Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shimla and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Shimla: $306 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $27,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

15

Cost of Living Index in Shimla
Learn more

Shimla Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
Learn more

Toronto Living Index

Jump to prices

Shimla

🇮🇳 India

$306

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $306 per month in Shimla vs $2,561 in Toronto, rent included.

Shimla $306
Toronto $2,561

A couple spends around $500 per month in Shimla vs $3,694 in Toronto, rent included.

Shimla $500
Toronto $3,694

A family of three spends $694 per month in Shimla vs $4,826 in Toronto, rent included.

Shimla $694
Toronto $4,826

Shimla is about 88% cheaper than Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Shimla sits 77% below the global median, while Toronto is 90% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.53 ₹145

$17.18 CA$24.29

-91.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.60 ₹1,006

$76.0 CA$107

-86.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.11 ₹295

$10.54 CA$14.89

-70.49%

Cappuccino

$0.90 ₹85.3

$4.02 CA$5.68

-77.61%

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

$0.35 ₹33.46

$2.12 CA$3.00

-83.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 ₹10.75

$1.75 CA$2.48

-93.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 ₹152

$6.24 CA$8.83

-74.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ₹197

$7.09 CA$10.02

-70.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.64 ₹60.5

$2.44 CA$3.45

-73.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.42 ₹40.15

$2.68 CA$3.78

-84.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.62 ₹59.2

$2.24 CA$3.17

-72.32%

Eggs

$0.85 ₹80.3

$3.56 CA$5.03

-76.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.28 ₹406

$9.09 CA$12.85

-52.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 ₹311

$11.33 CA$16.01

-71.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 CA$20.55

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₹171

$3.62 CA$5.12

-50.28%

Banana (1kg)

$0.70 ₹66.8

$1.21 CA$1.72

-42.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.67 ₹64.0

$3.60 CA$5.09

-81.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 ₹45.27

$4.21 CA$5.96

-88.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 ₹26.57

$1.79 CA$2.53

-84.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 ₹34.28

$1.59 CA$2.25

-77.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.22 ₹20.91

$2.27 CA$3.21

-90.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₹25.62

$1.25 CA$1.77

-78.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.49 ₹331

$13.82 CA$19.53

-74.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.35 ₹793

$14.27 CA$20.18

-41.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₹140

$2.20 CA$3.10

-32.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₹192

$2.43 CA$3.44

-16.87%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.77 ₹358

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₹20.92

$2.39 CA$3.38

-90.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.72 ₹733

$111 CA$157

-93.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ₹102

$2.91 CA$4.12

-62.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 ₹28.25

$1.20 CA$1.69

-75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ₹102

$21.38 CA$30.23

-94.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.21 CA$1.71

-11.57%

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

$8,473 ₹804.6K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-69.93%

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

$17.4K ₹1.7M

$20.3K CA$28.6K

-13.85%

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

$18.12 ₹1,721

$120 CA$170

-84.94%

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

$3.04 ₹289

$32.26 CA$45.60

-90.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.76 ₹642

$47.93 CA$67.8

-85.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.89 ₹1,319

$38.48 CA$54.4

-63.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.41 ₹988

$22.96 CA$32.46

-54.66%

Cinema Ticket

$3.07 ₹291

$12.38 CA$17.50

-75.20%

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

$40.81 ₹3,875

$830 CA$1,173

-95.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,117 ₹201.1K

$23.1K CA$32.6K

-90.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.09 ₹2,383

$50.7 CA$71.7

-50.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.45 ₹2,037

$40.02 CA$56.6

-46.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.68 ₹3,674

$98.0 CA$139

-60.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.67 ₹2,438

$121 CA$171

-78.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$84.2 ₹7,992

$1,592 CA$2,251

-94.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$53.0 ₹5,037

$1,410 CA$1,994

-96.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$199 ₹18.9K

$2,670 CA$3,775

-92.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$127 ₹12.1K

$2,152 CA$3,042

-94.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$552 ₹52.4K

$7,945 CA$11.2K

-93.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$553 ₹52.5K

$6,542 CA$9,249

-91.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$607 ₹57.7K

$3,727 CA$5,269

-83.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.25

4.47

84.56%

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

Last update for Shimla: October 13, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shimla

$98 31.9%

Toronto

$340 13.3% 247% $242

Accommodation & Living

Shimla

$53 17.3%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1% 2559% $1.4K

Clothing & Footwear

Shimla

$50 16.3%

Toronto

$139 5.4% 179% $89

Eating Out

Shimla

$46 15.1%

Toronto

$278 10.9% 500% $232

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shimla

$28 9.1%

Toronto

$201 7.8% 618% $173

Sport & Entertainment

Shimla

$20 6.5%

Toronto

$63 2.5% 216% $43

Getting Around

Shimla

$11 3.7%

Toronto

$129 5.1% 1059% $118

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $84.2 in Shimla versus $1,592 in Toronto. 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 514% 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 $11.00 in Shimla versus $76.0 in Toronto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $98.0 vs $340 – making Shimla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Shimla

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

22:12 10:12 PM

12:42 12:42 PM

9 h 30 min behind Shimla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,000

2,731,571

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shimla Toronto 11,370 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Shimla
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

Shimla vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $306 in Shimla, $2,561 in Toronto – roughly 736% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $459 per month in Shimla and $3,841 in Toronto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11.00 in Shimla and $76.0 in Toronto. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $306 in Shimla and $2,561 in Toronto. That's a gap of about 736%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shimla, where all-in costs run around $306, than in Toronto at $2,561. In Shimla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shimla – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Shimla. 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.