Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tucson, AZ and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Tucson, AZ: $2,394 a month against $2,530 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Toronto outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

114

Cost of Living Index in Tucson, AZ
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Tucson, AZ Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Tucson, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,394

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Tucson, AZ and in Toronto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,394 in Tucson, AZ versus $2,530 in Toronto.

Tucson, AZ $2,394
Toronto $2,530

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,411 in Tucson, AZ versus $3,646 in Toronto.

Tucson, AZ $3,411
Toronto $3,646

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,429 in Tucson, AZ versus $4,761 in Toronto.

Tucson, AZ $4,429
Toronto $4,761

Living in Tucson, AZ costs roughly 5% less than in Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tucson, AZ 79% above, Toronto 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.42 $19.42

$17.67 CA$25.13

9.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 $79.1

$77.4 CA$110

2.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.06 $13.06

$10.47 CA$14.90

24.74%

Cappuccino

$5.34 $5.34

$4.08 CA$5.80

30.88%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$2.12 CA$3.01

26.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.76 CA$2.50

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.94 $6.94

$6.17 CA$8.78

12.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.42 $7.42

$6.89 CA$9.80

7.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$2.43 CA$3.46

-58.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.75 CA$3.91

22.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$2.23 CA$3.17

126.46%

Eggs

$4.77 $4.77

$3.45 CA$4.90

38.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.64 $13.64

$8.93 CA$12.71

52.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.21 $11.21

$11.44 CA$16.27

-2.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.16 $17.16

$14.61 CA$20.78

17.45%

Apples (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$3.75 CA$5.33

19.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.15 CA$1.63

67.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$3.55 CA$5.05

9.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$4.28 CA$6.09

-2.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.85 CA$2.62

38.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.67 CA$2.37

73.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 $2.12

$2.22 CA$3.15

-4.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.21 CA$1.72

78.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.63 $10.63

$13.88 CA$19.74

-23.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.69 $13.69

$14.25 CA$20.27

-3.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.20 CA$3.12

10.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.42 CA$3.44

55.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 CA$3.44

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$158

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.90 CA$4.12

-3.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.26 CA$1.79

7.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.74 $35.74

$22.03 CA$31.33

62.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.22 CA$1.74

-8.20%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$27.6K CA$39.3K

32.64%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$19.8K CA$28.2K

31.02%

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

$196 $196

$122 CA$173

61.09%

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

$61.9 $61.9

$32.03 CA$45.56

93.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.0 $75.0

$47.92 CA$68.2

56.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.79 $36.79

$38.90 CA$55.3

-5.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.81 $9.81

$23.24 CA$33.05

-57.79%

Cinema Ticket

$13.23 $13.23

$12.61 CA$17.94

4.92%

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

$1,096 $1,096

$834 CA$1,186

31.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K $15.6K

$23.3K CA$33.2K

-33.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 $56.2

$52.6 CA$74.8

6.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.71 $43.71

$40.26 CA$57.3

8.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 $99.9

$96.2 CA$137

3.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$123 CA$175

-6.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,394 $1,394

$1,598 CA$2,273

-12.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,074 $1,074

$1,435 CA$2,041

-25.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,106 $2,106

$2,657 CA$3,779

-20.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,655 $1,655

$2,096 CA$2,981

-21.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,436 $3,436

$8,033 CA$11.4K

-57.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,576 $2,576

$6,557 CA$9,327

-60.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,250 $4,250

$3,743 CA$5,324

13.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.44

4.47

44.07%

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

Last update for Tucson, AZ: October 3, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tucson, AZ

$1.1K 45.8%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4% 33.6% $361

Groceries & Markets

Tucson, AZ

$397 16.9%

Toronto

$340 13.1% 14.3% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tucson, AZ

$333 14.2%

Toronto

$202 7.8% 39.4% $131

Eating Out

Tucson, AZ

$328 14%

Toronto

$282 10.9% 14% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Tucson, AZ

$142 6%

Toronto

$140 5.4% 0.8% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Tucson, AZ

$63 2.7%

Toronto

$64 2.5% 1.4% $0.9

Getting Around

Tucson, AZ

$9.6 * 0.4%

Toronto

$130 5% 1254% $120

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 $1,394 in Tucson, AZ and $1,598 in Toronto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tucson, AZ pays 14% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $79.0 in Tucson, AZ vs $77.0 in Toronto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $397 vs $340 per month, with Toronto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Tucson, AZ

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

22:16 10:16 PM

01:16 1:16 AM

3 h ahead of Tucson, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,116

2,731,571

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

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).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tucson, AZ Toronto 3,020 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tucson, AZ
Toronto

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

Tucson, AZ vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tucson, AZ is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 14% higher in Tucson, AZ, 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: $1,394 in Tucson, AZ versus $1,598 in Toronto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,096 in Tucson, AZ versus $834 in Toronto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tucson, AZ – a meal for two runs $79.0 versus $77.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,394 in Tucson, AZ versus $2,530 in Toronto, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Tucson, AZ but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Tucson, 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 Tucson, AZ gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.