Cost of living comparison

Canada

compared to

United States

Santa Monica vs. Toronto Cost of Living Summary

Santa Monica is 53.1% more expensive than Toronto.

Restaurants: pay 47.3% more in Santa Monica
Groceries: pay 39.5% more in Santa Monica
Transportation: pay 6.7% more in Santa Monica
Housing: pay 98.1% more in Santa Monica
Childcare: pay 66.8% more in Santa Monica
Entertainment and Sports: pay 45.7% more in Santa Monica
Clothing: pay 25.7% more in Santa Monica

The cost of housing, childcare, restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, and clothing in Santa Monica are more expensive than in Toronto. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in Santa Monica.

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Santa Monica vs. Toronto Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Santa Monica instead of Toronto, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 47.3% more for restaurants

	Toronto	Santa Monica
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$17.53 CA$24.82	$26.50	+51.1%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$10.52 CA$14.89	$15.00	+42.6%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.08 CA$2.94	$3.23	+55.6%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.71 CA$2.42	$2.38	+38.8%
Average			+47.3%

Toronto vs. Santa Monica - Cost of restaurants

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pay 39.5% more for groceries

	Toronto	Santa Monica
Bread 1 loaf	$2.74 CA$3.88	$4.68	+70.9%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.56 CA$6.46	$7.99	+75.1%
Milk (1 gallon)	$9.44 CA$13.37	$5.24	-44.5%
Eggs 1 dozen	$3.54 CA$5.01	$5.84	+65.1%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$5.16 CA$7.30	$6.33	+22.8%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.68 CA$2.38	$2.15	+27.6%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.54 CA$0.76	$1.03	+91.3%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.59 CA$2.25	$1.83	+14.9%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.95 CA$2.76	$2.57	+32.0%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.82 CA$1.17	$1.46	+77.3%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.73 CA$1.04	$1.30	+76.4%
Average			+39.5%

Toronto vs. Santa Monica - Cost of groceries

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pay 6.7% more for transportation

	Toronto	Santa Monica
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.68 CA$6.62	$5.65	+20.9%
Monthly public transit pass	$109.41 CA$154.90	$67.50	-38.3%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$27,760.48 CA$39,301.90	$36,998.00	+33.3%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$12.80 CA$18.12	$17.91	+39.9%
Average			+6.7%

Toronto vs. Santa Monica - Cost of transportation

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pay 98.1% more for housing

	Toronto	Santa Monica
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$47.87 CA$67.77	$65.20	+36.2%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,584.56 CA$2,243.34	$3,375.00	+113.0%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$1,416.89 CA$2,005.96	$2,833.33	+100.0%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$92.23 CA$130.57	$166.32	+80.3%
Average			+98.1%

Toronto vs. Santa Monica - Cost of housing

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pay 66.8% more for childcare

	Toronto	Santa Monica
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$824.14 CA$1,166.78	$1,676.09	+103.4%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$23,500.21 CA$33,270.42	$32,155.00	+36.8%
Average			+66.8%

Toronto vs. Santa Monica - Cost of childcare

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pay 45.7% more for entertainment and sports

	Toronto	Santa Monica
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$6.31 CA$8.94	$8.00	+26.7%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.97 CA$5.62	$5.86	+47.6%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$14.03 CA$19.86	$11.71	-16.5%
Monthly membership at local gym	$38.35 CA$54.29	$72.00	+87.8%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$12.62 CA$17.87	$19.75	+56.4%
Average			+45.7%

Toronto vs. Santa Monica - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 25.7% more for clothing

	Toronto	Santa Monica
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$51.64 CA$73.11	$88.25	+70.9%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$39.51 CA$55.94	$55.00	+39.2%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$98.10 CA$138.88	$104.75	+6.8%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$122.24 CA$173.06	$120.00	-1.8%
Average			+25.7%

Toronto vs. Santa Monica - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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