Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and El Centro, CA

For one person, living costs are similar in Toronto and in El Centro, CA: $2,589 and $2,700 a month, rent and utilities included.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
Learn more

Toronto Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in El Centro, CA
Learn more

El Centro, CA Living Index

Jump to prices

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,589

/mo nomad

El Centro, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,700

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in El Centro, CA

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 El Centro, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,589 per month in Toronto vs $2,700 in El Centro, CA, rent included.

Toronto $2,589
El Centro, CA $2,700

A couple spends around $3,710 per month in Toronto vs $3,848 in El Centro, CA, rent included.

Toronto $3,710
El Centro, CA $3,848

A family of three spends $4,831 per month in Toronto vs $4,996 in El Centro, CA, rent included.

Toronto $4,831
El Centro, CA $4,996

Toronto is about 4% cheaper than El Centro, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Toronto and El Centro, CA sit above the global median – Toronto by 90%, El Centro, CA by 98%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.60 CA$24.70

$13.62 $13.62

29.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.8 CA$109

$44.97 $44.97

73.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.86

$11.39 $11.39

-7.02%

Cappuccino

$4.16 CA$5.83

$4.89 $4.89

-14.93%

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

$2.04 CA$2.87

$2.54 $2.54

-19.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.46

$1.96 $1.96

-10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 CA$9.23

$4.90 $4.90

34.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 CA$9.98

$7.95 $7.95

-10.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 CA$3.56

$1.16 $1.16

118.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 CA$3.79

$5.88 $5.88

-54.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.14

$4.37 $4.37

-48.74%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.89

$4.91 $4.91

-29.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.38 CA$13.16

$12.67 $12.67

-25.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.60 CA$16.28

$20.39 $20.39

-43.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.68 CA$20.61

$13.90 $13.90

5.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.26

$5.50 $5.50

-32.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.70 $1.70

-28.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.88

$4.28 $4.28

-18.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 CA$6.07

$6.72 $6.72

-35.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.60

$3.64 $3.64

-49.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.37

$3.47 $3.47

-51.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 CA$3.13

$2.28 $2.28

-2.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CA$1.79

$2.31 $2.31

-44.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.04 CA$19.71

$11.64 $11.64

20.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.43 CA$20.25

$14.85 $14.85

-2.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 CA$3.03

$1.70 $1.70

27.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.54

$3.26 $3.26

-22.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 CA$3.32

$2.26 $2.26

4.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

$58.6 $58.6

92.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 CA$4.27

$4.46 $4.46

-31.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.88 $1.88

-34.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.55 CA$31.65

$35.36 $35.36

-36.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.75

$1.53 $1.53

-18.95%

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

$26.9K CA$37.8K

$27.4K $27.4K

-1.83%

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

$21.4K CA$30.0K

$26.0K $26.0K

-17.68%

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

$125 CA$175

$216 $216

-42.20%

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

$33.05 CA$46.39

$72.1 $72.1

-54.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.96 CA$67.3

$70.5 $70.5

-31.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.69 CA$51.5

$34.32 $34.32

6.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.67 CA$33.22

Cinema Ticket

$13.08 CA$18.35

$11.90 $11.90

9.92%

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

$759 CA$1,065

$1,895 $1,895

-59.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K CA$33.4K

$42.8K $42.8K

-44.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$75.1

$72.7 $72.7

-26.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 CA$56.8

$40.38 $40.38

0.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 CA$141

$79.1 $79.1

26.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 CA$176

$173 $173

-27.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 CA$2,287

$1,401 $1,401

16.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 CA$1,987

$1,300 $1,300

8.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,694 CA$3,781

$2,246 $2,246

19.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,101 CA$2,949

$2,076 $2,076

1.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,551 CA$10.6K

$2,709 $2,709

178.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,674 CA$9,366

$2,661 $2,661

150.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,543 CA$4,973

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.45

6.64

-32.98%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 26, 2026

Last update for El Centro, CA: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 54.7%

El Centro, CA

$1.3K 48.2% 8.1% $115

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$345 13.3%

El Centro, CA

$477 17.7% 38.3% $132

Eating Out

Toronto

$285 11%

El Centro, CA

$260 9.6% 8.6% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$206 7.9%

El Centro, CA

$358 13.3% 74.2% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$144 5.6%

El Centro, CA

$164 6.1% 14.2% $20

Getting Around

Toronto

$131 5.1%

El Centro, CA

$81 3% 37.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.4%

El Centro, CA

$58 2.2% 7.5% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,630 in Toronto versus $1,401 in El Centro, CA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Toronto versus $45 in El Centro, CA. Groceries tell a different story – $345 in Toronto vs $477 in El Centro, CA – so Toronto wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇺🇸 El Centro, CA

🕒 Local time

14:35 2:35 PM

11:35 11:35 AM

3 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

44,322

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Toronto El Centro, CA 3,350 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
El Centro, CA

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 El Centro, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,589 in Toronto, $2,700 in El Centro, CA – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,883 per month in Toronto and $4,049 in El Centro, CA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Centro, CA, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,401 there versus $1,630 in Toronto.

Public transport costs about 48% less in El Centro, CA. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $759 per month in Toronto and $1,895 in El Centro, CA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,589 in Toronto and $2,700 in El Centro, CA. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. El Centro, CA has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,589 in Toronto to $2,700 in El Centro, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.