Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kabul and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $511 a month against $2,530 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $24,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
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Kabul Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$511

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $511 in Kabul versus $2,530 in Toronto.

Kabul $511
Toronto $2,530

Estimated couple costs with rent: $684 in Kabul versus $3,646 in Toronto.

Kabul $684
Toronto $3,646

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $857 in Kabul versus $4,761 in Toronto.

Kabul $857
Toronto $4,761

Living in Kabul costs roughly 80% less than in Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kabul is 62% below, Toronto is 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.70 ؋175

$17.67 CA$25.19

-84.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.89 ؋511

$77.4 CA$110

-89.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 ؋292

$10.47 CA$14.93

-56.92%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 ؋148

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 ؋122

Cappuccino

$1.09 ؋70.5

$4.08 CA$5.81

-73.28%

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

$0.45 ؋28.95

$2.12 CA$3.02

-78.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ؋10.83

$1.76 CA$2.51

-90.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 CA$8.80

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 CA$9.82

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 ؋52.4

$2.43 CA$3.46

-66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.25 ؋16.23

$2.75 CA$3.92

-90.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 ؋121

$2.23 CA$3.18

-16.59%

Eggs

$1.54 ؋99.7

$3.45 CA$4.91

-55.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.46 ؋289

$8.93 CA$12.73

-50.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 ؋261

$11.44 CA$16.31

-64.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 ؋434

$14.61 CA$20.83

-54.07%

Apples (1kg)

$0.70 ؋45.11

$3.75 CA$5.34

-81.33%

Banana (1kg)

$0.89 ؋57.4

$1.15 CA$1.64

-22.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 ؋61.5

$3.55 CA$5.06

-73.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 ؋35.47

$4.28 CA$6.10

-87.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.34

$1.85 CA$2.63

-67.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 ؋32.74

$1.67 CA$2.38

-69.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ؋19.48

$2.22 CA$3.16

-86.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 ؋23.89

$1.21 CA$1.72

-69.42%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.81 ؋117

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ؋52.0

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ؋65.8

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 ؋157

$13.88 CA$19.78

-82.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$20.31

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.13

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 CA$3.45

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 ؋8.60

$2.42 CA$3.44

-94.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.08 ؋1,366

$111 CA$158

-80.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 ؋138

$2.90 CA$4.13

-26.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 ؋29.02

$1.26 CA$1.80

-64.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 ؋179

$22.03 CA$31.40

-87.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ؋69.9

$1.22 CA$1.74

-11.48%

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

$8,341 ؋540.2K

$27.6K CA$39.4K

-69.81%

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

$33.8K ؋2.2M

$19.8K CA$28.3K

70.37%

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

$42.09 ؋2,726

$122 CA$174

-65.47%

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

$13.12 ؋850

$32.03 CA$45.66

-59.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.3 ؋6,174

$47.92 CA$68.3

98.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.15 ؋722

$38.90 CA$55.5

-71.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.11 ؋266

$23.24 CA$33.12

-82.31%

Cinema Ticket

$2.34 ؋152

$12.61 CA$17.97

-81.44%

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

$20.64 ؋1,337

$834 CA$1,189

-97.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,045 ؋67.7K

$23.3K CA$33.3K

-95.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.71 ؋694

$52.6 CA$75.0

-79.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.93 ؋1,032

$40.26 CA$57.4

-60.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.8 ؋3,741

$96.2 CA$137

-39.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.51 ؋1,652

$123 CA$175

-79.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$125 ؋8,092

$1,598 CA$2,278

-92.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$109 ؋7,043

$1,435 CA$2,045

-92.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 ؋14.2K

$2,657 CA$3,787

-91.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$115 ؋7,463

$2,096 CA$2,988

-94.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$675 ؋43.7K

$8,033 CA$11.5K

-91.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$363 ؋23.5K

$6,557 CA$9,347

-94.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$339 ؋21.9K

$3,743 CA$5,335

-90.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

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

Last update for Kabul: October 6, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kabul

$151 29.9%

Toronto

$202 7.8% 34.1% $51

Accommodation & Living

Kabul

$109 21.6%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4% 1220% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Kabul

$102 20.2%

Toronto

$340 13.1% 235% $239

Eating Out

Kabul

$51 10.1%

Toronto

$282 10.9% 457% $231

Clothing & Footwear

Kabul

$49 9.8%

Toronto

$140 5.4% 184% $91

Getting Around

Kabul

$26 5.2%

Toronto

$130 5% 399% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Kabul

$16 3.2%

Toronto

$64 2.5% 305% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $125 in Kabul and $1,598 in Toronto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 1005% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $8.00 in Kabul vs $77.0 in Toronto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $340 per month, with Kabul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Kabul

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

05:34 5:34 AM

21:04 9:04 PM

8 h 30 min behind Kabul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,289,000 Capital

2,731,571

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 64.76 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.64 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kabul Toronto 10,760 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Kabul
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

Kabul vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kabul and Toronto differ by about 395% in total monthly costs ($511 vs $2,530 including rent). Kabul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1005% lower in Toronto. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $125 in Kabul versus $1,598 in Toronto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kabul runs roughly 425% less than in Toronto. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $20.64 in Kabul versus $834 in Toronto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $511 in Kabul versus $2,530 in Toronto, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kabul but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Kabul 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 Kabul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 395% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.