Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Tijuana

For one person, living is cheaper in Tijuana: $1,303 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Tijuana
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Tijuana Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Tijuana

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Tijuana

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

A single person spends $2,530 per month in Toronto vs $1,303 in Tijuana, rent included.

Toronto $2,530
Tijuana $1,303

A couple spends around $3,646 per month in Toronto vs $2,067 in Tijuana, rent included.

Toronto $3,646
Tijuana $2,067

A family of three spends $4,761 per month in Toronto vs $2,831 in Tijuana, rent included.

Toronto $4,761
Tijuana $2,831

Toronto costs about 94% more than Tijuana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Toronto sits 89% above the global median, while Tijuana is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.67 CA$25.13

$11.98 MX$218

47.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.4 CA$110

$35.25 MX$641

119.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 CA$14.90

$9.69 MX$176

8.05%

Cappuccino

$4.08 CA$5.80

$4.34 MX$78.9

-5.99%

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

$2.12 CA$3.01

$1.42 MX$25.91

49.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 CA$2.50

$1.22 MX$22.12

44.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 CA$8.78

$3.37 MX$61.3

83.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 CA$9.80

$6.51 MX$118

5.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$1.78 MX$32.32

36.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 CA$3.91

$2.87 MX$52.3

-4.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 CA$3.17

$1.81 MX$32.83

23.20%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.90

$3.25 MX$59.2

6.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 CA$12.71

$8.15 MX$148

9.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 CA$16.27

$7.55 MX$137

51.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.61 CA$20.78

$12.06 MX$219

21.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.33

$2.87 MX$52.3

30.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 CA$1.63

$1.68 MX$30.47

-31.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 CA$5.05

$1.90 MX$34.47

86.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 CA$6.09

$1.67 MX$30.31

156.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.62

$1.59 MX$28.96

16.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 CA$2.37

$1.87 MX$34.10

-10.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 CA$3.15

$1.52 MX$27.59

46.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.03 MX$18.73

17.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.88 CA$19.74

$4.42 MX$80.3

214.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$20.27

$8.24 MX$150

72.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.12

$2.17 MX$39.55

1.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 CA$3.44

$4.11 MX$74.8

-41.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 CA$3.44

$1.13 MX$20.54

114.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$158

$30.84 MX$561

259.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 CA$4.12

$2.84 MX$51.6

2.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.79

$2.26 MX$41.05

-44.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.03 CA$31.33

$19.42 MX$353

13.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.74

$1.54 MX$28.01

-20.78%

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

$27.6K CA$39.3K

$21.5K MX$391.6K

28.36%

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

$19.8K CA$28.2K

$24.7K MX$449.7K

-19.82%

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

$122 CA$173

$46.78 MX$851

160.54%

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

$32.03 CA$45.56

$34.62 MX$630

-7.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.92 CA$68.2

$29.93 MX$544

60.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.90 CA$55.3

$41.13 MX$748

-5.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.24 CA$33.05

$8.05 MX$147

188.70%

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 CA$17.94

$6.91 MX$126

82.49%

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

$834 CA$1,186

$209 MX$3,803

298.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K CA$33.2K

$4,606 MX$83.8K

406.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 CA$74.8

$54.3 MX$987

-3.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.26 CA$57.3

$47.02 MX$855

-14.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 CA$137

$104 MX$1,885

-7.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 CA$175

$70.0 MX$1,274

75.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 CA$2,273

$868 MX$15.8K

84.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 CA$2,041

$481 MX$8,746

198.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,657 CA$3,779

$1,553 MX$28.2K

71.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 CA$2,981

$905 MX$16.5K

131.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,033 CA$11.4K

$3,095 MX$56.3K

159.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,557 CA$9,327

$2,713 MX$49.3K

141.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,743 CA$5,324

$951 MX$17.3K

293.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

12.07

-62.97%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Last update for Tijuana: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4%

Tijuana

$481 36.8% 66.5% $954

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.1%

Tijuana

$268 20.5% 21.2% $72

Eating Out

Toronto

$282 10.9%

Tijuana

$217 16.7% 22.9% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$202 7.8%

Tijuana

$111 8.5% 44.8% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$140 5.4%

Tijuana

$124 9.5% 11.9% $17

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Tijuana

$49 3.8% 61.8% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$64 2.5%

Tijuana

$55 4.2% 14.3% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,598 in Toronto versus $868 in Tijuana. 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 294% 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 $77.0 in Toronto versus $35.00 in Tijuana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $268 – making Tijuana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇲🇽 Tijuana

🕒 Local time

02:16 2:16 AM

23:16 11:16 PM

3 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

1,810,645

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Toronto Tijuana 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Tijuana

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 Tijuana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto costs about 94% more than Tijuana, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,795 per month in Toronto and $1,955 in Tijuana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tijuana, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 259% less in Tijuana. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $834 per month in Toronto and $209 in Tijuana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tijuana, where all-in costs run around $1,303, than in Toronto at $2,530. In Tijuana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tijuana – 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 Tijuana. 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.