Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and San Rafael

For one person, living is cheaper in San Rafael: $1,732 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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 Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

San Rafael

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,561 per month in Toronto vs $1,732 in San Rafael, rent included.

Toronto $2,561
San Rafael $1,732

A couple spends around $3,694 per month in Toronto vs $2,736 in San Rafael, rent included.

Toronto $3,694
San Rafael $2,736

A family of three spends $4,826 per month in Toronto vs $3,739 in San Rafael, rent included.

Toronto $4,826
San Rafael $3,739

Toronto costs about 48% more than San Rafael, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Toronto and San Rafael sit above the global median – Toronto by 90%, San Rafael by 28%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 CA$24.29

$12.25 ₡5,496

40.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 CA$107

$61.7 ₡27.7K

23.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.89

$11.42 ₡5,119

-7.71%

Cappuccino

$4.02 CA$5.68

$4.40 ₡1,973

-8.64%

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

$2.12 CA$3.00

$2.73 ₡1,225

-22.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$1.87 ₡841

-6.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.83

$3.37 ₡1,510

85.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 CA$10.02

$4.54 ₡2,038

56.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$2.33 ₡1,044

4.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.78

$3.02 ₡1,352

-11.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$2.42 ₡1,084

-7.44%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.03

$3.52 ₡1,580

1.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 CA$12.85

$10.51 ₡4,712

-13.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.01

$10.25 ₡4,597

10.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 CA$20.55

$14.22 ₡6,378

2.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.12

$5.09 ₡2,282

-28.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.57 ₡704

-22.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.09

$4.68 ₡2,098

-23.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.96

$3.86 ₡1,730

9.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$3.88 ₡1,741

-53.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$3.69 ₡1,653

-56.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.09 ₡488

108.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CA$1.77

$3.13 ₡1,403

-60.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 CA$19.53

$6.11 ₡2,739

126.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.27 CA$20.18

$20.14 ₡9,031

-29.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.10

$2.80 ₡1,254

-21.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.44

$3.58 ₡1,606

-32.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$1.18 ₡527

102.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$157

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$2.51 ₡1,124

15.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 CA$1.69

$1.57 ₡703

-23.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.38 CA$30.23

$8.48 ₡3,803

152.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.54 ₡692

-21.43%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$22.3K ₡10.0M

26.21%

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

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$35.5K ₡15.9M

-43.00%

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

$120 CA$170

$93.5 ₡41.9K

28.74%

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

$32.26 CA$45.60

$36.26 ₡16.3K

-11.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.93 CA$67.8

$58.4 ₡26.2K

-17.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.48 CA$54.4

$63.0 ₡28.3K

-38.93%

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

$991 ₡444.6K

-16.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K CA$32.6K

$16.8K ₡7.5M

37.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 CA$71.7

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-28.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 CA$56.6

$55.6 ₡25.0K

-28.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 CA$139

$129 ₡58.0K

-24.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 CA$171

$133 ₡59.5K

-9.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 CA$2,251

$740 ₡332.0K

115.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 CA$1,994

$649 ₡291.2K

117.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 CA$3,775

$2,069 ₡927.9K

29.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 CA$3,042

$1,274 ₡571.5K

68.83%

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 Rafael: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1%

San Rafael

$649 37.5% 54% $761

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.3%

San Rafael

$398 23% 17.1% $58

Eating Out

Toronto

$278 10.9%

San Rafael

$229 13.2% 17.5% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.8%

San Rafael

$188 10.9% 6.2% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$139 5.4%

San Rafael

$175 10.1% 25.4% $35

Getting Around

Toronto

$129 5.1%

San Rafael

$15 * 0.9% 88.4% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.5%

San Rafael

$78 4.5% 23.4% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,592 in Toronto versus $740 in San Rafael. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Toronto versus $62.0 in San Rafael. Groceries tell a different story – $340 in Toronto vs $398 in San Rafael – so Toronto wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇷 San Rafael

🕒 Local time

06:48 6:48 AM

04:48 4:48 AM

2 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

30,000

💱 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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Between locations

Toronto San Rafael 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
San Rafael

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 Rafael: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,561 in Toronto, $1,732 in San Rafael – roughly 48% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,841 per month in Toronto and $2,599 in San Rafael. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Rafael, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Toronto and $62.0 in San Rafael. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Toronto – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in San Rafael, where all-in costs run around $1,732, than in Toronto at $2,561. In San Rafael it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Rafael – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with San Rafael. 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.