Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surprise, AZ and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Surprise, AZ: $1,305 a month against $2,530 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Surprise, AZ
🇺🇸 United States
$1,305
/mo nomad
Toronto
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,530
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,305 in Surprise, AZ versus $2,530 in Toronto.

  • Surprise, AZ $1,305
  • Toronto $2,530

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,606 in Surprise, AZ versus $3,646 in Toronto.

  • Surprise, AZ $3,606
  • Toronto $3,646

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,906 in Surprise, AZ versus $4,761 in Toronto.

  • Surprise, AZ $5,906
  • Toronto $4,761

Living in Surprise, AZ costs roughly 48% less than in Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Surprise, AZ is 3% below, Toronto is 89% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Surprise, AZ
Toronto
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.25 $20.25
$17.67 CA$25.19
14.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.2 $84.2
$77.4 CA$110
8.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.84 $12.84
$10.47 CA$14.93
22.64%
Cappuccino
$6.01 $6.01
$4.08 CA$5.82
47.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.65 $2.65
$2.12 CA$3.02
25.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.46 $2.46
$1.76 CA$2.51
39.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.20 $7.20
$6.17 CA$8.80
16.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.13 $8.13
$6.89 CA$9.83
18.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Surprise, AZ
Toronto
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.00 $1.00
$2.43 CA$3.47
-58.85%
White Bread (500g)
$3.52 $3.52
$2.75 CA$3.92
28.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.19 $5.19
$2.23 CA$3.18
132.74%
Eggs
$4.73 $4.73
$3.45 CA$4.91
37.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.40 $13.40
$8.93 CA$12.74
50.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.30 $11.30
$11.44 CA$16.31
-1.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.80 $14.80
$14.61 CA$20.83
1.30%
Apples (1kg)
$4.61 $4.61
$3.75 CA$5.34
22.93%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 $1.94
$1.15 CA$1.64
68.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.88 $3.88
$3.55 CA$5.06
9.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.21 $4.21
$4.28 CA$6.11
-1.64%
Potato (1kg)
$2.55 $2.55
$1.85 CA$2.63
37.84%
Onion (1kg)
$2.88 $2.88
$1.67 CA$2.38
72.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.13 $2.13
$2.22 CA$3.16
-4.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.17 $2.17
$1.21 CA$1.72
79.34%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.66 $10.66
$13.88 CA$19.79
-23.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.77 $13.77
$14.25 CA$20.32
-3.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.51 $2.51
$2.20 CA$3.13
14.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.19 $3.19
$2.42 CA$3.45
31.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Surprise, AZ
Toronto
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$2.42 CA$3.45
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$111 CA$158
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.80 $2.80
$2.90 CA$4.13
-3.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.40 $1.40
$1.26 CA$1.80
11.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.29 $35.29
$22.03 CA$31.41
60.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 $1.13
$1.22 CA$1.74
-7.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.7K $36.7K
$27.6K CA$39.4K
32.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.3K $25.3K
$19.8K CA$28.3K
27.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Surprise, AZ
Toronto
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$197 $197
$122 CA$174
61.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$62.6 $62.6
$32.03 CA$45.67
95.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$73.8 $73.8
$47.92 CA$68.3
53.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Surprise, AZ
Toronto
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.8 $60.8
$38.90 CA$55.5
56.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$23.24 CA$33.13
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.16 $13.16
$12.61 CA$17.98
4.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Surprise, AZ
Toronto
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,090 $1,090
$834 CA$1,189
30.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.6K $15.6K
$23.3K CA$33.3K
-33.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Surprise, AZ
Toronto
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.0 $56.0
$52.6 CA$75.0
6.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.17 $44.17
$40.26 CA$57.4
9.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.9 $99.9
$96.2 CA$137
3.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 $115
$123 CA$175
-6.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Surprise, AZ
Toronto
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,598 CA$2,279
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,435 CA$2,046
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,116 $2,116
$2,657 CA$3,788
-20.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,030 $3,030
$2,096 CA$2,989
44.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$8,033 CA$11.5K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,591 $1,591
$6,557 CA$9,350
-75.74%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Surprise, AZ
Toronto
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,222 $4,222
$3,743 CA$5,337
12.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.44
4.47
44.07%

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

Last update for Surprise, AZ: October 4, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Surprise, AZ
$392
Toronto
$340 13.2% $52
Eating Out
Surprise, AZ
$345
Toronto
$282 18.4% $63
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Surprise, AZ
$333
Toronto
$202 39.5% $132
Clothing & Footwear
Surprise, AZ
$142
Toronto
$140 1.1% $1.6
Sport & Entertainment
Surprise, AZ
$87
Toronto
$64 26.4% $23
Getting Around
Surprise, AZ
$9.8 *
Toronto
$130 1220% $120
Accommodation & Living
Surprise, AZ
- *
Toronto
$1.4K

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

Cost Breakdown

Surprise, AZ pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84.0 in Surprise, AZ vs $77.0 in Toronto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $340 per month, with Toronto cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Surprise, AZ
🇨🇦 Toronto
🕒 Local time
01:37 1:37 AM
04:37 4:37 AM
3 h ahead of Surprise, AZ
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
143,148
2,731,571
Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Surprise, AZ Toronto 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Surprise, AZ
  • 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
Surprise, AZ vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Surprise, AZ and in Toronto?
Surprise, AZ and Toronto differ by about 94% in total monthly costs ($1,305 vs $2,530 including rent). Surprise, AZ is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Surprise, AZ or Toronto?
Average pay runs 13% higher in Surprise, AZ, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Toronto pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more expensive overall: Surprise, AZ or Toronto?
All in, you'll spend $1,305 per month in Surprise, AZ versus $2,530 in Toronto – a 94% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,305 in Surprise, AZ versus $2,530 in Toronto, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surprise, AZ but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Surprise, AZ the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Surprise, AZ and Toronto?
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.
Where should expats move: Surprise, AZ or Toronto?
Expats usually find Surprise, AZ gentler on the wallet – expenses run 94% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Surprise, AZ vs other spots: cost of living compared

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