Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough and San Juan

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $2,253 a month against $2,466 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Scarborough outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

121

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,466

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,253

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Scarborough and in San Juan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,466 per month in Scarborough vs $2,253 in San Juan, rent included.

Scarborough $2,466
San Juan $2,253

A couple spends around $3,385 per month in Scarborough vs $3,373 in San Juan, rent included.

Scarborough $3,385
San Juan $3,373

A family of three spends $4,304 per month in Scarborough vs $4,494 in San Juan, rent included.

Scarborough $4,304
San Juan $4,494

Scarborough costs about 9% more than San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Scarborough and San Juan sit above the global median – Scarborough by 83%, San Juan by 67%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.49 CA$23.31

$19.43 $19.43

-15.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.8 CA$97.2

$82.3 $82.3

-16.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$14.93

$9.43 $9.43

11.98%

Cappuccino

$3.87 CA$5.47

$3.56 $3.56

8.71%

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

$2.07 CA$2.92

$1.83 $1.83

13.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$1.45 $1.45

-5.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.82

$3.04 $3.04

105.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 CA$10.01

$5.13 $5.13

38.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.51 CA$3.56

$2.19 $2.19

14.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.78

$3.69 $3.69

-27.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 CA$3.01

$2.36 $2.36

-9.75%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.88

$7.33 $7.33

-52.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.94 CA$12.63

$12.75 $12.75

-29.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.01 CA$15.56

$9.55 $9.55

15.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 CA$17.77

$13.21 $13.21

-4.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 CA$4.56

$5.13 $5.13

-37.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$2.66 $2.66

-54.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 CA$4.79

$5.00 $5.00

-32.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$4.92 $4.92

-18.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 CA$2.33

$3.71 $3.71

-55.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 CA$2.24

$3.90 $3.90

-59.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 CA$3.22

$3.53 $3.53

-35.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$1.61 $1.61

-26.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.74 CA$19.43

$11.78 $11.78

16.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.75 CA$18.03

$15.84 $15.84

-19.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 CA$2.99

$3.07 $3.07

-31.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 CA$3.55

$4.10 $4.10

-38.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 CA$3.32

$0.71 $0.71

230.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 CA$146

$29.97 $29.97

244.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 CA$4.17

$2.53 $2.53

16.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.79

$1.46 $1.46

-13.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.32 CA$30.14

$42.26 $42.26

-49.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.24 $1.24

-2.42%

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

$27.5K CA$38.8K

$40.3K $40.3K

-31.93%

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

$19.9K CA$28.1K

$27.7K $27.7K

-28.31%

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

$141 CA$199

$327 $327

-57.03%

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

$34.98 CA$49.45

$68.4 $68.4

-48.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.92 CA$67.7

$70.4 $70.4

-31.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.43 CA$50.1

$41.46 $41.46

-14.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.38 CA$50.0

$7.70 $7.70

359.48%

Cinema Ticket

$12.45 CA$17.60

$10.40 $10.40

19.71%

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

$808 CA$1,142

$821 $821

-1.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K CA$14.7K

$12.5K $12.5K

-16.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 CA$72.9

$56.1 $56.1

-8.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.00 CA$55.1

$61.4 $61.4

-36.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.4 CA$119

$109 $109

-22.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$146

$116 $116

-10.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 CA$2,396

$1,802 $1,802

-5.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 CA$1,898

$846 $846

58.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,130 CA$3,011

$2,972 $2,972

-28.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,736 CA$2,454

$1,476 $1,476

17.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,564 CA$10.7K

$7,283 $7,283

3.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,121 CA$8,653

$3,377 $3,377

81.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,908 CA$4,111

$2,704 $2,704

7.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

6.55

-30.53%

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

Last update for Scarborough: October 13, 2026

Last update for San Juan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scarborough

$1.3K 54.4%

San Juan

$846 37.6% 37% $496

Groceries & Markets

Scarborough

$323 13.1%

San Juan

$417 18.5% 29% $94

Eating Out

Scarborough

$269 10.9%

San Juan

$265 11.8% 1.5% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scarborough

$223 9.1%

San Juan

$466 20.7% 109% $242

Clothing & Footwear

Scarborough

$125 5.1%

San Juan

$154 6.8% 23% $29

Getting Around

Scarborough

$122 5%

San Juan

$43 1.9% 65% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Scarborough

$60 2.5%

San Juan

$62 2.8% 3.2% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,695 in Scarborough versus $1,802 in San Juan. 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 8% higher in Scarborough, 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 $69.0 in Scarborough versus $82.0 in San Juan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $417 – making Scarborough the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🇵🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

14:53 2:53 PM

Same time as Scarborough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,960

322,854 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Scarborough
San Juan

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

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

Scarborough costs about 9% more than San Juan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,699 per month in Scarborough and $3,379 in San Juan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $808 per month in Scarborough and $821 in San Juan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 29% cheaper in Scarborough – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,466 in Scarborough and $2,253 in San Juan. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Juan costs $2,253 versus $2,466 in Scarborough. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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