Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Santa Cruz do Sul

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz do Sul: $949 a month against $2,610 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz do Sul
Learn more

Santa Cruz do Sul Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,610

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,610 in Toronto versus $949 in Santa Cruz do Sul.

Toronto $2,610
Santa Cruz do Sul $949

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,727 in Toronto versus $1,519 in Santa Cruz do Sul.

Toronto $3,727
Santa Cruz do Sul $1,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,844 in Toronto versus $2,089 in Santa Cruz do Sul.

Toronto $4,844
Santa Cruz do Sul $2,089

Living in Toronto is roughly 175% more expensive than in Santa Cruz do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toronto is 93% above, Santa Cruz do Sul is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 CA$24.87

$5.96 R$30.23

195.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 CA$111

$35.87 R$182

119.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 CA$15.16

$7.10 R$35.99

51.13%

Cappuccino

$4.09 CA$5.78

$2.24 R$11.36

82.59%

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

$2.10 CA$2.97

$1.35 R$6.82

55.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 CA$2.43

$0.88 R$4.46

95.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.36 CA$8.99

$1.74 R$8.82

265.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 CA$10.01

$2.70 R$13.70

162.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.54 CA$3.59

$0.88 R$4.45

188.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$1.80 R$9.15

51.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 CA$3.09

$1.39 R$7.07

56.83%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.13

$2.24 R$11.36

62.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 CA$13.37

$8.97 R$45.45

5.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.32

$4.80 R$24.32

140.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.37 CA$20.32

$7.87 R$39.91

82.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.23

$2.18 R$11.06

69.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$1.11 R$5.63

7.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.90

$1.18 R$5.99

193.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 CA$5.97

$1.52 R$7.73

177.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$1.26 R$6.37

42.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 CA$2.33

$1.21 R$6.12

36.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CA$3.11

$0.89 R$4.52

147.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$0.87 R$4.42

44.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 CA$19.75

$2.33 R$11.80

499.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 CA$20.07

$7.22 R$36.60

96.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$1.17 R$5.91

92.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 CA$3.58

$1.99 R$10.11

27.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$0.99 R$5.00

134.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

$48.92 R$248

128.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$1.17 R$5.91

161.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$0.92 R$4.66

32.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.69 CA$30.66

$7.79 R$39.50

178.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.11 R$5.64

9.01%

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

$26.1K CA$37.0K

$20.3K R$103.1K

28.50%

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

$21.1K CA$29.9K

$33.4K R$169.4K

-36.79%

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

$120 CA$169

$86.3 R$438

38.59%

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

$32.21 CA$45.54

$13.08 R$66.3

146.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.88 CA$69.1

$23.04 R$117

112.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.34 CA$55.6

$25.93 R$131

51.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.58 CA$33.34

$24.49 R$124

-3.72%

Cinema Ticket

$12.58 CA$17.79

$7.66 R$38.85

64.23%

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

$832 CA$1,176

$288 R$1,462

188.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K CA$33.4K

$6,499 R$32.9K

263.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 CA$73.9

$49.59 R$251

5.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 CA$55.8

$55.4 R$281

-28.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 CA$140

$99.2 R$503

-0.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 CA$172

$65.8 R$333

85.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 CA$2,306

$533 R$2,702

206.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 CA$2,048

$296 R$1,499

389.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,737 CA$3,869

$927 R$4,697

195.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,129 CA$3,010

$607 R$3,075

251.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,206 CA$11.6K

$1,850 R$9,380

343.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,838 CA$9,666

$1,188 R$6,021

475.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,520 CA$4,976

$373 R$1,889

844.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

-59.36%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 18, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz do Sul: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.5%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$296 31.2% 79.6% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$343 13.1%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$190 20.1% 44.5% $153

Eating Out

Toronto

$283 10.9%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$119 12.5% 58% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.7%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$122 12.9% 39% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$141 5.4%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$121 12.8% 13.6% $19

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$59 6.2% 54.9% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$65 2.5%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$41 4.4% 36% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,631 in Toronto and $533 in Santa Cruz do Sul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 845% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $79.0 in Toronto vs $36.00 in Santa Cruz do Sul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $343 vs $190 per month, with Santa Cruz do Sul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇧🇷 Santa Cruz do Sul

🕒 Local time

20:20 8:20 PM

21:20 9:20 PM

1 h ahead of Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

133,246

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Toronto Santa Cruz do Sul 8,610 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto and Santa Cruz do Sul differ by about 175% in total monthly costs ($2,610 vs $949 including rent). Santa Cruz do Sul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 845% higher in Toronto, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,631 in Toronto versus $533 in Santa Cruz do Sul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Cruz do Sul – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $79.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,610 per month in Toronto versus $949 in Santa Cruz do Sul – a 175% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $949 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $2,610 in Toronto, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz do Sul but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz do Sul 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.

Expats usually find Santa Cruz do Sul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 175% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.