Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Aktau

For one person, living is cheaper in Aktau: $793 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $21,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Aktau
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Aktau Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Aktau

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Aktau

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Toronto and in Aktau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,561 per month in Toronto vs $793 in Aktau, rent included.

Toronto $2,561
Aktau $793

A couple spends around $3,694 per month in Toronto vs $1,317 in Aktau, rent included.

Toronto $3,694
Aktau $1,317

A family of three spends $4,826 per month in Toronto vs $1,842 in Aktau, rent included.

Toronto $4,826
Aktau $1,842

Toronto costs about 223% more than Aktau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Toronto sits 90% above the global median, while Aktau is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 CA$24.29

$11.07 ₸5,005

55.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 CA$107

$43.55 ₸19.7K

74.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.89

$10.17 ₸4,596

3.64%

Cappuccino

$4.02 CA$5.68

$2.49 ₸1,128

61.45%

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

$2.12 CA$3.00

$0.74 ₸333

186.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$0.48 ₸219

264.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.83

$1.30 ₸586

380.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 CA$10.02

$1.53 ₸690

363.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$1.41 ₸638

73.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.78

$0.47 ₸211

470.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$1.91 ₸864

17.28%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.03

$1.73 ₸783

105.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 CA$12.85

$9.87 ₸4,463

-7.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.01

$4.24 ₸1,915

167.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 CA$20.55

$8.95 ₸4,044

62.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.12

$1.53 ₸689

136.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$2.24 ₸1,013

-45.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.09

$2.35 ₸1,064

53.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.96

$2.80 ₸1,264

50.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$0.65 ₸295

175.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$0.56 ₸254

183.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.55 ₸700

46.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CA$1.77

$0.94 ₸424

32.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 CA$19.53

$2.59 ₸1,172

433.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.27 CA$20.18

$9.54 ₸4,313

49.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.10

$0.72 ₸326

205.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.44

$0.87 ₸393

179.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$0.18 ₸82.6

1227.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$157

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$1.13 ₸512

157.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 CA$1.69

$0.64 ₸290

87.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.38 CA$30.23

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$0.63 ₸283

92.06%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

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

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$31.4K ₸14.2M

-35.55%

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

$120 CA$170

$45.69 ₸20.7K

163.41%

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

$32.26 CA$45.60

$7.94 ₸3,587

306.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.93 CA$67.8

$11.01 ₸4,979

335.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.48 CA$54.4

$35.98 ₸16.3K

6.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 CA$32.46

Cinema Ticket

$12.38 CA$17.50

$3.18 ₸1,437

289.31%

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

$830 CA$1,173

$143 ₸64.8K

478.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K CA$32.6K

$2,621 ₸1.2M

781.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 CA$71.7

$66.8 ₸30.2K

-24.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 CA$56.6

$40.67 ₸18.4K

-1.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 CA$139

$71.7 ₸32.4K

36.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 CA$171

$89.6 ₸40.5K

34.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 CA$2,251

$330 ₸149.2K

382.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 CA$1,994

$196 ₸88.6K

619.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 CA$3,775

$551 ₸249.0K

384.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 CA$3,042

$393 ₸177.8K

447.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,945 CA$11.2K

$813 ₸367.6K

876.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,542 CA$9,249

$659 ₸297.7K

893.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,727 CA$5,269

$564 ₸254.8K

561.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

-68.07%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Last update for Aktau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1%

Aktau

$196 24.7% 86.1% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.3%

Aktau

$200 25.3% 41% $139

Eating Out

Toronto

$278 10.9%

Aktau

$163 20.6% 41.3% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.8%

Aktau

$65 8.2% 67.8% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$139 5.4%

Aktau

$121 15.3% 13.1% $18

Getting Around

Toronto

$129 5.1%

Aktau

$5.1 * 0.6% 96.1% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.5%

Aktau

$42 5.3% 33% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,592 in Toronto versus $330 in Aktau. 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 561% 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 $76.0 in Toronto versus $44.00 in Aktau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $200 – making Aktau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇰🇿 Aktau

🕒 Local time

07:45 7:45 AM

16:45 4:45 PM

9 h ahead of Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

273,830

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Toronto Aktau 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Aktau

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

Toronto vs Aktau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto costs about 223% more than Aktau, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,841 per month in Toronto and $1,189 in Aktau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aktau, 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 $76.0 in Toronto and $44.00 in Aktau. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 70% more in Toronto, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Aktau, where all-in costs run around $793, than in Toronto at $2,561. In Aktau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Aktau – 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 Aktau. 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.