Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Paulista

For one person, living is cheaper in Paulista: $787 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $21,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Toronto
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,561
/mo nomad
Paulista
🇧🇷 Brazil
$787
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Paulista

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,561 in Toronto versus $787 in Paulista.

  • Toronto $2,561
  • Paulista $787

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,694 in Toronto versus $1,225 in Paulista.

  • Toronto $3,694
  • Paulista $1,225

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,826 in Toronto versus $1,663 in Paulista.

  • Toronto $4,826
  • Paulista $1,663

Living in Toronto is roughly 226% more expensive than in Paulista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toronto is 90% above, Paulista is 42% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Toronto
Paulista
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.18 CA$24.29
$7.05 R$35.72
143.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$76.0 CA$107
$15.92 R$80.7
377.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.54 CA$14.89
$8.24 R$41.79
27.91%
Cappuccino
$4.02 CA$5.68
$1.58 R$8.03
154.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 CA$3.00
$1.07 R$5.43
98.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 CA$2.48
$0.42 R$2.13
316.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.24 CA$8.83
$1.92 R$9.71
225.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.09 CA$10.02
$3.54 R$17.94
100.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Toronto
Paulista
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.44 CA$3.45
$1.02 R$5.16
139.22%
White Bread (500g)
$2.68 CA$3.78
$1.82 R$9.20
47.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 CA$3.17
$1.03 R$5.22
117.48%
Eggs
$3.56 CA$5.03
$2.17 R$11.02
64.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.09 CA$12.85
$2.89 R$14.64
214.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.33 CA$16.01
$2.96 R$15.01
282.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.53 CA$20.55
$5.69 R$28.86
155.36%
Apples (1kg)
$3.62 CA$5.12
$2.02 R$10.25
79.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.21 CA$1.72
$0.95 R$4.80
27.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.60 CA$5.09
$0.92 R$4.64
291.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.21 CA$5.96
$1.18 R$5.97
256.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.79 CA$2.53
$1.37 R$6.95
30.66%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 CA$2.25
$0.84 R$4.26
89.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.27 CA$3.21
$0.41 R$2.09
453.66%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 CA$1.77
$0.86 R$4.37
45.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.82 CA$19.53
$2.27 R$11.52
508.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.27 CA$20.18
$3.74 R$18.95
281.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.20 CA$3.10
$1.55 R$7.87
41.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 CA$3.44
$3.29 R$16.70
-26.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Toronto
Paulista
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.39 CA$3.38
$1.04 R$5.28
129.81%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$111 CA$157
$48.16 R$244
130.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 CA$4.12
$1.97 R$9.99
47.72%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.20 CA$1.69
$1.17 R$5.95
2.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.38 CA$30.23
$3.25 R$16.46
557.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 CA$1.71
$1.09 R$5.51
11.01%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K CA$39.8K
$14.2K R$72.2K
97.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.3K CA$28.6K
$30.0K R$151.9K
-32.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
Paulista
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 CA$170
$46.71 R$237
157.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.26 CA$45.60
$23.42 R$119
37.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.93 CA$67.8
$23.62 R$120
102.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
Paulista
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.48 CA$54.4
$25.85 R$131
48.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.96 CA$32.46
$27.58 R$140
-16.75%
Cinema Ticket
$12.38 CA$17.50
$5.88 R$29.81
110.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Toronto
Paulista
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$830 CA$1,173
$69.7 R$353
1090.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.1K CA$32.6K
$6,903 R$35.0K
234.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
Paulista
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.7 CA$71.7
$18.37 R$93.1
176.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.02 CA$56.6
$68.6 R$348
-41.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.0 CA$139
$50.4 R$256
94.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 CA$171
$59.7 R$303
101.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Toronto
Paulista
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,592 CA$2,251
$354 R$1,796
349.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,410 CA$1,994
$237 R$1,201
495.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,670 CA$3,775
$688 R$3,485
288.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,152 CA$3,042
$464 R$2,353
363.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,945 CA$11.2K
$1,798 R$9,115
341.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,542 CA$9,249
$1,346 R$6,824
386.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Toronto
Paulista
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,727 CA$5,269
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.47
11
-59.36%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Last update for Paulista: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Toronto
$1.4K
Paulista
$237 83.2% $1.2K
Groceries & Markets
Toronto
$340
Paulista
$147 56.8% $193
Eating Out
Toronto
$278
Paulista
$123 55.9% $155
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
$201
Paulista
$94 53.2% $107
Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
$139
Paulista
$89 36.3% $51
Getting Around
Toronto
$129
Paulista
$60 53.5% $69
Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
$63
Paulista
$38 40.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,592 in Toronto and $354 in Paulista. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $76.0 in Toronto vs $16.00 in Paulista for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $147 per month, with Paulista cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Toronto
🇧🇷 Paulista
🕒 Local time
15:29 3:29 PM
16:29 4:29 PM
1 h ahead of Toronto
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,731,571
342,167
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Toronto Paulista 7,280 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Toronto
  • Paulista

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 Paulista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Toronto or Paulista?
Paulista wins on cost – living expenses run 226% lower than in Toronto. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Paulista the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Toronto and in Paulista?
You'd need roughly $3,841 in Toronto and $1,180 in Paulista to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Toronto compared to Paulista?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,592 in Toronto versus $354 in Paulista. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Toronto and in Paulista?
Childcare runs $830 in Toronto versus $69.7 in Paulista. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Toronto or in Paulista?
Supermarket bills run roughly 132% higher in Toronto. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Toronto or in Paulista?
At $787 in Paulista versus $2,561 in Toronto, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Paulista but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Paulista the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Toronto or Paulista?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Paulista gentler on the wallet – expenses run 226% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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