Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Ana, CA and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Toronto: $2,530 a month against $3,497 in Santa Ana, CA, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

170

Cost of Living Index in Santa Ana, CA
Learn more

Santa Ana, CA Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
Learn more

Toronto Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Ana, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,497

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,497 in Santa Ana, CA versus $2,530 in Toronto.

Santa Ana, CA $3,497
Toronto $2,530

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,006 in Santa Ana, CA versus $3,646 in Toronto.

Santa Ana, CA $5,006
Toronto $3,646

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,515 in Santa Ana, CA versus $4,761 in Toronto.

Santa Ana, CA $6,515
Toronto $4,761

Living in Santa Ana, CA is roughly 38% more expensive than in Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santa Ana, CA 161% above, Toronto 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.22 $23.22

$17.67 CA$25.19

31.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 $79.3

$77.4 CA$110

2.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.25 $16.25

$10.47 CA$14.93

55.21%

Cappuccino

$5.83 $5.83

$4.08 CA$5.82

42.89%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$2.12 CA$3.02

43.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.76 CA$2.51

34.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.33 $7.33

$6.17 CA$8.80

18.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.28 $9.28

$6.89 CA$9.83

34.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$2.43 CA$3.47

-56.38%

White Bread (500g)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.75 CA$3.92

46.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$2.23 CA$3.18

108.07%

Eggs

$5.67 $5.67

$3.45 CA$4.91

64.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 $12.87

$8.93 CA$12.74

44.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.61 $16.61

$11.44 CA$16.31

45.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.30 $21.30

$14.61 CA$20.83

45.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$3.75 CA$5.34

28.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.15 CA$1.64

48.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$3.55 CA$5.06

10.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$4.28 CA$6.11

31.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.63 $3.63

$1.85 CA$2.63

96.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.67 CA$2.38

88.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.22 CA$3.16

-1.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.21 CA$1.72

58.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.93 $11.93

$13.88 CA$19.79

-14.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.29 $15.29

$14.25 CA$20.32

7.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.20 CA$3.13

11.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.42 CA$3.45

67.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.42 CA$3.45

-18.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.2 $68.2

$111 CA$158

-38.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.08 $6.08

$2.90 CA$4.13

109.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.99 $4.99

$1.26 CA$1.80

296.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.09 $49.09

$22.03 CA$31.41

122.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.22 CA$1.74

22.13%

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

$37.7K $37.7K

$27.6K CA$39.4K

36.49%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$19.8K CA$28.3K

35.36%

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

$176 $176

$122 CA$174

44.01%

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

$68.0 $68.0

$32.03 CA$45.67

112.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.7 $73.7

$47.92 CA$68.3

53.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 $57.3

$38.90 CA$55.5

47.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.52 $44.52

$23.24 CA$33.13

91.57%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 $15.38

$12.61 CA$17.98

21.97%

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

$1,187 $1,187

$834 CA$1,189

42.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K CA$33.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 $63.1

$52.6 CA$75.0

19.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.41 $42.41

$40.26 CA$57.4

5.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$96.2 CA$137

8.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 $143

$123 CA$175

16.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 $2,696

$1,598 CA$2,279

68.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,026 $2,026

$1,435 CA$2,046

41.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,207 $3,207

$2,657 CA$3,788

20.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,173 $3,173

$2,096 CA$2,989

51.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,585 $4,585

$8,033 CA$11.5K

-42.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,374 $4,374

$6,557 CA$9,350

-33.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,154 $3,154

$3,743 CA$5,337

-15.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

4.47

42.95%

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

Last update for Santa Ana, CA: October 4, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Ana, CA

$2K 57.3%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4% 29.2% $591

Groceries & Markets

Santa Ana, CA

$456 12.9%

Toronto

$340 13.1% 25.4% $116

Eating Out

Santa Ana, CA

$381 10.8%

Toronto

$282 10.9% 26.1% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Ana, CA

$317 9%

Toronto

$202 7.8% 36.4% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Ana, CA

$159 4.5%

Toronto

$140 5.4% 11.5% $18

Getting Around

Santa Ana, CA

$107 3%

Toronto

$130 5% 21% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Ana, CA

$88 2.5%

Toronto

$64 2.5% 27.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,696 in Santa Ana, CA and $1,598 in Toronto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $79.0 in Santa Ana, CA vs $77.0 in Toronto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $456 vs $340 per month, with Toronto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Ana, CA

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

21:46 9:46 PM

00:46 12:46 AM

3 h ahead of Santa Ana, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

335,400

2,731,571

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.701 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Ana, CA Toronto 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Ana, CA
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

Santa Ana, CA vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 38% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Toronto. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,696 in Santa Ana, CA versus $1,598 in Toronto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Santa Ana, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Toronto – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $79.0 in Santa Ana, 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.

For families, Toronto is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Santa Ana, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Toronto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Santa Ana, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.