Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Atenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Atenas: $1,546 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
75

Cost of Living Index in Atenas
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Atenas Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Atenas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,546

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Atenas

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 Atenas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,561 per month in Toronto vs $1,546 in Atenas, rent included.

Toronto $2,561
Atenas $1,546

A couple spends around $3,694 per month in Toronto vs $2,543 in Atenas, rent included.

Toronto $3,694
Atenas $2,543

A family of three spends $4,826 per month in Toronto vs $3,540 in Atenas, rent included.

Toronto $4,826
Atenas $3,540

Toronto costs about 66% more than Atenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Toronto and Atenas sit above the global median – Toronto by 90%, Atenas by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 CA$24.29

$9.58 ₡4,298

79.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 CA$107

$56.8 ₡25.5K

33.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.89

$11.85 ₡5,314

-11.05%

Cappuccino

$4.02 CA$5.68

$3.82 ₡1,711

5.24%

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

$2.12 CA$3.00

$2.64 ₡1,186

-19.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$1.90 ₡852

-7.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.83

$3.25 ₡1,459

92.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 CA$10.02

$4.38 ₡1,966

61.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$2.39 ₡1,070

2.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.78

$3.12 ₡1,401

-14.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$2.13 ₡957

5.16%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.03

$3.41 ₡1,528

4.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 CA$12.85

$10.71 ₡4,802

-15.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.01

$9.87 ₡4,426

14.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 CA$20.55

$10.36 ₡4,646

40.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.12

$4.28 ₡1,921

-15.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.57 ₡704

-22.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.09

$2.56 ₡1,148

40.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.96

$2.39 ₡1,071

76.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$3.70 ₡1,660

-51.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$2.69 ₡1,205

-40.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.11 ₡500

104.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CA$1.77

$3.09 ₡1,387

-59.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 CA$19.53

$6.00 ₡2,690

130.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.27 CA$20.18

$18.30 ₡8,207

-22.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.10

$2.68 ₡1,200

-17.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.44

$2.69 ₡1,208

-9.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$2.23 ₡1,001

7.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$157

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$2.38 ₡1,067

22.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 CA$1.69

$1.62 ₡725

-25.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.38 CA$30.23

$8.83 ₡3,960

142.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.56 ₡701

-22.44%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$22.3K ₡10.0M

26.26%

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

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$34.6K ₡15.5M

-41.49%

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

$120 CA$170

$95.7 ₡42.9K

25.80%

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

$32.26 CA$45.60

$35.36 ₡15.9K

-8.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.93 CA$67.8

$51.0 ₡22.8K

-5.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.48 CA$54.4

$48.47 ₡21.7K

-20.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 CA$32.46

$10.78 ₡4,835

112.99%

Cinema Ticket

$12.38 CA$17.50

$7.90 ₡3,542

56.71%

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

$830 CA$1,173

$994 ₡445.7K

-16.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K CA$32.6K

$6,652 ₡3.0M

247.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 CA$71.7

$71.0 ₡31.8K

-28.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 CA$56.6

$55.1 ₡24.7K

-27.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 CA$139

$128 ₡57.2K

-23.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 CA$171

$129 ₡58.0K

-6.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 CA$2,251

$648 ₡290.6K

145.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 CA$1,994

$550 ₡246.8K

156.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 CA$3,775

$1,521 ₡682.3K

75.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 CA$3,042

$1,281 ₡574.3K

68.00%

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

$1,322 ₡592.9K

181.92%

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 Atenas: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1%

Atenas

$550 35.6% 61% $860

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.3%

Atenas

$356 23.1% 4.9% $17

Eating Out

Toronto

$278 10.9%

Atenas

$201 13% 27.7% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.8%

Atenas

$182 11.8% 9.3% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$139 5.4%

Atenas

$172 11.2% 23.8% $33

Getting Around

Toronto

$129 5.1%

Atenas

$19 * 1.3% 85% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.5%

Atenas

$64 4.2% 1.6% $1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,592 in Toronto versus $648 in Atenas. 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 182% higher in Toronto, 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 $76.0 in Toronto versus $57.0 in Atenas. Groceries tell a different story – $340 in Toronto vs $356 in Atenas – so Toronto wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇷 Atenas

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

01:37 1:37 AM

2 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

7,000

💱 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 Atenas 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Atenas

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 Atenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Toronto is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,841 per month in Toronto and $2,319 in Atenas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Atenas, 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 $76.0 in Toronto and $57.0 in Atenas. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Toronto – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Atenas, where all-in costs run around $1,546, than in Toronto at $2,561. In Atenas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Atenas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Atenas. 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.