Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Santa Ana

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Ana: $1,026 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 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
50

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

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,026

/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 $1,026 in Santa Ana, rent included.

Toronto $2,561
Santa Ana $1,026

A couple spends around $3,694 per month in Toronto vs $1,625 in Santa Ana, rent included.

Toronto $3,694
Santa Ana $1,625

A family of three spends $4,826 per month in Toronto vs $2,225 in Santa Ana, rent included.

Toronto $4,826
Santa Ana $2,225

Toronto costs about 150% more than Santa Ana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Toronto sits 90% above the global median, while Santa Ana is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 CA$24.41

$6.80 $6.80

152.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 CA$108

$44.56 $44.56

70.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.97

$6.93 $6.93

52.09%

Cappuccino

$4.02 CA$5.71

$3.64 $3.64

10.44%

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

$2.12 CA$3.01

$1.17 $1.17

81.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.49

$0.82 $0.82

113.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.87

$2.05 $2.05

204.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 CA$10.07

$3.46 $3.46

104.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 CA$3.46

$1.80 $1.80

35.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.80

$2.86 $2.86

-6.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.18

$1.39 $1.39

61.15%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.06

$2.97 $2.97

19.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 CA$12.91

$7.49 $7.49

21.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.09

$7.00 $7.00

61.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 CA$20.65

$10.29 $10.29

41.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.14

$5.02 $5.02

-27.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.38 $1.38

-12.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.12

$2.68 $2.68

34.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.99

$3.55 $3.55

18.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.54

$2.98 $2.98

-39.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.26

$3.23 $3.23

-50.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CA$3.22

$1.01 $1.01

124.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CA$1.78

$0.99 $0.99

26.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 CA$19.63

$3.96 $3.96

248.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.27 CA$20.28

$11.77 $11.77

21.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.12

$2.17 $2.17

1.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$2.98 $2.98

-18.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 CA$3.40

$0.29 $0.29

724.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$158

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 CA$4.14

$5.96 $5.96

-51.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 CA$1.70

$2.94 $2.94

-59.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.38 CA$30.38

$19.64 $19.64

8.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$0.95 $0.95

27.37%

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

$28.2K CA$40.0K

$22.8K $22.8K

23.54%

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

$20.3K CA$28.8K

$26.8K $26.8K

-24.30%

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

$120 CA$171

$40.10 $40.10

200.12%

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

$32.26 CA$45.82

$20.97 $20.97

53.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.93 CA$68.1

$38.73 $38.73

23.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.48 CA$54.7

$34.57 $34.57

11.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 CA$32.62

Cinema Ticket

$12.38 CA$17.59

$4.97 $4.97

149.09%

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

$830 CA$1,179

$162 $162

410.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K CA$32.8K

$4,797 $4,797

381.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 CA$72.0

$67.5 $67.5

-24.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 CA$56.9

$46.93 $46.93

-14.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 CA$139

$120 $120

-18.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 CA$171

$117 $117

2.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 CA$2,262

$640 $640

148.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 CA$2,004

$271 $271

420.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 CA$3,793

$1,019 $1,019

162.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 CA$3,057

$448 $448

380.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,945 CA$11.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,542 CA$9,294

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,727 CA$5,295

$457 $457

716.01%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Santa Ana: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1%

Santa Ana

$271 26.4% 80.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.3%

Santa Ana

$286 27.9% 15.8% $54

Eating Out

Toronto

$278 10.9%

Santa Ana

$144 14% 48.2% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.8%

Santa Ana

$100 9.7% 50.2% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$139 5.4%

Santa Ana

$158 15.5% 13.8% $19

Getting Around

Toronto

$129 5.1%

Santa Ana

$22 * 2.1% 83.2% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.5%

Santa Ana

$45 4.3% 29.6% $19

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 $640 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 716% 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 $45.00 in Santa Ana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $286 – making Santa Ana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇸🇻 Santa Ana

🕒 Local time

18:14 6:14 PM

16:14 4:14 PM

2 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

167,200

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Toronto Santa Ana 3,440 km ≈ 4 h 45 min 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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,561 in Toronto, $1,026 in Santa Ana – roughly 150% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,841 per month in Toronto and $1,538 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 $1,026 in Santa Ana. That's a gap of about 150%.

Kindergarten costs $830 per month in Toronto and $162 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 $1,026, 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.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Ana – 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 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.