Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shymkent and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Shymkent: $809 a month against $2,530 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
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Shymkent Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$809

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $809 in Shymkent versus $2,530 in Toronto.

Shymkent $809
Toronto $2,530

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,366 in Shymkent versus $3,646 in Toronto.

Shymkent $1,366
Toronto $3,646

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,924 in Shymkent versus $4,761 in Toronto.

Shymkent $1,924
Toronto $4,761

Living in Shymkent costs roughly 68% less than in Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shymkent is 40% below, Toronto is 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.06 ₸4,979

$17.67 CA$25.13

-37.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.96 ₸15.3K

$77.4 CA$110

-56.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.48 ₸2,915

$10.47 CA$14.90

-38.11%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₸1,125

$4.08 CA$5.80

-38.73%

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

$1.08 ₸486

$2.12 CA$3.01

-49.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₸227

$1.76 CA$2.50

-71.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₸478

$6.17 CA$8.78

-82.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₸583

$6.89 CA$9.80

-81.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ₸654

$2.43 CA$3.46

-40.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 ₸198

$2.75 CA$3.91

-84.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 ₸787

$2.23 CA$3.17

-21.52%

Eggs

$1.65 ₸743

$3.45 CA$4.90

-52.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 ₸4,535

$8.93 CA$12.71

12.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.11 ₸2,300

$11.44 CA$16.27

-55.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.41 ₸3,787

$14.61 CA$20.78

-42.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 ₸537

$3.75 CA$5.33

-68.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 ₸978

$1.15 CA$1.63

88.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 ₸1,101

$3.55 CA$5.05

-30.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 ₸608

$4.28 CA$6.09

-68.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 ₸229

$1.85 CA$2.62

-72.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₸181

$1.67 CA$2.37

-76.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₸416

$2.22 CA$3.15

-58.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₸355

$1.21 CA$1.72

-34.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 ₸1,091

$13.88 CA$19.74

-82.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.40 ₸1,981

$14.25 CA$20.27

-69.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 ₸479

$2.20 CA$3.12

-51.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ₸682

$2.42 CA$3.44

-37.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 ₸68.0

$2.42 CA$3.44

-93.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$158

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 ₸375

$2.90 CA$4.12

-71.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ₸163

$1.26 CA$1.79

-71.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.79 ₸4,408

$22.03 CA$31.33

-55.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 ₸271

$1.22 CA$1.74

-50.82%

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

$27.8K ₸12.5M

$27.6K CA$39.3K

0.55%

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

$29.1K ₸13.1M

$19.8K CA$28.2K

46.59%

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

$47.16 ₸21.2K

$122 CA$173

-61.31%

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

$9.06 ₸4,078

$32.03 CA$45.56

-71.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.10 ₸6,799

$47.92 CA$68.2

-68.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.81 ₸17.5K

$38.90 CA$55.3

-0.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.55 ₸3,849

$23.24 CA$33.05

-63.21%

Cinema Ticket

$5.63 ₸2,533

$12.61 CA$17.94

-55.35%

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

$56.9 ₸25.6K

$834 CA$1,186

-93.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K CA$33.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.94 ₸16.2K

$52.6 CA$74.8

-31.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.11 ₸14.9K

$40.26 CA$57.3

-17.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$181 ₸81.6K

$96.2 CA$137

88.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.4 ₸23.1K

$123 CA$175

-58.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$333 ₸149.8K

$1,598 CA$2,273

-79.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$197 ₸88.8K

$1,435 CA$2,041

-86.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$693 ₸311.9K

$2,657 CA$3,779

-73.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$556 ₸250.3K

$2,096 CA$2,981

-73.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,109 ₸499.1K

$8,033 CA$11.4K

-86.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$975 ₸439.0K

$6,557 CA$9,327

-85.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$437 ₸196.9K

$3,743 CA$5,324

-88.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.25

4.47

308.28%

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

Last update for Shymkent: October 5, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shymkent

$197 24.9%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4% 627% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Shymkent

$182 23%

Toronto

$340 13.1% 87.2% $158

Eating Out

Shymkent

$152 19.2%

Toronto

$282 10.9% 85.3% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Shymkent

$136 17.2%

Toronto

$140 5.4% 3.4% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shymkent

$71 9%

Toronto

$202 7.8% 183% $131

Sport & Entertainment

Shymkent

$50 6.3%

Toronto

$64 2.5% 28.1% $14

Getting Around

Shymkent

$3.3 * 0.4%

Toronto

$130 5% 3888% $126

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 $333 in Shymkent and $1,598 in Toronto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 756% 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: $34.00 in Shymkent vs $77.0 in Toronto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $182 vs $340 per month, with Shymkent cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

09:23 9:23 AM

23:23 11:23 PM

10 h behind Shymkent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,222,055

2,731,571

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 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).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Shymkent Toronto 9,970 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Shymkent
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

Shymkent vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shymkent and Toronto differ by about 213% in total monthly costs ($809 vs $2,530 including rent). Shymkent is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 756% 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: $333 in Shymkent versus $1,598 in Toronto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $56.9 in Shymkent 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 Shymkent – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $77.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $809 in Shymkent versus $2,530 in Toronto, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shymkent but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Shymkent 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, Shymkent 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 Shymkent gentler on the wallet – expenses run 213% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.