Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and San José

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $913 a month against $2,610 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
Learn more

Toronto Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in San José
Learn more

San José Living Index

Jump to prices

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,610

/mo nomad

San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in San José

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,610 in Toronto versus $913 in San José.

Toronto $2,610
San José $913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,727 in Toronto versus $1,449 in San José.

Toronto $3,727
San José $1,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,844 in Toronto versus $1,985 in San José.

Toronto $4,844
San José $1,985

Living in Toronto is roughly 186% more expensive than in San José, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toronto is 93% above, San José is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 CA$24.87

$12.95 UYU 520

35.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 CA$111

$43.87 UYU 1,761

79.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 CA$15.16

$13.82 UYU 555

-22.36%

Cappuccino

$4.09 CA$5.78

$4.88 UYU 196

-16.19%

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

$2.10 CA$2.97

$2.38 UYU 95.6

-11.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 CA$2.43

$2.19 UYU 87.9

-21.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.36 CA$8.99

$2.92 UYU 117

117.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 CA$10.01

$3.48 UYU 140

103.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.54 CA$3.59

$0.99 UYU 39.77

156.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.01 UYU 80.7

35.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 CA$3.09

$1.47 UYU 59.0

48.30%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.13

$2.62 UYU 105

38.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 CA$13.37

$12.01 UYU 482

-21.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.32

$7.26 UYU 291

58.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.37 CA$20.32

$12.07 UYU 484

19.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.23

$1.22 UYU 48.77

203.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$1.54 UYU 61.8

-22.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.90

$1.21 UYU 48.71

185.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 CA$5.97

$1.54 UYU 61.7

174.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$0.98 UYU 39.49

82.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 CA$2.33

$1.28 UYU 51.5

28.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CA$3.11

$1.49 UYU 59.7

47.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.99 UYU 79.9

-36.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 CA$19.75

$9.82 UYU 394

42.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 CA$20.07

$8.17 UYU 328

73.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$3.05 UYU 123

-26.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 CA$3.58

$3.35 UYU 135

-24.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 CA$3.28

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$3.50 UYU 141

-12.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$3.45 UYU 139

-64.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.69 CA$30.66

$9.95 UYU 399

117.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$2.15 UYU 86.3

-43.72%

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

$26.1K CA$37.0K

$36.4K UYU 1.5M

-28.21%

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

$21.1K CA$29.9K

$40.1K UYU 1.6M

-47.26%

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

$120 CA$169

$113 UYU 4,547

5.58%

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

$32.21 CA$45.54

$23.78 UYU 955

35.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.88 CA$69.1

$47.11 UYU 1,891

3.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.34 CA$55.6

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.58 CA$33.34

Cinema Ticket

$12.58 CA$17.79

$12.35 UYU 496

1.86%

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

$832 CA$1,176

$494 UYU 19.8K

68.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K CA$33.4K

$6,691 UYU 268.6K

252.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 CA$73.9

$88.3 UYU 3,542

-40.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 CA$55.8

$37.57 UYU 1,508

4.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 CA$140

$164 UYU 6,601

-39.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 CA$172

$117 UYU 4,699

4.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 CA$2,306

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 CA$2,048

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,737 CA$3,869

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,129 CA$3,010

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,206 CA$11.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,838 CA$9,666

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,520 CA$4,976

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

-10.60%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 18, 2026

Last update for San José: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.5%

San José

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$343 13.1%

San José

$256 28.1% 25.2% $86

Eating Out

Toronto

$283 10.9%

San José

$243 26.7% 14% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.7%

San José

$184 20.2% 8.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$141 5.4%

San José

$183 20.1% 30.3% $43

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

San José

$21 * 2.3% 84% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$65 2.5%

San José

$25 * 2.7% 61.7% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $79.0 in Toronto vs $44.00 in San José for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $343 vs $256 per month, with San José cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇺🇾 San José

🕒 Local time

18:57 6:57 PM

19:57 7:57 PM

1 h ahead of Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

36,747

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Toronto San José 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
San José

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 José: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San José wins on cost – living expenses run 186% lower than in Toronto. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San José the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,916 in Toronto and $1,369 in San José 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Toronto. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,610 per month in Toronto versus $913 in San José – a 186% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $913 in San José versus $2,610 in Toronto, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San José but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes San José the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Toronto and San José 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 San José gentler on the wallet – expenses run 186% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.