Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Kathmandu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kathmandu: $481 a month against $2,530 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $24,600 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Kathmandu
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Kathmandu Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Nepal

$481

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Kathmandu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,530 in Toronto versus $481 in Kathmandu.

Toronto $2,530
Kathmandu $481

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,646 in Toronto versus $767 in Kathmandu.

Toronto $3,646
Kathmandu $767

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,761 in Toronto versus $1,052 in Kathmandu.

Toronto $4,761
Kathmandu $1,052

Living in Toronto is roughly 426% more expensive than in Kathmandu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toronto is 89% above, Kathmandu is 64% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.67 CA$25.19

$1.94 NPR 300

810.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.4 CA$110

$20.45 NPR 3,165

278.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 CA$14.93

$7.71 NPR 1,194

35.80%

Cappuccino

$4.08 CA$5.81

$1.51 NPR 233

170.20%

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

$2.12 CA$3.02

$0.49 NPR 76.5

332.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 CA$2.51

$0.16 NPR 24.27

1000.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 CA$8.80

$3.04 NPR 471

102.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 CA$9.82

$3.27 NPR 506

110.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$0.76 NPR 118

219.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 CA$3.92

$0.62 NPR 96.3

343.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 CA$3.18

$0.85 NPR 131

162.35%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.91

$1.65 NPR 255

109.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 CA$12.73

$7.15 NPR 1,106

24.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 CA$16.31

$3.18 NPR 492

259.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.61 CA$20.83

$5.93 NPR 917

146.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.34

$2.02 NPR 313

85.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 CA$1.64

$1.16 NPR 179

-0.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 CA$5.06

$1.43 NPR 222

148.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 CA$6.10

$0.53 NPR 82.5

707.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.63

$0.38 NPR 59.0

386.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 CA$2.38

$0.53 NPR 82.6

215.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$0.45 NPR 69.6

393.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$0.22 NPR 33.94

450.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.88 CA$19.78

$2.48 NPR 385

459.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$20.31

$7.83 NPR 1,211

81.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.13

$2.29 NPR 355

-3.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 CA$3.45

$3.08 NPR 476

-21.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 CA$3.44

$0.17 NPR 26.30

1323.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$158

$9.64 NPR 1,493

1048.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 CA$4.13

$1.84 NPR 285

57.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.80

$1.18 NPR 183

6.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.03 CA$31.40

$3.18 NPR 492

592.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.74

$1.33 NPR 207

-8.27%

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

$27.6K CA$39.4K

$28.7K NPR 4.4M

-3.64%

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

$19.8K CA$28.3K

$36.0K NPR 5.6M

-44.96%

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

$122 CA$174

$31.63 NPR 4,895

285.33%

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

$32.03 CA$45.66

$3.48 NPR 538

820.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.92 CA$68.3

$8.94 NPR 1,384

436.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.90 CA$55.5

$21.47 NPR 3,323

81.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.24 CA$33.12

$6.71 NPR 1,038

246.35%

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 CA$17.97

$3.00 NPR 465

320.33%

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

$834 CA$1,189

$66.8 NPR 10.3K

1148.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K CA$33.3K

$5,541 NPR 857.5K

321.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 CA$75.0

$24.59 NPR 3,806

113.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.26 CA$57.4

$26.39 NPR 4,084

52.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 CA$137

$63.1 NPR 9,761

52.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 CA$175

$28.31 NPR 4,381

334.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 CA$2,278

$216 NPR 33.5K

639.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 CA$2,045

$101 NPR 15.6K

1323.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,657 CA$3,787

$430 NPR 66.5K

518.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 CA$2,988

$198 NPR 30.6K

959.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,033 CA$11.5K

$2,248 NPR 347.9K

257.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,557 CA$9,347

$1,338 NPR 207.1K

389.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,743 CA$5,335

$264 NPR 40.9K

1315.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

9.72

-54.01%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kathmandu: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4%

Kathmandu

$101 21% 93% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.1%

Kathmandu

$144 30.1% 57.6% $196

Eating Out

Toronto

$282 10.9%

Kathmandu

$81 16.9% 71.2% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$202 7.8%

Kathmandu

$44 9.2% 78.2% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$140 5.4%

Kathmandu

$64 13.4% 54.4% $76

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Kathmandu

$18 3.8% 86.1% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$64 2.5%

Kathmandu

$27 5.7% 57.1% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,598 in Toronto and $216 in Kathmandu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 1315% 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 $20.00 in Kathmandu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $144 per month, with Kathmandu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇳🇵 Kathmandu

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

17:55 5:55 PM

9 h 45 min ahead of Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

975,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.46 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

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).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 155 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.46 USD). 1 EUR = 173 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.77 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Toronto Kathmandu 11,930 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

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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 Kathmandu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kathmandu wins on cost – living expenses run 426% lower than in Toronto. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kathmandu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1315% 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 $216 in Kathmandu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kathmandu – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $77.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,530 per month in Toronto versus $481 in Kathmandu – a 426% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $481 in Kathmandu versus $2,530 in Toronto, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kathmandu but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Kathmandu 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 Kathmandu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 426% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.