Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Turrialba and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Turrialba: $1,726 a month against $2,610 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Turrialba
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Turrialba Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Turrialba

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,726

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,610

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Turrialba 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 Turrialba and in Toronto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,726 in Turrialba versus $2,610 in Toronto.

Turrialba $1,726
Toronto $2,610

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,753 in Turrialba versus $3,727 in Toronto.

Turrialba $2,753
Toronto $3,727

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,779 in Turrialba versus $4,844 in Toronto.

Turrialba $3,779
Toronto $4,844

Living in Turrialba costs roughly 34% less than in Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Turrialba 27% above, Toronto 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.97 ₡5,370

$17.59 CA$24.87

-31.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$78.8 CA$111

-22.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 ₡5,283

$10.73 CA$15.16

9.79%

Cappuccino

$4.34 ₡1,946

$4.09 CA$5.78

6.11%

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

$2.75 ₡1,233

$2.10 CA$2.97

30.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡871

$1.72 CA$2.43

12.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,488

$6.36 CA$8.99

-47.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 ₡1,973

$7.08 CA$10.01

-37.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.54 CA$3.59

-7.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 ₡1,372

$2.72 CA$3.85

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,134

$2.18 CA$3.09

16.06%

Eggs

$3.60 ₡1,612

$3.63 CA$5.13

-0.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,726

$9.46 CA$13.37

11.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,630

$11.54 CA$16.32

-10.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 ₡6,352

$14.37 CA$20.32

-1.46%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 ₡2,273

$3.70 CA$5.23

37.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.19 CA$1.68

31.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,124

$3.46 CA$4.90

36.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 ₡1,782

$4.22 CA$5.97

-5.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,754

$1.79 CA$2.52

118.44%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 ₡1,663

$1.65 CA$2.33

124.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡505

$2.20 CA$3.11

-48.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,431

$1.26 CA$1.78

153.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.07 ₡2,724

$13.97 CA$19.75

-56.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.24 ₡9,076

$14.20 CA$20.07

42.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 ₡1,274

$2.25 CA$3.18

26.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ₡1,613

$2.53 CA$3.58

42.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 ₡574

$2.32 CA$3.28

-44.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 CA$158

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 ₡1,101

$3.06 CA$4.33

-19.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡704

$1.22 CA$1.72

28.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ₡3,948

$21.69 CA$30.66

-59.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡671

$1.21 CA$1.72

23.97%

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

$22.2K ₡10.0M

$26.1K CA$37.0K

-14.91%

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

$34.6K ₡15.5M

$21.1K CA$29.9K

63.57%

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

$96.4 ₡43.2K

$120 CA$169

-19.39%

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

$35.27 ₡15.8K

$32.21 CA$45.54

9.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 ₡26.5K

$48.88 CA$69.1

21.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.7 ₡33.0K

$39.34 CA$55.6

87.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.58 CA$33.34

Cinema Ticket

$7.87 ₡3,527

$12.58 CA$17.79

-37.44%

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

$993 ₡445.3K

$832 CA$1,176

19.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K ₡7.8M

$23.6K CA$33.4K

-26.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.0 ₡32.3K

$52.3 CA$73.9

37.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.4 ₡25.3K

$39.44 CA$55.8

43.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.5K

$99.0 CA$140

29.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.1K

$122 CA$172

9.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$808 ₡362.3K

$1,631 CA$2,306

-50.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₡280.7K

$1,448 CA$2,048

-56.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 ₡838.7K

$2,737 CA$3,869

-31.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₡577.2K

$2,129 CA$3,010

-39.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,206 CA$11.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,838 CA$9,666

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,520 CA$4,976

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.47

92.84%

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

Last update for Turrialba: October 19, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Turrialba

$626 36.3%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.5% 131% $823

Groceries & Markets

Turrialba

$402 23.3%

Toronto

$343 13.1% 14.6% $59

Eating Out

Turrialba

$227 13.2%

Toronto

$283 10.9% 24.5% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Turrialba

$191 11.1%

Toronto

$201 7.7% 5.1% $9.8

Clothing & Footwear

Turrialba

$176 10.2%

Toronto

$141 5.4% 19.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Turrialba

$89 5.2%

Toronto

$65 2.5% 27.8% $25

Getting Around

Turrialba

$15 * 0.9%

Toronto

$130 5% 744% $115

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 $808 in Turrialba and $1,631 in Toronto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Turrialba vs $79.0 in Toronto. Groceries flip the comparison at $402 vs $343, with Toronto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Turrialba

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

06:07 6:07 AM

08:07 8:07 AM

2 h ahead of Turrialba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,000

2,731,571

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Turrialba Toronto 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Turrialba
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

Turrialba vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Turrialba is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and transport. The 51% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,589 in Turrialba and $3,916 in Toronto to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $808 in Turrialba versus $1,631 in Toronto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $993 in Turrialba versus $832 in Toronto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Turrialba – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $79.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,726 in Turrialba versus $2,610 in Toronto, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Turrialba but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Turrialba 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.

Safety-wise, Turrialba and Toronto are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Turrialba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.