Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Santa Ana

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Ana: $2,018 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Toronto outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Santa Ana
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Santa Ana Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Santa Ana

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Santa Ana

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

A single person spends $2,561 per month in Toronto vs $2,018 in Santa Ana, rent included.

Toronto $2,561
Santa Ana $2,018

A couple spends around $3,694 per month in Toronto vs $3,233 in Santa Ana, rent included.

Toronto $3,694
Santa Ana $3,233

A family of three spends $4,826 per month in Toronto vs $4,447 in Santa Ana, rent included.

Toronto $4,826
Santa Ana $4,447

Toronto costs about 27% more than Santa Ana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Toronto and Santa Ana sit above the global median – Toronto by 90%, Santa Ana by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 CA$24.29

$12.04 ₡5,401

42.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 CA$107

$62.6 ₡28.1K

21.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.89

$11.78 ₡5,285

-10.53%

Cappuccino

$4.02 CA$5.68

$4.40 ₡1,975

-8.64%

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

$2.12 CA$3.00

$2.14 ₡959

-0.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$1.37 ₡613

27.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.83

$3.36 ₡1,508

85.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 CA$10.02

$4.27 ₡1,917

66.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$2.21 ₡993

10.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.78

$3.12 ₡1,400

-14.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$2.51 ₡1,127

-10.76%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.03

$3.47 ₡1,554

2.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 CA$12.85

$10.87 ₡4,876

-16.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.01

$10.40 ₡4,664

8.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 CA$20.55

$14.19 ₡6,364

2.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.12

$5.10 ₡2,289

-29.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.65 ₡742

-26.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.09

$4.65 ₡2,086

-22.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.96

$3.98 ₡1,785

5.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$3.93 ₡1,761

-54.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$3.60 ₡1,615

-55.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.12 ₡500

102.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CA$1.77

$1.80 ₡808

-30.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 CA$19.53

$6.11 ₡2,738

126.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.27 CA$20.18

$17.77 ₡7,970

-19.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.10

$2.88 ₡1,293

-23.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.44

$2.69 ₡1,207

-9.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 CA$3.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$157

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$2.49 ₡1,116

16.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 CA$1.69

$1.56 ₡698

-23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.38 CA$30.23

$8.59 ₡3,852

148.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.55 ₡694

-21.94%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

30.45%

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

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$34.6K ₡15.5M

-41.46%

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

$120 CA$170

$93.7 ₡42.0K

28.51%

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

$32.26 CA$45.60

$32.78 ₡14.7K

-1.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.93 CA$67.8

$50.0 ₡22.4K

-4.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.48 CA$54.4

$157 ₡70.4K

-75.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 CA$32.46

$22.25 ₡9,980

3.19%

Cinema Ticket

$12.38 CA$17.50

$7.78 ₡3,490

59.13%

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

$830 CA$1,173

$983 ₡440.6K

-15.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K CA$32.6K

$17.4K ₡7.8M

32.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 CA$71.7

$65.4 ₡29.3K

-22.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 CA$56.6

$56.0 ₡25.1K

-28.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 CA$139

$127 ₡57.2K

-23.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 CA$171

$132 ₡59.0K

-8.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 CA$2,251

$1,055 ₡473.0K

50.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 CA$1,994

$885 ₡396.9K

59.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 CA$3,775

$2,955 ₡1.3M

-9.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 CA$3,042

$1,844 ₡827.1K

16.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,945 CA$11.2K

$2,727 ₡1.2M

191.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,542 CA$9,249

$1,657 ₡743.2K

294.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,727 CA$5,269

$1,402 ₡628.9K

165.74%

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 Santa Ana: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1%

Santa Ana

$885 43.9% 37.2% $525

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.3%

Santa Ana

$379 18.8% 11.5% $39

Eating Out

Toronto

$278 10.9%

Santa Ana

$224 11.1% 19.5% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.8%

Santa Ana

$176 8.7% 12% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$139 5.4%

Santa Ana

$171 8.5% 22.9% $32

Getting Around

Toronto

$129 5.1%

Santa Ana

$10 * 0.5% 92.1% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.5%

Santa Ana

$173 8.6% 173% $109

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 $1,055 in Santa Ana. 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 166% 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 $76.0 in Toronto versus $63.0 in Santa Ana. Groceries tell a different story – $340 in Toronto vs $379 in Santa Ana – so Toronto wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇷 Santa Ana

🕒 Local time

07:55 7:55 AM

05:55 5:55 AM

2 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

13,000

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Santa Ana 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Santa Ana

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 Santa Ana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto costs about 27% more than Santa Ana, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,841 per month in Toronto and $3,027 in Santa Ana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,561 in Toronto and $2,018 in Santa Ana. That's a gap of about 27%.

Kindergarten costs $830 per month in Toronto and $983 in Santa Ana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Ana, where all-in costs run around $2,018, than in Toronto at $2,561. In Santa Ana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Santa Ana costs $2,018 versus $2,561 in Toronto. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Santa Ana. 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.