Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and San Juan

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $1,684 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
84

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,684

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,561 in Toronto versus $1,684 in San Juan.

Toronto $2,561
San Juan $1,684

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,694 in Toronto versus $2,772 in San Juan.

Toronto $3,694
San Juan $2,772

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,826 in Toronto versus $3,861 in San Juan.

Toronto $4,826
San Juan $3,861

Living in Toronto is roughly 52% more expensive than in San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 90% above, San Juan 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 CA$24.29

$12.36 ₡5,541

39.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 CA$107

$61.3 ₡27.5K

23.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.89

$11.46 ₡5,139

-8.03%

Cappuccino

$4.02 CA$5.68

$4.42 ₡1,982

-9.05%

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

$2.12 CA$3.00

$2.77 ₡1,240

-23.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$1.94 ₡870

-9.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.83

$3.31 ₡1,483

88.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 CA$10.02

$4.45 ₡1,996

59.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$2.34 ₡1,052

4.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.78

$3.18 ₡1,425

-15.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$2.51 ₡1,125

-10.76%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.03

$3.46 ₡1,551

2.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 CA$12.85

$10.66 ₡4,782

-14.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.01

$10.33 ₡4,633

9.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 CA$20.55

$13.90 ₡6,233

4.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.12

$4.97 ₡2,230

-27.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.59 ₡714

-23.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.09

$4.64 ₡2,079

-22.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.96

$3.95 ₡1,771

6.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$3.86 ₡1,731

-53.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$3.75 ₡1,684

-57.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.07 ₡479

112.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CA$1.77

$3.08 ₡1,379

-59.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 CA$19.53

$6.00 ₡2,691

130.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.27 CA$20.18

$19.72 ₡8,844

-27.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.10

$2.76 ₡1,236

-20.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.44

$3.69 ₡1,654

-34.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$1.37 ₡614

74.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$157

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$2.41 ₡1,079

20.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 CA$1.69

$1.54 ₡693

-22.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.38 CA$30.23

$8.58 ₡3,849

149.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.55 ₡695

-21.94%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

30.23%

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

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$34.9K ₡15.6M

-41.91%

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

$120 CA$170

$96.4 ₡43.2K

24.88%

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

$32.26 CA$45.60

$35.06 ₡15.7K

-7.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.93 CA$67.8

$59.3 ₡26.6K

-19.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.48 CA$54.4

$66.9 ₡30.0K

-42.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 CA$32.46

Cinema Ticket

$12.38 CA$17.50

$7.50 ₡3,362

65.07%

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

$830 CA$1,173

$1,001 ₡449.1K

-17.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K CA$32.6K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

36.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 CA$71.7

$70.9 ₡31.8K

-28.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 CA$56.6

$55.3 ₡24.8K

-27.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 CA$139

$126 ₡56.6K

-22.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 CA$171

$134 ₡60.2K

-10.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 CA$2,251

$717 ₡321.3K

122.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 CA$1,994

$593 ₡266.1K

137.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 CA$3,775

$1,850 ₡829.6K

44.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 CA$3,042

$1,386 ₡621.4K

55.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,945 CA$11.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,542 CA$9,249

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,727 CA$5,269

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

8.62

-48.14%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Juan: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1%

San Juan

$593 35.2% 57.9% $817

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.3%

San Juan

$398 23.6% 17.1% $58

Eating Out

Toronto

$278 10.9%

San Juan

$231 13.7% 17.1% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.8%

San Juan

$191 11.3% 4.9% $9.8

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$139 5.4%

San Juan

$174 10.3% 25% $35

Getting Around

Toronto

$129 5.1%

San Juan

$16 * 0.9% 87.9% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.5%

San Juan

$82 4.9% 29.5% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,592 in Toronto and $717 in San Juan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $76.0 in Toronto vs $61.0 in San Juan. Groceries flip the comparison at $340 vs $398, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

10:37 10:37 AM

08:37 8:37 AM

2 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

27,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Toronto San Juan 3,770 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
San Juan

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 Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto and San Juan differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($2,561 vs $1,684 including rent). San Juan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,841 in Toronto and $2,526 in San Juan 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,592 in Toronto versus $717 in San Juan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $830 in Toronto versus $1,001 in San Juan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Juan – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $76.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,684 in San Juan versus $2,561 in Toronto, a $3,000 budget is realistic in San Juan but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes San Juan 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 Juan 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 Juan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.