Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Cartago

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartago: $1,713 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Cartago

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Cartago

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,561 in Toronto versus $1,713 in Cartago.

Toronto $2,561
Cartago $1,713

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,694 in Toronto versus $2,362 in Cartago.

Toronto $3,694
Cartago $2,362

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,826 in Toronto versus $3,011 in Cartago.

Toronto $4,826
Cartago $3,011

Living in Toronto is roughly 49% more expensive than in Cartago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 90% above, Cartago 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 CA$24.42

$8.64 ₡3,882

98.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 CA$108

$34.53 ₡15.5K

120.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.97

$9.92 ₡4,458

6.25%

Cappuccino

$4.02 CA$5.71

$4.54 ₡2,040

-11.45%

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

$2.12 CA$3.01

$2.13 ₡957

-0.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.49

$1.36 ₡611

28.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.87

$2.15 ₡966

190.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 CA$10.07

$4.06 ₡1,823

74.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 CA$3.47

$2.39 ₡1,075

2.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.80

$2.37 ₡1,067

13.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.18

$2.47 ₡1,112

-9.31%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.06

$3.57 ₡1,604

-0.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 CA$12.92

$8.61 ₡3,868

5.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.10

$10.38 ₡4,664

9.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 CA$20.66

$13.94 ₡6,265

4.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.15

$5.24 ₡2,356

-30.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.29 ₡580

-6.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.12

$4.49 ₡2,018

-19.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.99

$2.91 ₡1,309

44.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.54

$2.24 ₡1,006

-20.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.26

$2.17 ₡973

-26.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CA$3.23

$1.09 ₡488

108.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CA$1.78

$2.18 ₡979

-42.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 CA$19.64

$6.07 ₡2,728

127.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.27 CA$20.29

$15.16 ₡6,810

-5.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.12

$2.89 ₡1,298

-23.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$2.03 ₡914

19.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 CA$3.40

$1.37 ₡614

74.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$158

$73.2 ₡32.9K

51.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 CA$4.14

$1.33 ₡600

118.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 CA$1.70

$1.56 ₡703

-23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.38 CA$30.39

$8.95 ₡4,023

138.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.51 ₡679

-19.87%

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

$28.2K CA$40.0K

$21.7K ₡9.7M

29.88%

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

$20.3K CA$28.8K

$35.1K ₡15.8M

-42.32%

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

$120 CA$171

$52.4 ₡23.6K

129.54%

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

$32.26 CA$45.84

$35.12 ₡15.8K

-8.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.93 CA$68.1

$59.9 ₡26.9K

-19.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.48 CA$54.7

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-47.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 CA$32.63

$77.8 ₡34.9K

-70.47%

Cinema Ticket

$12.38 CA$17.59

$7.27 ₡3,268

70.29%

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

$830 CA$1,180

$549 ₡246.6K

51.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K CA$32.8K

$7,878 ₡3.5M

193.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 CA$72.1

$70.1 ₡31.5K

-27.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 CA$56.9

$56.5 ₡25.4K

-29.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 CA$139

$121 ₡54.5K

-19.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 CA$171

$87.7 ₡39.4K

37.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 CA$2,263

$923 ₡415.0K

72.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 CA$2,005

$704 ₡316.5K

100.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 CA$3,795

$1,869 ₡839.7K

42.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 CA$3,058

$724 ₡325.4K

197.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,945 CA$11.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,542 CA$9,298

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,727 CA$5,297

$1,344 ₡604.0K

177.24%

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 Cartago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1%

Cartago

$704 41.1% 50.1% $706

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.3%

Cartago

$348 20.3% 2.5% $8.5

Eating Out

Toronto

$278 10.9%

Cartago

$186 10.9% 33.1% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.8%

Cartago

$147 8.6% 26.5% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$139 5.4%

Cartago

$151 8.8% 8.5% $12

Getting Around

Toronto

$129 5.1%

Cartago

$88 5.1% 32.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.5%

Cartago

$88 5.2% 39.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,592 in Toronto and $923 in Cartago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 177% 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 $35.00 in Cartago. Groceries flip the comparison at $340 vs $348, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇷 Cartago

🕒 Local time

05:33 5:33 AM

03:33 3:33 AM

2 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

110,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Toronto Cartago 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Cartago

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 Cartago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartago is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and transport. The 49% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 177% 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 $923 in Cartago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cartago runs roughly 52% less than in Toronto. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $830 in Toronto versus $549 in Cartago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,713 in Cartago versus $2,561 in Toronto, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Cartago but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Cartago 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 Cartago 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 Cartago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.