Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Kabul

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.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
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Kabul Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Kabul

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 Kabul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Toronto $2,530
Kabul $511

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

Toronto $3,646
Kabul $684

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

Toronto $4,761
Kabul $857

Living in Toronto is roughly 395% more expensive than in Kabul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.67 CA$25.13

$2.70 ؋175

554.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.4 CA$110

$7.89 ؋511

880.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 CA$14.90

$4.51 ؋292

132.15%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 ؋148

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 ؋122

Cappuccino

$4.08 CA$5.80

$1.09 ؋70.5

274.31%

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

$2.12 CA$3.01

$0.45 ؋28.95

371.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 CA$2.50

$0.17 ؋10.83

935.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 CA$8.78

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 CA$9.80

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$0.81 ؋52.4

200.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 CA$3.91

$0.25 ؋16.23

1000.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 CA$3.17

$1.86 ؋121

19.89%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.90

$1.54 ؋99.7

124.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 CA$12.71

$4.46 ؋289

100.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 CA$16.27

$4.03 ؋261

183.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.61 CA$20.78

$6.71 ؋434

117.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.33

$0.70 ؋45.11

435.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 CA$1.63

$0.89 ؋57.4

29.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 CA$5.05

$0.95 ؋61.5

273.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 CA$6.09

$0.55 ؋35.47

678.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.62

$0.61 ؋39.34

203.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 CA$2.37

$0.51 ؋32.74

227.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 CA$3.15

$0.30 ؋19.48

640.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$0.37 ؋23.89

227.03%

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)

$13.88 CA$19.74

$2.42 ؋157

473.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$20.27

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.12

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 CA$3.44

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 CA$3.44

$0.13 ؋8.60

1761.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$158

$21.08 ؋1,366

425.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 CA$4.12

$2.12 ؋138

36.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.79

$0.45 ؋29.02

180.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.03 CA$31.33

$2.77 ؋179

695.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.74

$1.08 ؋69.9

12.96%

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

$27.6K CA$39.3K

$8,341 ؋540.2K

231.26%

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

$19.8K CA$28.2K

$33.8K ؋2.2M

-41.31%

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

$122 CA$173

$42.09 ؋2,726

189.57%

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

$32.03 CA$45.56

$13.12 ؋850

144.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.92 CA$68.2

$95.3 ؋6,174

-49.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.90 CA$55.3

$11.15 ؋722

248.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.24 CA$33.05

$4.11 ؋266

465.45%

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 CA$17.94

$2.34 ؋152

438.89%

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

$834 CA$1,186

$20.64 ؋1,337

3940.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K CA$33.2K

$1,045 ؋67.7K

2132.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 CA$74.8

$10.71 ؋694

391.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.26 CA$57.3

$15.93 ؋1,032

152.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 CA$137

$57.8 ؋3,741

66.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 CA$175

$25.51 ؋1,652

381.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 CA$2,273

$125 ؋8,092

1179.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 CA$2,041

$109 ؋7,043

1219.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,657 CA$3,779

$219 ؋14.2K

1114.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 CA$2,981

$115 ؋7,463

1719.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,033 CA$11.4K

$675 ؋43.7K

1089.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,557 CA$9,327

$363 ؋23.5K

1704.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,743 CA$5,324

$339 ؋21.9K

1004.56%

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 Toronto: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kabul: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4%

Kabul

$109 21.6% 92.4% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.1%

Kabul

$102 20.2% 70.1% $239

Eating Out

Toronto

$282 10.9%

Kabul

$51 10.1% 82% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$202 7.8%

Kabul

$151 29.9% 25.4% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$140 5.4%

Kabul

$49 9.8% 64.8% $91

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Kabul

$26 5.2% 80% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$64 2.5%

Kabul

$16 3.2% 75.3% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,598 in Toronto and $125 in Kabul. 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: $77.0 in Toronto vs $8.00 in Kabul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $102 per month, with Kabul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇦🇫 Kabul

🕒 Local time

21:53 9:53 PM

06:23 6:23 AM

8 h 30 min ahead of Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

3,289,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Toronto Kabul 10,760 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Kabul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 1005% higher in Toronto, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,598 in Toronto versus $125 in Kabul. 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 $834 in Toronto versus $20.64 in Kabul. 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.