Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Varanasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Varanasi: $289 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $27,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
Learn more

Toronto Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in Varanasi
Learn more

Varanasi Living Index

Jump to prices

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Varanasi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,561 in Toronto versus $289 in Varanasi.

Toronto $2,561
Varanasi $289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,694 in Toronto versus $476 in Varanasi.

Toronto $3,694
Varanasi $476

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,826 in Toronto versus $663 in Varanasi.

Toronto $4,826
Varanasi $663

Living in Toronto is roughly 787% more expensive than in Varanasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toronto is 90% above, Varanasi is 79% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 CA$24.29

$1.82 ₹173

843.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 CA$107

$7.99 ₹759

850.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.89

$3.10 ₹295

240.00%

Cappuccino

$4.02 CA$5.68

$1.57 ₹149

156.05%

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

$2.12 CA$3.00

$0.41 ₹39.31

417.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$0.11 ₹10.47

1490.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.83

$1.60 ₹152

290.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 CA$10.02

$2.04 ₹194

247.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$0.62 ₹58.5

293.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.78

$0.31 ₹29.90

764.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$0.53 ₹50.5

322.64%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.03

$0.81 ₹77.3

339.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 CA$12.85

$3.20 ₹304

184.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.01

$2.19 ₹208

417.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 CA$20.55

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.12

$1.40 ₹133

158.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$0.60 ₹57.3

101.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.09

$0.87 ₹82.7

313.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.96

$0.32 ₹30.20

1215.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$0.23 ₹21.68

678.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$0.25 ₹23.77

536.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$0.44 ₹42.08

415.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CA$1.77

$0.28 ₹26.68

346.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 CA$19.53

$3.19 ₹303

333.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.27 CA$20.18

$5.83 ₹553

144.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.10

$1.58 ₹150

39.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.44

$1.87 ₹178

29.95%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$4.19 ₹398

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$0.53 ₹50.7

350.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$157

$9.63 ₹914

1051.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$0.26 ₹24.88

1019.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 CA$1.69

$0.10 ₹9.62

1100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.38 CA$30.23

$1.02 ₹96.9

1996.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.05 ₹100

15.24%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$12.5K ₹1.2M

125.05%

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

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$21.8K ₹2.1M

-7.05%

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

$120 CA$170

$12.47 ₹1,185

865.12%

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

$32.26 CA$45.60

$3.66 ₹348

781.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.93 CA$67.8

$6.98 ₹663

586.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.48 CA$54.4

$12.63 ₹1,199

204.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 CA$32.46

Cinema Ticket

$12.38 CA$17.50

$2.86 ₹271

332.87%

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

$830 CA$1,173

$38.92 ₹3,696

2032.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K CA$32.6K

$1,003 ₹95.2K

2203.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 CA$71.7

$22.70 ₹2,156

123.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 CA$56.6

$25.30 ₹2,403

58.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 CA$139

$37.80 ₹3,589

159.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 CA$171

$25.24 ₹2,397

378.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 CA$2,251

$111 ₹10.5K

1336.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 CA$1,994

$47.37 ₹4,499

2877.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 CA$3,775

$196 ₹18.6K

1264.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 CA$3,042

$140 ₹13.3K

1432.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,945 CA$11.2K

$569 ₹54.0K

1296.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,542 CA$9,249

$333 ₹31.6K

1866.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,727 CA$5,269

$578 ₹54.9K

544.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

8.53

-47.60%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Last update for Varanasi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1%

Varanasi

$47 16.4% 96.6% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.3%

Varanasi

$81 27.9% 76.3% $259

Eating Out

Toronto

$278 10.9%

Varanasi

$57 19.7% 79.6% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.8%

Varanasi

$23 8% 88.5% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$139 5.4%

Varanasi

$50 17.3% 64.1% $89

Getting Around

Toronto

$129 5.1%

Varanasi

$13 4.3% 90.3% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.5%

Varanasi

$18 6.4% 71% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,592 in Toronto and $111 in Varanasi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 545% 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: $76.0 in Toronto vs $8.00 in Varanasi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $81.0 per month, with Varanasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🕒 Local time

19:05 7:05 PM

04:35 4:35 AM

9 h 30 min ahead of Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

3,100,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Toronto Varanasi 12,140 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Varanasi

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 Varanasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varanasi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 787% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 545% 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: $1,592 in Toronto versus $111 in Varanasi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 322% higher in Toronto. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Varanasi – a meal for two runs $8.00 versus $76.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $289 in Varanasi versus $2,561 in Toronto, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Varanasi but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Varanasi 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 Varanasi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 787% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.