Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and San Jose, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Toronto: $2,530 a month against $4,305 in San Jose, CA, rent and utilities included – about $21,300 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
211

Cost of Living Index in San Jose, CA
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San Jose, CA Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

San Jose, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,305

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,530 in Toronto versus $4,305 in San Jose, CA.

Toronto $2,530
San Jose, CA $4,305

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,646 in Toronto versus $6,087 in San Jose, CA.

Toronto $3,646
San Jose, CA $6,087

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,761 in Toronto versus $7,869 in San Jose, CA.

Toronto $4,761
San Jose, CA $7,869

Living in Toronto costs roughly 41% less than in San Jose, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 89% above, San Jose, CA 221% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.67 CA$25.19

$22.33 $22.33

-20.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.4 CA$110

$98.5 $98.5

-21.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 CA$14.93

$11.78 $11.78

-11.12%

Cappuccino

$4.08 CA$5.81

$5.96 $5.96

-31.54%

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

$2.12 CA$3.02

$3.15 $3.15

-32.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 CA$2.51

$2.33 $2.33

-24.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 CA$8.80

$9.15 $9.15

-32.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 CA$9.82

$9.81 $9.81

-29.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$1.72 $1.72

41.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 CA$3.92

$4.47 $4.47

-38.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 CA$3.18

$4.13 $4.13

-46.00%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.91

$5.86 $5.86

-41.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 CA$12.73

$19.28 $19.28

-53.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 CA$16.31

$14.00 $14.00

-18.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.61 CA$20.83

$21.60 $21.60

-32.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.34

$5.14 $5.14

-27.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 CA$1.64

$1.99 $1.99

-42.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 CA$5.06

$5.46 $5.46

-34.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 CA$6.10

$5.64 $5.64

-24.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.63

$3.49 $3.49

-46.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 CA$2.38

$2.89 $2.89

-42.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$2.42 $2.42

-8.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$2.57 $2.57

-52.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.88 CA$19.78

$11.63 $11.63

19.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$20.31

$15.59 $15.59

-8.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.13

$2.46 $2.46

-10.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 CA$3.45

$3.32 $3.32

-27.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 CA$3.44

$2.45 $2.45

-1.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$158

$89.4 $89.4

23.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 CA$4.13

$3.42 $3.42

-15.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.80

$3.03 $3.03

-58.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.03 CA$31.40

$30.27 $30.27

-27.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.74

$1.56 $1.56

-21.79%

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

$27.6K CA$39.4K

$37.3K $37.3K

-25.91%

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

$19.8K CA$28.3K

$25.9K $25.9K

-23.54%

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

$122 CA$174

$273 $273

-55.32%

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

$32.03 CA$45.66

$48.69 $48.69

-34.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.92 CA$68.3

$83.7 $83.7

-42.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.90 CA$55.5

$142 $142

-72.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.24 CA$33.12

$24.77 $24.77

-6.18%

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 CA$17.97

$16.86 $16.86

-25.21%

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

$834 CA$1,189

$1,855 $1,855

-55.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K CA$33.3K

$40.4K $40.4K

-42.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 CA$75.0

$59.3 $59.3

-11.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.26 CA$57.4

$52.1 $52.1

-22.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 CA$137

$99.4 $99.4

-3.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 CA$175

$121 $121

1.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 CA$2,278

$3,065 $3,065

-47.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 CA$2,045

$2,661 $2,661

-46.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,657 CA$3,787

$4,805 $4,805

-44.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 CA$2,988

$4,161 $4,161

-49.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,033 CA$11.5K

$8,956 $8,956

-10.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,557 CA$9,347

$9,098 $9,098

-27.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,743 CA$5,335

$6,099 $6,099

-38.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

6.67

-32.98%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Last update for San Jose, CA: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4%

San Jose, CA

$2.7K 60.9% 85.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.1%

San Jose, CA

$489 11.2% 43.8% $149

Eating Out

Toronto

$282 10.9%

San Jose, CA

$373 8.5% 32.3% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$202 7.8%

San Jose, CA

$405 9.3% 101% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$140 5.4%

San Jose, CA

$150 3.4% 6.5% $9.1

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

San Jose, CA

$118 2.7% 9.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$64 2.5%

San Jose, CA

$176 4% 174% $112

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,598 in Toronto and $3,065 in San Jose, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Jose, CA pays 63% 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: $77.0 in Toronto vs $98.0 in San Jose, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $489 per month, with Toronto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇺🇸 San Jose, CA

🕒 Local time

06:28 6:28 AM

03:28 3:28 AM

3 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

1,035,317

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Toronto San Jose, CA 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
San Jose, 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 San Jose, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in San Jose, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Toronto the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 63% lower in San Jose, CA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,598 in Toronto versus $3,065 in San Jose, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Toronto runs roughly 24% less than in San Jose, CA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $834 in Toronto versus $1,855 in San Jose, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Toronto is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Toronto delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,530 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Toronto hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Toronto and San Jose, CA 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 Toronto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in San Jose, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.