Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Playa del Coco

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Coco: $1,765 a month against $2,530 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Toronto
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,530
/mo nomad
Playa del Coco
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,765
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Playa del Coco

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 Playa del Coco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,530 per month in Toronto vs $1,765 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

  • Toronto $2,530
  • Playa del Coco $1,765

A couple spends around $3,646 per month in Toronto vs $2,806 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

  • Toronto $3,646
  • Playa del Coco $2,806

A family of three spends $4,761 per month in Toronto vs $3,847 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

  • Toronto $4,761
  • Playa del Coco $3,847

Toronto costs about 43% more than Playa del Coco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Toronto and Playa del Coco sit above the global median – Toronto by 89%, Playa del Coco by 32%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Toronto
Playa del Coco
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.67 CA$25.19
$18.05 ₡8,137
-2.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.4 CA$110
$57.5 ₡25.9K
34.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 CA$14.93
$11.25 ₡5,070
-6.93%
Cappuccino
$4.08 CA$5.81
$4.08 ₡1,839
-
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 CA$3.02
$2.52 ₡1,138
-15.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.76 CA$2.51
$1.63 ₡736
7.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.17 CA$8.80
$3.56 ₡1,605
73.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.89 CA$9.82
$6.15 ₡2,774
12.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Toronto
Playa del Coco
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.43 CA$3.46
$2.42 ₡1,089
0.41%
White Bread (500g)
$2.75 CA$3.92
$2.88 ₡1,298
-4.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.23 CA$3.18
$2.46 ₡1,107
-9.35%
Eggs
$3.45 CA$4.91
$3.44 ₡1,553
0.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.93 CA$12.73
$10.86 ₡4,894
-17.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.44 CA$16.31
$10.65 ₡4,800
7.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.61 CA$20.83
$14.23 ₡6,417
2.67%
Apples (1kg)
$3.75 CA$5.34
$5.11 ₡2,302
-26.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.15 CA$1.64
$1.65 ₡744
-30.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.55 CA$5.06
$3.37 ₡1,520
5.34%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.28 CA$6.10
$3.38 ₡1,522
26.63%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 CA$2.63
$3.00 ₡1,351
-38.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.67 CA$2.38
$3.21 ₡1,446
-47.98%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.22 CA$3.16
$1.08 ₡487
105.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 CA$1.72
$2.70 ₡1,219
-55.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.88 CA$19.78
$5.59 ₡2,521
148.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.25 CA$20.31
$16.65 ₡7,504
-14.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.20 CA$3.13
$2.66 ₡1,200
-17.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 CA$3.45
$2.73 ₡1,229
-11.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Toronto
Playa del Coco
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.42 CA$3.44
$1.33 ₡602
81.95%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$111 CA$158
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.90 CA$4.13
$3.33 ₡1,501
-12.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.26 CA$1.80
$1.58 ₡713
-20.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$22.03 CA$31.40
$8.90 ₡4,011
147.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.22 CA$1.74
$1.93 ₡870
-36.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.6K CA$39.4K
$22.2K ₡10.0M
24.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.8K CA$28.3K
$34.5K ₡15.6M
-42.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
Playa del Coco
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$122 CA$174
$94.1 ₡42.4K
29.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.03 CA$45.66
$29.60 ₡13.3K
8.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.92 CA$68.3
$60.8 ₡27.4K
-21.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
Playa del Coco
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.90 CA$55.5
$72.1 ₡32.5K
-46.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.24 CA$33.12
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.61 CA$17.97
$8.08 ₡3,641
56.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Toronto
Playa del Coco
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$834 CA$1,189
$827 ₡372.9K
0.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.3K CA$33.3K
$16.8K ₡7.6M
38.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
Playa del Coco
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.6 CA$75.0
$71.9 ₡32.4K
-26.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.26 CA$57.4
$56.6 ₡25.5K
-28.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.2 CA$137
$130 ₡58.6K
-25.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 CA$175
$135 ₡60.6K
-8.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Toronto
Playa del Coco
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,598 CA$2,278
$819 ₡369.1K
95.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,435 CA$2,045
$638 ₡287.7K
124.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,657 CA$3,787
$1,894 ₡854.1K
40.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,096 CA$2,988
$1,244 ₡561.0K
68.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,033 CA$11.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,557 CA$9,347
$332 ₡149.6K
1875.74%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Toronto
Playa del Coco
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,743 CA$5,335
$765 ₡344.7K
389.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.47
8.78
-49.09%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Last update for Playa del Coco: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Toronto
$1.4K
Playa del Coco
$638 55.5% $797
Groceries & Markets
Toronto
$340
Playa del Coco
$375 10.3% $35
Eating Out
Toronto
$282
Playa del Coco
$274 2.8% $8
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
$202
Playa del Coco
$185 8.6% $17
Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
$140
Playa del Coco
$177 26% $36
Getting Around
Toronto
$130
Playa del Coco
$17 * 87.2% $113
Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
$64
Playa del Coco
$88 37.7% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,598 in Toronto versus $819 in Playa del Coco. 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 390% 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 $77.0 in Toronto versus $57.0 in Playa del Coco. Groceries tell a different story – $340 in Toronto vs $375 in Playa del Coco – so Toronto wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Toronto
🇨🇷 Playa del Coco
🕒 Local time
22:49 10:49 PM
20:49 8:49 PM
2 h behind Toronto
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,731,571
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Toronto Playa del Coco 3,730 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Toronto
  • Playa del Coco

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 Playa del Coco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Toronto or Playa del Coco?
Toronto costs about 43% more than Playa del Coco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Toronto and in Playa del Coco?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,795 per month in Toronto and $2,648 in Playa del Coco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Toronto or Playa del Coco?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Coco, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Toronto and in Playa del Coco?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Toronto and $57.0 in Playa del Coco. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Toronto or in Playa del Coco?
Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Toronto – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Toronto or in Playa del Coco?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Coco, where all-in costs run around $1,765, than in Toronto at $2,530. In Playa del Coco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Playa del Coco – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Toronto or to Playa del Coco?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Coco. 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.

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