Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Acosta

For one person, living is cheaper in Acosta: $1,752 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Acosta
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Acosta Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Acosta

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,752

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Acosta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,561 in Toronto versus $1,752 in Acosta.

Toronto $2,561
Acosta $1,752

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,694 in Toronto versus $2,725 in Acosta.

Toronto $3,694
Acosta $2,725

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,826 in Toronto versus $3,698 in Acosta.

Toronto $4,826
Acosta $3,698

Living in Toronto is roughly 46% more expensive than in Acosta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 90% above, Acosta 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 CA$24.29

$11.88 ₡5,328

44.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 CA$107

$59.0 ₡26.4K

28.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.89

$11.56 ₡5,184

-8.82%

Cappuccino

$4.02 CA$5.68

$4.17 ₡1,869

-3.60%

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

$2.12 CA$3.00

$2.54 ₡1,138

-16.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$1.85 ₡830

-5.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.83

$3.19 ₡1,432

95.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 CA$10.02

$4.37 ₡1,960

62.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$2.09 ₡938

16.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.78

$2.47 ₡1,110

8.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$2.30 ₡1,032

-2.61%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.03

$3.75 ₡1,680

-5.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 CA$12.85

$10.95 ₡4,912

-16.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.01

$10.91 ₡4,894

3.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 CA$20.55

$15.12 ₡6,781

-3.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.12

$5.79 ₡2,595

-37.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.78 ₡799

-32.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.09

$3.53 ₡1,584

1.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.96

$3.23 ₡1,448

30.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$3.26 ₡1,464

-45.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$3.44 ₡1,544

-53.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.05 ₡471

116.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CA$1.77

$2.39 ₡1,073

-47.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 CA$19.53

$4.94 ₡2,215

179.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.27 CA$20.18

$17.53 ₡7,861

-18.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.10

$2.27 ₡1,019

-3.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.44

$2.46 ₡1,104

-1.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$1.15 ₡516

107.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$157

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$2.29 ₡1,026

27.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 CA$1.69

$1.59 ₡715

-24.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.38 CA$30.23

$9.52 ₡4,271

124.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.46 ₡653

-17.12%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$22.2K ₡10.0M

26.79%

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

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$30.8K ₡13.8M

-34.23%

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

$120 CA$170

$93.7 ₡42.0K

28.40%

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

$32.26 CA$45.60

$34.27 ₡15.4K

-5.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.93 CA$67.8

$57.5 ₡25.8K

-16.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.48 CA$54.4

$76.9 ₡34.5K

-49.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 CA$32.46

Cinema Ticket

$12.38 CA$17.50

$7.96 ₡3,571

55.53%

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

$830 CA$1,173

$845 ₡379.1K

-1.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K CA$32.6K

$18.3K ₡8.2M

26.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 CA$71.7

$81.0 ₡36.3K

-37.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 CA$56.6

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-27.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 CA$139

$143 ₡64.0K

-31.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 CA$171

$114 ₡51.3K

5.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 CA$2,251

$787 ₡353.0K

102.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 CA$1,994

$686 ₡307.7K

105.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 CA$3,775

$1,977 ₡886.4K

35.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 CA$3,042

$1,274 ₡571.5K

68.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,945 CA$11.2K

$1,943 ₡871.5K

308.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,542 CA$9,249

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,727 CA$5,269

$1,511 ₡677.5K

146.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

8.62

-48.14%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Last update for Acosta: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1%

Acosta

$686 39.2% 51.4% $724

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.3%

Acosta

$373 21.3% 9.9% $34

Eating Out

Toronto

$278 10.9%

Acosta

$222 12.7% 20.2% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.8%

Acosta

$186 10.6% 7.5% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$139 5.4%

Acosta

$177 10.1% 27.2% $38

Getting Around

Toronto

$129 5.1%

Acosta

$15 * 0.9% 88.5% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.5%

Acosta

$93 5.3% 46.9% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,592 in Toronto and $787 in Acosta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 147% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $76.0 in Toronto vs $59.0 in Acosta. Groceries flip the comparison at $340 vs $373, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇷 Acosta

🕒 Local time

04:30 4:30 AM

02:30 2:30 AM

2 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

3,072

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Toronto Acosta 3,790 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Acosta

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

Toronto vs Acosta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto and Acosta differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($2,561 vs $1,752 including rent). Acosta is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 147% higher in Toronto, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,592 in Toronto versus $787 in Acosta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Toronto pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,561 per month in Toronto versus $1,752 in Acosta – a 46% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,752 in Acosta versus $2,561 in Toronto, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Acosta but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Acosta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Toronto and Acosta are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Acosta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.