Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Santa Marta

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Marta: $1,436 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Santa Marta
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Santa Marta Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,561 in Toronto versus $1,436 in Santa Marta.

Toronto $2,561
Santa Marta $1,436

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,694 in Toronto versus $1,691 in Santa Marta.

Toronto $3,694
Santa Marta $1,691

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,826 in Toronto versus $1,946 in Santa Marta.

Toronto $4,826
Santa Marta $1,946

Living in Toronto is roughly 78% more expensive than in Santa Marta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 90% above, Santa Marta 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 CA$24.29

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 CA$107

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.89

Cappuccino

$4.02 CA$5.68

$3.85 COP 12.2K

4.42%

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

$2.12 CA$3.00

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.83

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 CA$10.02

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$1.52 COP 4,834

60.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.78

$2.15 COP 6,825

24.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$1.18 COP 3,737

89.83%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.03

$2.55 COP 8,070

39.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 CA$12.85

$8.18 COP 25.9K

11.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.01

$9.79 COP 31.0K

15.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 CA$20.55

$11.43 COP 36.2K

27.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.12

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-12.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$0.98 COP 3,110

23.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.09

$1.12 COP 3,553

221.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.96

$1.99 COP 6,308

111.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$0.91 COP 2,881

96.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$1.54 COP 4,888

3.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$0.97 COP 3,081

134.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CA$1.77

$0.64 COP 2,037

95.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 CA$19.53

$4.10 COP 13.0K

237.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.27 CA$20.18

$17.44 COP 55.3K

-18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.10

$1.44 COP 4,566

52.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.44

$1.42 COP 4,507

71.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$0.97 COP 3,086

146.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$157

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$3.20 COP 10.2K

-9.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 CA$1.69

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.38 CA$30.23

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.29 COP 4,104

-6.20%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$24.0K COP 75.9M

17.63%

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

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$33.6K COP 106.6M

-39.75%

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

$120 CA$170

$154 COP 489.7K

-22.07%

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

$32.26 CA$45.60

$9.26 COP 29.3K

248.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.93 CA$67.8

$22.25 COP 70.6K

115.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.48 CA$54.4

$31.58 COP 100.1K

21.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 CA$32.46

Cinema Ticket

$12.38 CA$17.50

$5.07 COP 16.1K

144.18%

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

$830 CA$1,173

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K CA$32.6K

$10.8K COP 34.1M

114.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 CA$71.7

$86.9 COP 275.6K

-41.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 CA$56.6

$63.5 COP 201.4K

-37.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 CA$139

$92.6 COP 293.6K

5.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 CA$171

$88.2 COP 279.6K

36.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 CA$2,251

$1,088 COP 3.5M

46.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 CA$1,994

$743 COP 2.4M

89.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 CA$3,775

$1,098 COP 3.5M

143.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 CA$3,042

$628 COP 2.0M

242.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,945 CA$11.2K

$1,098 COP 3.5M

623.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,542 CA$9,249

$1,216 COP 3.9M

437.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,727 CA$5,269

$534 COP 1.7M

597.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

19.54

-77.12%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Last update for Santa Marta: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1%

Santa Marta

$743 51.8% 47.3% $668

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.3%

Santa Marta

$263 18.3% 22.7% $77

Eating Out

Toronto

$278 10.9%

Santa Marta

$46 * 3.2% 83.4% $232

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.8%

Santa Marta

$186 13% 7.3% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$139 5.4%

Santa Marta

$149 10.4% 7.1% $9.8

Getting Around

Toronto

$129 5.1%

Santa Marta

$7.1 * 0.5% 94.5% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.5%

Santa Marta

$42 2.9% 34% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,592 in Toronto and $1,088 in Santa Marta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 597% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇨🇴 Santa Marta

🕒 Local time

02:45 2:45 AM

01:45 1:45 AM

1 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

500,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, 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).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Toronto Santa Marta 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Santa Marta

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 Marta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Marta wins on cost – living expenses run 78% lower than in Toronto. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santa Marta the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 597% 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: $1,592 in Toronto versus $1,088 in Santa Marta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Toronto. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,561 per month in Toronto versus $1,436 in Santa Marta – a 78% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,436 in Santa Marta versus $2,561 in Toronto, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Santa Marta but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Marta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Santa Marta delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,436 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Santa Marta hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Santa Marta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.