Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Mardan

For one person, living is cheaper in Mardan: $492 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Toronto
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,561
/mo nomad
Mardan
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$492
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Mardan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,561 in Toronto versus $492 in Mardan.

  • Toronto $2,561
  • Mardan $492

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,694 in Toronto versus $768 in Mardan.

  • Toronto $3,694
  • Mardan $768

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,826 in Toronto versus $1,045 in Mardan.

  • Toronto $4,826
  • Mardan $1,045

Living in Toronto is roughly 421% more expensive than in Mardan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toronto is 90% above, Mardan is 64% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Toronto
Mardan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.18 CA$24.29
$3.54 PKR 980
385.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$76.0 CA$107
$23.75 PKR 6,572
219.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.54 CA$14.89
$5.44 PKR 1,506
93.75%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.70 PKR 1,023
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$6.81 PKR 1,885
-
Cappuccino
$4.02 CA$5.68
$2.72 PKR 753
47.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 CA$3.00
$0.32 PKR 89.6
562.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 CA$2.48
$0.23 PKR 63.8
660.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.24 CA$8.83
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.09 CA$10.02
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Toronto
Mardan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.44 CA$3.45
$0.91 PKR 252
168.13%
White Bread (500g)
$2.68 CA$3.78
$0.72 PKR 199
272.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 CA$3.17
$1.28 PKR 354
75.00%
Eggs
$3.56 CA$5.03
$1.16 PKR 320
206.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.09 CA$12.85
$2.82 PKR 781
222.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.33 CA$16.01
$3.14 PKR 870
260.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.53 CA$20.55
$3.89 PKR 1,076
273.52%
Apples (1kg)
$3.62 CA$5.12
$0.93 PKR 258
289.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.21 CA$1.72
$0.71 PKR 196
70.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.60 CA$5.09
$1.07 PKR 296
236.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.21 CA$5.96
$0.38 PKR 104
1007.89%
Potato (1kg)
$1.79 CA$2.53
$0.27 PKR 73.8
562.96%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 CA$2.25
$0.36 PKR 99.1
341.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.27 CA$3.21
$0.28 PKR 77.1
710.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 CA$1.77
$0.37 PKR 103
237.84%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.79 PKR 495
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.20 PKR 332
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.35 PKR 651
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.82 CA$19.53
$1.83 PKR 507
655.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.27 CA$20.18
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.20 CA$3.10
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 CA$3.44
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Toronto
Mardan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.39 CA$3.38
$0.16 PKR 43.24
1393.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$111 CA$157
$10.19 PKR 2,821
988.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 CA$4.12
$1.25 PKR 346
132.80%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.20 CA$1.69
$0.69 PKR 192
73.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.38 CA$30.23
$1.58 PKR 436
1253.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 CA$1.71
$1.06 PKR 292
14.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K CA$39.8K
$21.8K PKR 6.0M
29.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.3K CA$28.6K
$24.6K PKR 6.8M
-17.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
Mardan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 CA$170
$101 PKR 27.9K
19.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.26 CA$45.60
$5.88 PKR 1,628
448.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.93 CA$67.8
$16.89 PKR 4,674
183.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
Mardan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.48 CA$54.4
$16.54 PKR 4,578
132.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.96 CA$32.46
$7.15 PKR 1,978
221.12%
Cinema Ticket
$12.38 CA$17.50
$4.42 PKR 1,224
180.09%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Toronto
Mardan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$830 CA$1,173
$75.8 PKR 21.0K
995.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.1K CA$32.6K
$1,028 PKR 284.5K
2145.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
Mardan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.7 CA$71.7
$25.76 PKR 7,131
96.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.02 CA$56.6
$34.46 PKR 9,537
16.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.0 CA$139
$94.6 PKR 26.2K
3.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 CA$171
$40.80 PKR 11.3K
195.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Toronto
Mardan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,592 CA$2,251
$127 PKR 35.0K
1158.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,410 CA$1,994
$75.6 PKR 20.9K
1764.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,670 CA$3,775
$253 PKR 69.9K
957.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,152 CA$3,042
$149 PKR 41.3K
1340.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,945 CA$11.2K
$830 PKR 229.7K
857.49%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,542 CA$9,249
$443 PKR 122.7K
1375.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Toronto
Mardan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,727 CA$5,269
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.47
13.08
-65.83%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mardan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Toronto
$1.4K
Mardan
$76 94.6% $1.3K
Groceries & Markets
Toronto
$340
Mardan
$84 75.3% $256
Eating Out
Toronto
$278
Mardan
$80 71.4% $199
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
$201
Mardan
$123 38.5% $77
Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
$139
Mardan
$88 36.8% $51
Getting Around
Toronto
$129
Mardan
$16 88% $114
Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
$63
Mardan
$25 59.8% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,592 in Toronto and $127 in Mardan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $76.0 in Toronto vs $24.00 in Mardan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $84.0 per month, with Mardan cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Toronto
🇵🇰 Mardan
🕒 Local time
23:32 11:32 PM
08:32 8:32 AM
9 h ahead of Toronto
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,731,571
358,604
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Toronto Mardan 10,890 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Toronto
  • Mardan

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 Mardan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mardan cheaper than Toronto?
Mardan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 421% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $3,841 in Toronto and $737 in Mardan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Toronto and Mardan?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,592 in Toronto versus $127 in Mardan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $830 in Toronto versus $75.8 in Mardan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Toronto and in Mardan?
Supermarket bills run roughly 304% higher in Toronto. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Toronto or in Mardan?
At $492 in Mardan versus $2,561 in Toronto, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mardan but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Mardan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Toronto or in Mardan?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Mardan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 421% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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