $2,736 per month in San Rafael vs $3,694 in Toronto, rent included.

San Rafael $2,736
Toronto $3,694

A family of three spends $3,739 per month in San Rafael vs $4,826 in Toronto, rent included.

San Rafael $3,739
Toronto $4,826

San Rafael is about 32% cheaper than Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Rafael and Toronto sit above the global median – San Rafael by 28%, Toronto by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.25 ₡5,496

$17.18 CA$24.29

-28.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 ₡27.7K

$76.0 CA$107

-18.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 ₡5,119

$10.54 CA$14.89

8.35%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,973

$4.02 CA$5.68

9.45%

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

$2.73 ₡1,225

$2.12 CA$3.00

28.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₡841

$1.75 CA$2.48

6.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 ₡1,510

$6.24 CA$8.83

-45.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,038

$7.09 CA$10.02

-35.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 ₡1,044

$2.44 CA$3.45

-4.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,352

$2.68 CA$3.78

12.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,084

$2.24 CA$3.17

8.04%

Eggs

$3.52 ₡1,580

$3.56 CA$5.03

-1.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 ₡4,712

$9.09 CA$12.85

15.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 ₡4,597

$11.33 CA$16.01

-9.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.22 ₡6,378

$14.53 CA$20.55

-2.13%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 ₡2,282

$3.62 CA$5.12

40.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡704

$1.21 CA$1.72

29.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 ₡2,098

$3.60 CA$5.09

30.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,730

$4.21 CA$5.96

-8.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 ₡1,741

$1.79 CA$2.53

116.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,653

$1.59 CA$2.25

132.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$2.27 CA$3.21

-51.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₡1,403

$1.25 CA$1.77

150.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 ₡2,739

$13.82 CA$19.53

-55.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.14 ₡9,031

$14.27 CA$20.18

41.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,254

$2.20 CA$3.10

27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 ₡1,606

$2.43 CA$3.44

47.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 ₡527

$2.39 CA$3.38

-50.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$157

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 ₡1,124

$2.91 CA$4.12

-13.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.20 CA$1.69

30.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.48 ₡3,803

$21.38 CA$30.23

-60.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 ₡692

$1.21 CA$1.71

27.27%

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

$22.3K ₡10.0M

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-20.77%

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

$35.5K ₡15.9M

$20.3K CA$28.6K

75.43%

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

$93.5 ₡41.9K

$120 CA$170

-22.33%

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

$36.26 ₡16.3K

$32.26 CA$45.60

12.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.4 ₡26.2K

$47.93 CA$67.8

21.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 ₡28.3K

$38.48 CA$54.4

63.75%

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)

$991 ₡444.6K

$830 CA$1,173

19.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ₡7.5M

$23.1K CA$32.6K

-27.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$50.7 CA$71.7

38.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.6 ₡25.0K

$40.02 CA$56.6

39.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.0K

$98.0 CA$139

31.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.5K

$121 CA$171

9.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 ₡332.0K

$1,592 CA$2,251

-53.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$649 ₡291.2K

$1,410 CA$1,994

-53.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,069 ₡927.9K

$2,670 CA$3,775

-22.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 ₡571.5K

$2,152 CA$3,042

-40.77%

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 Rafael: October 11, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Rafael

$649 37.5%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1% 117% $761

Groceries & Markets

San Rafael

$398 23%

Toronto

$340 13.3% 14.6% $58

Eating Out

San Rafael

$229 13.2%

Toronto

$278 10.9% 21.2% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Rafael

$188 10.9%

Toronto

$201 7.8% 6.6% $12

Clothing & Footwear

San Rafael

$175 10.1%

Toronto

$139 5.4% 20.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

San Rafael

$78 4.5%

Toronto

$63 2.5% 18.9% $15

Getting Around

San Rafael

$15 * 0.9%

Toronto

$129 5.1% 760% $114

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $740 in San Rafael versus $1,592 in Toronto. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in San Rafael versus $76.0 in Toronto. Groceries tell a different story – $398 in San Rafael vs $340 in Toronto – so Toronto wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Rafael

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

08:29 8:29 AM

2 h ahead of San Rafael

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,000

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 Rafael Toronto 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,732 in San Rafael, $2,561 in Toronto – roughly 48% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,599 per month in San Rafael and $3,841 in Toronto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in San Rafael and $76.0 in Toronto. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Toronto – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in San Rafael, where all-in costs run around $1,732, than in Toronto at $2,561. In San Rafael it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Rafael – 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 San Rafael. 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.