Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Monterey, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Toronto: $2,610 a month against $3,616 in Monterey, CA, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index
173

Cost of Living Index in Monterey, CA
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Monterey, CA Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,610

/mo nomad

Monterey, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,616

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,610 per month in Toronto vs $3,616 in Monterey, CA, rent included.

Toronto $2,610
Monterey, CA $3,616

A couple spends around $3,727 per month in Toronto vs $5,349 in Monterey, CA, rent included.

Toronto $3,727
Monterey, CA $5,349

A family of three spends $4,844 per month in Toronto vs $7,082 in Monterey, CA, rent included.

Toronto $4,844
Monterey, CA $7,082

Toronto is about 28% cheaper than Monterey, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Toronto and Monterey, CA sit above the global median – Toronto by 93%, Monterey, CA by 167%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 CA$24.87

$20.27 $20.27

-13.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 CA$111

$78.6 $78.6

0.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 CA$15.16

$12.10 $12.10

-11.32%

Cappuccino

$4.09 CA$5.78

$5.22 $5.22

-21.65%

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

$2.10 CA$2.97

$3.20 $3.20

-34.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 CA$2.43

$1.62 $1.62

6.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.36 CA$8.99

$5.45 $5.45

16.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 CA$10.01

$6.06 $6.06

16.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.54 CA$3.59

$1.65 $1.65

53.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$3.17 $3.17

-14.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 CA$3.09

$2.63 $2.63

-17.11%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.13

$4.57 $4.57

-20.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 CA$13.37

$9.57 $9.57

-1.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.32

$13.38 $13.38

-13.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.37 CA$20.32

$6.12 $6.12

134.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.23

$3.66 $3.66

1.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$1.20 $1.20

-0.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.90

$3.22 $3.22

7.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 CA$5.97

$4.00 $4.00

5.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$2.75 $2.75

-34.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 CA$2.33

$1.96 $1.96

-15.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CA$3.11

$1.74 $1.74

26.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.25 $1.25

0.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 CA$19.75

$11.59 $11.59

20.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 CA$20.07

$17.31 $17.31

-17.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$2.73 $2.73

-17.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 CA$3.58

$1.85 $1.85

36.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$2.02 $2.02

14.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

$52.9 $52.9

111.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$1.58 $1.58

93.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$0.95 $0.95

28.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.69 CA$30.66

$35.04 $35.04

-38.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.53 $1.53

-20.92%

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

$26.1K CA$37.0K

$28.9K $28.9K

-9.51%

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

$21.1K CA$29.9K

$25.8K $25.8K

-18.10%

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

$120 CA$169

$238 $238

-49.76%

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

$32.21 CA$45.54

$75.1 $75.1

-57.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.88 CA$69.1

$71.7 $71.7

-31.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.34 CA$55.6

$84.1 $84.1

-53.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.58 CA$33.34

$10.63 $10.63

121.83%

Cinema Ticket

$12.58 CA$17.79

$12.75 $12.75

-1.33%

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

$832 CA$1,176

$555 $555

49.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K CA$33.4K

$12.5K $12.5K

88.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 CA$73.9

$76.8 $76.8

-31.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 CA$55.8

$90.2 $90.2

-56.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 CA$140

$129 $129

-23.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 CA$172

$135 $135

-9.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 CA$2,306

$2,490 $2,490

-34.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 CA$2,048

$2,205 $2,205

-34.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,737 CA$3,869

$4,056 $4,056

-32.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,129 CA$3,010

$4,027 $4,027

-47.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,206 CA$11.6K

$7,909 $7,909

3.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,838 CA$9,666

$5,838 $5,838

17.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,520 CA$4,976

$4,771 $4,771

-26.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

6.62

-32.48%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 18, 2026

Last update for Monterey, CA: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.5%

Monterey, CA

$2.2K 61% 52.3% $757

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$343 13.1%

Monterey, CA

$335 9.3% 2.2% $7.4

Eating Out

Toronto

$283 10.9%

Monterey, CA

$320 8.8% 12.9% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.7%

Monterey, CA

$385 10.6% 91.8% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$141 5.4%

Monterey, CA

$194 5.4% 37.6% $53

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Monterey, CA

$67 1.9% 48.3% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$65 2.5%

Monterey, CA

$110 3% 69.9% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,631 in Toronto versus $2,490 in Monterey, CA. 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 36% higher in Monterey, CA, 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 $79.0 in Toronto versus $79.0 in Monterey, CA. Groceries tell a different story – $343 in Toronto vs $335 in Monterey, CA – so Monterey, CA wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇺🇸 Monterey, CA

🕒 Local time

09:56 9:56 AM

06:56 6:56 AM

3 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

28,803

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Toronto Monterey, CA 3,660 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Monterey, 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 Monterey, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Monterey, CA is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,916 per month in Toronto and $5,424 in Monterey, CA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Toronto, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,610 in Toronto and $3,616 in Monterey, CA. That's a gap of about 39%.

Public transport costs about 111% less in Toronto. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,610 in Toronto and $3,616 in Monterey, CA. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Toronto – 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 Toronto. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Monterey, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.