Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Santa Cruz

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $1,758 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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 Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,561 per month in Toronto vs $1,758 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Toronto $2,561
Santa Cruz $1,758

A couple spends around $3,694 per month in Toronto vs $2,778 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Toronto $3,694
Santa Cruz $2,778

A family of three spends $4,826 per month in Toronto vs $3,798 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Toronto $4,826
Santa Cruz $3,798

Toronto costs about 46% more than Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Toronto and Santa Cruz sit above the global median – Toronto by 90%, Santa Cruz by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 CA$24.42

$12.29 ₡5,523

39.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 CA$108

$62.6 ₡28.1K

21.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.97

$10.81 ₡4,856

-2.50%

Cappuccino

$4.02 CA$5.71

$4.58 ₡2,059

-12.23%

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

$2.12 CA$3.01

$2.20 ₡989

-3.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.49

$1.90 ₡854

-7.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.87

$3.31 ₡1,489

88.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 CA$10.07

$4.36 ₡1,958

62.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 CA$3.47

$2.38 ₡1,070

2.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.80

$3.16 ₡1,422

-15.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.18

$2.48 ₡1,113

-9.68%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.06

$3.56 ₡1,599

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 CA$12.92

$10.50 ₡4,717

-13.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.10

$10.51 ₡4,722

7.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 CA$20.66

$14.15 ₡6,359

2.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.15

$5.20 ₡2,336

-30.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.07 ₡482

13.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.12

$4.83 ₡2,170

-25.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.99

$3.91 ₡1,758

7.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.54

$3.87 ₡1,741

-53.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.26

$3.64 ₡1,636

-56.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CA$3.23

$1.13 ₡508

100.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CA$1.78

$3.08 ₡1,383

-59.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 CA$19.64

$5.78 ₡2,596

139.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.27 CA$20.29

$20.18 ₡9,068

-29.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.12

$2.88 ₡1,294

-23.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$3.68 ₡1,654

-33.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 CA$3.40

$1.29 ₡581

85.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$158

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 CA$4.14

$2.50 ₡1,125

16.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 CA$1.70

$1.56 ₡701

-23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.38 CA$30.39

$8.60 ₡3,864

148.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.56 ₡702

-22.44%

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

$28.2K CA$40.0K

$22.1K ₡9.9M

27.72%

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

$20.3K CA$28.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-41.32%

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

$120 CA$171

$94.5 ₡42.4K

27.39%

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

$32.26 CA$45.84

$35.98 ₡16.2K

-10.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.93 CA$68.1

$59.8 ₡26.9K

-19.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.48 CA$54.7

$71.7 ₡32.2K

-46.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 CA$32.63

Cinema Ticket

$12.38 CA$17.59

$6.75 ₡3,034

83.41%

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

$830 CA$1,180

$978 ₡439.3K

-15.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K CA$32.8K

$17.2K ₡7.7M

34.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 CA$72.1

$72.2 ₡32.4K

-29.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 CA$56.9

$56.1 ₡25.2K

-28.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 CA$139

$129 ₡58.0K

-24.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 CA$171

$132 ₡59.1K

-8.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 CA$2,263

$912 ₡409.8K

74.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 CA$2,005

$665 ₡298.7K

112.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 CA$3,795

$1,689 ₡759.1K

58.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 CA$3,058

$1,310 ₡588.5K

64.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,945 CA$11.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,542 CA$9,298

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,727 CA$5,297

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 Cruz: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1%

Santa Cruz

$665 37.8% 52.9% $746

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.3%

Santa Cruz

$400 22.8% 17.7% $60

Eating Out

Toronto

$278 10.9%

Santa Cruz

$227 12.9% 18.2% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.8%

Santa Cruz

$190 10.8% 5.1% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$139 5.4%

Santa Cruz

$175 10% 25.8% $36

Getting Around

Toronto

$129 5.1%

Santa Cruz

$15 * 0.9% 88% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.5%

Santa Cruz

$85 4.9% 34.7% $22

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 $912 in Santa Cruz. 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 $63.0 in Santa Cruz. Groceries tell a different story – $340 in Toronto vs $400 in Santa Cruz – so Toronto wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇷 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

05:10 5:10 AM

2 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

1,665

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Toronto Santa Cruz 3,760 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Santa Cruz

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 Cruz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,561 in Toronto, $1,758 in Santa Cruz – roughly 46% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,841 per month in Toronto and $2,637 in Santa Cruz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Cruz, 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 $1,758 in Santa Cruz. That's a gap of about 46%.

Kindergarten costs $830 per month in Toronto and $978 in Santa Cruz. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Cruz, where all-in costs run around $1,758, than in Toronto at $2,561. In Santa Cruz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Cruz. 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.