Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Surprise, AZ

For one person, living is cheaper in Surprise, AZ: $1,305 a month against $2,530 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Surprise, AZ
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Surprise, AZ Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Surprise, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$1,305

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Surprise, AZ

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,530 in Toronto versus $1,305 in Surprise, AZ.

Toronto $2,530
Surprise, AZ $1,305

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,646 in Toronto versus $3,606 in Surprise, AZ.

Toronto $3,646
Surprise, AZ $3,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,761 in Toronto versus $5,906 in Surprise, AZ.

Toronto $4,761
Surprise, AZ $5,906

Living in Toronto is roughly 94% more expensive than in Surprise, AZ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toronto is 89% above, Surprise, AZ is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.67 CA$25.19

$20.25 $20.25

-12.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.4 CA$110

$84.2 $84.2

-8.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 CA$14.93

$12.84 $12.84

-18.46%

Cappuccino

$4.08 CA$5.82

$6.01 $6.01

-32.11%

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

$2.12 CA$3.02

$2.65 $2.65

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 CA$2.51

$2.46 $2.46

-28.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 CA$8.80

$7.20 $7.20

-14.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 CA$9.83

$8.13 $8.13

-15.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 CA$3.47

$1.00 $1.00

143.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 CA$3.92

$3.52 $3.52

-21.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 CA$3.18

$5.19 $5.19

-57.03%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.91

$4.73 $4.73

-27.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 CA$12.74

$13.40 $13.40

-33.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 CA$16.31

$11.30 $11.30

1.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.61 CA$20.83

$14.80 $14.80

-1.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.34

$4.61 $4.61

-18.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 CA$1.64

$1.94 $1.94

-40.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 CA$5.06

$3.88 $3.88

-8.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 CA$6.11

$4.21 $4.21

1.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.63

$2.55 $2.55

-27.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 CA$2.38

$2.88 $2.88

-42.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$2.13 $2.13

4.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$2.17 $2.17

-44.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.88 CA$19.79

$10.66 $10.66

30.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$20.32

$13.77 $13.77

3.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.13

$2.51 $2.51

-12.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 CA$3.45

$3.19 $3.19

-24.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 CA$3.45

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$158

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 CA$4.13

$2.80 $2.80

3.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.80

$1.40 $1.40

-10.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.03 CA$31.41

$35.29 $35.29

-37.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.74

$1.13 $1.13

7.96%

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

$27.6K CA$39.4K

$36.7K $36.7K

-24.77%

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

$19.8K CA$28.3K

$25.3K $25.3K

-21.66%

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

$122 CA$174

$197 $197

-38.12%

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

$32.03 CA$45.67

$62.6 $62.6

-48.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.92 CA$68.3

$73.8 $73.8

-35.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.90 CA$55.5

$60.8 $60.8

-36.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.24 CA$33.13

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 CA$17.98

$13.16 $13.16

-4.18%

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

$834 CA$1,189

$1,090 $1,090

-23.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K CA$33.3K

$15.6K $15.6K

49.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 CA$75.0

$56.0 $56.0

-6.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.26 CA$57.4

$44.17 $44.17

-8.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 CA$137

$99.9 $99.9

-3.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 CA$175

$115 $115

6.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 CA$2,279

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 CA$2,046

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,657 CA$3,788

$2,116 $2,116

25.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 CA$2,989

$3,030 $3,030

-30.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,033 CA$11.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,557 CA$9,350

$1,591 $1,591

312.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,743 CA$5,337

$4,222 $4,222

-11.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

6.44

-30.59%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Last update for Surprise, AZ: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4%

Surprise, AZ

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.1%

Surprise, AZ

$392 29.9% 15.1% $52

Eating Out

Toronto

$282 10.9%

Surprise, AZ

$345 26.4% 22.5% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$202 7.8%

Surprise, AZ

$333 25.5% 65.2% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$140 5.4%

Surprise, AZ

$142 10.8% 1.1% $1.6

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Surprise, AZ

$9.8 * 0.8% 92.4% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$64 2.5%

Surprise, AZ

$87 6.7% 35.8% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

Surprise, AZ pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $77.0 in Toronto vs $84.0 in Surprise, AZ for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $392 per month, with Toronto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇺🇸 Surprise, AZ

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

02:46 2:46 AM

3 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

143,148

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.701 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 12, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Toronto Surprise, AZ 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Surprise, AZ

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 Surprise, AZ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto and Surprise, AZ differ by about 94% in total monthly costs ($2,530 vs $1,305 including rent). Surprise, AZ is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Surprise, AZ. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Shoppers in Toronto pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,530 per month in Toronto versus $1,305 in Surprise, AZ – a 94% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,305 in Surprise, AZ versus $2,530 in Toronto, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surprise, AZ but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Surprise, AZ 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 Surprise, AZ gentler on the wallet – expenses run 94% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.