Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Sharjah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharjah: $1,841 a month against $2,530 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
89

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
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Sharjah Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Sharjah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,530 in Toronto versus $1,841 in Sharjah.

Toronto $2,530
Sharjah $1,841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,646 in Toronto versus $2,576 in Sharjah.

Toronto $3,646
Sharjah $2,576

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,761 in Toronto versus $3,312 in Sharjah.

Toronto $4,761
Sharjah $3,312

Living in Toronto is roughly 37% more expensive than in Sharjah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 89% above, Sharjah 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.67 CA$25.19

$5.97 AED 21.92

195.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.4 CA$110

$32.91 AED 121

135.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 CA$14.93

$8.29 AED 30.45

26.30%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.54 AED 35.05

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.35 AED 34.35

Cappuccino

$4.08 CA$5.81

$3.82 AED 14.02

6.81%

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

$2.12 CA$3.02

$0.80 AED 2.93

165.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 CA$2.51

$0.29 AED 1.05

506.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 CA$8.80

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 CA$9.82

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$1.54 AED 5.64

57.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 CA$3.92

$1.19 AED 4.38

131.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 CA$3.18

$1.83 AED 6.71

21.86%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.91

$3.21 AED 11.80

7.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 CA$12.73

$8.64 AED 31.73

3.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 CA$16.31

$6.63 AED 24.36

72.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.61 CA$20.83

$11.46 AED 42.09

27.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.34

$2.27 AED 8.33

65.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 CA$1.64

$1.67 AED 6.12

-31.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 CA$5.06

$1.30 AED 4.78

173.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 CA$6.10

$1.28 AED 4.72

234.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.63

$1.03 AED 3.79

79.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 CA$2.38

$1.12 AED 4.12

49.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.43 AED 5.26

55.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$0.61 AED 2.23

98.36%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.53 AED 57.0

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 AED 8.88

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 AED 9.50

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.88 CA$19.78

$6.31 AED 23.19

119.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$20.31

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.13

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 CA$3.45

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 CA$3.44

$2.16 AED 7.92

12.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$158

$27.07 AED 99.4

309.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 CA$4.13

$3.65 AED 13.42

-20.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.80

$0.52 AED 1.91

142.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.03 CA$31.40

$12.07 AED 44.33

82.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.74

$0.94 AED 3.46

29.79%

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

$27.6K CA$39.4K

$45.2K AED 166.0K

-38.87%

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

$19.8K CA$28.3K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

-10.00%

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

$122 CA$174

$208 AED 766

-41.54%

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

$32.03 CA$45.66

$49.40 AED 181

-35.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.92 CA$68.3

$96.1 AED 353

-50.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.90 CA$55.5

$53.5 AED 196

-27.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.24 CA$33.12

$22.29 AED 81.9

4.26%

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 CA$17.97

$13.54 AED 49.72

-6.87%

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

$834 CA$1,189

$325 AED 1,194

156.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K CA$33.3K

$8,433 AED 31.0K

176.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 CA$75.0

$57.6 AED 212

-8.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.26 CA$57.4

$78.0 AED 286

-48.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 CA$137

$109 AED 401

-11.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 CA$175

$96.1 AED 353

27.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 CA$2,278

$823 AED 3,024

94.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 CA$2,045

$906 AED 3,329

58.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,657 CA$3,787

$1,797 AED 6,598

47.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 CA$2,988

$1,402 AED 5,148

49.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,033 CA$11.5K

$8,241 AED 30.3K

-2.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,557 CA$9,347

$2,748 AED 10.1K

138.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,743 CA$5,335

$2,191 AED 8,045

70.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

4.5

-0.67%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sharjah: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4%

Sharjah

$906 49% 36.8% $528

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.1%

Sharjah

$192 10.4% 43.5% $148

Eating Out

Toronto

$282 10.9%

Sharjah

$123 6.6% 56.5% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$202 7.8%

Sharjah

$354 19.1% 75.4% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$140 5.4%

Sharjah

$153 8.3% 9.2% $13

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Sharjah

$42 2.3% 67.6% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$64 2.5%

Sharjah

$81 4.4% 25.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,598 in Toronto and $823 in Sharjah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 71% 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 $33.00 in Sharjah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $192 per month, with Sharjah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🕒 Local time

04:34 4:34 AM

12:34 12:34 PM

8 h ahead of Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

1,400,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, 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).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Toronto Sharjah 11,070 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
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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 Sharjah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto and Sharjah differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($2,530 vs $1,841 including rent). Sharjah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 71% 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 $823 in Sharjah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sharjah – a meal for two runs $33.00 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 $1,841 in Sharjah – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,841 in Sharjah versus $2,530 in Toronto, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Sharjah but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Sharjah 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, Toronto and Sharjah 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 Sharjah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.