How Much Does It Cost to Live In Vancouver?
Due to its natural beauties, amazing ocean, scenic mountains and excellent standard of living, Vancouver ranks as among the best cities to relocate in Canada.
The quality of life is great, salaries are high enough to cover the costs and this is sufficient for the start of new life there.
Nevertheless, it is always suggested to pay close attention to the amount of money you have and whether it would be adequate for your living habits in Vancouver.
Canada : Cost of Living by City
- Abbotsford
- Barrie
- Brampton
- Burlington
- Burnaby
- Calgary
- Coquitlam
- Edmonton
- Halifax
- Hamilton
- Kelowna
- Kingston
- Kitchener
- London
- Mississauga
- Moncton
- Montreal
- Nanaimo, BC
- Oshawa
- Ottawa
- Quebec City
- Red Deer
- Regina
- Saskatoon
- St. John’s, NL
- Surrey
- Toronto
- Vancouver
- Victoria
- Windsor
- Winnipeg
RESTAURANTS
Even though food is not too expensive, if you are the person who wants to eat out every night, then your budget must be high above the average.
Visiting all the restaurants Vancouver has to offer would make a huge hole in your budget, especially if you enjoy a bottle of beer or wine with your meal.
MARKETS
Before arriving in Vancouver, it is advisable to know what it costs to buy food here every month.
Food prices are not so high as in some other regions of Canada and buying it would not be too expensive.
However, prepare to give the third of your monthly salary for groceries.
TRANSPORTATION
The good news about commuting in Vancouver is that it is easy to get around the city using their effective and fast public transportation system at the price of $70 per month.
Those wealthier who possess their own vehicles can commute by them, but will have to pay a pretty high gasoline price of $4.39 per gallon.
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Besides the rent, another important spending here are services and by calculating how much they will cost, it can be said that you will need to devote more than $120 per month for the power, garbage, water and the Internet.
Mobile phone tariff is affordable here.
SPORTS & LEISURE
The occasional visits to movie theaters are a way of entertainment in Vancouver which will cost you $12.
Sports people can choose between practicing outdoors without paying anything or exercising in the fitness clubs and paying around $40 per month.
Tennis lovers would need to devote $14 for one hour of practice.
CLOTHING & SHOES
Vancouver has almost the equal prices of clothing items as the whole country.
Foreigners who come from some developed European countries would find the prices affordable, but the citizens of Vancouver do not consider them a bargain.
Actually, only 2% of monthly budget is spent on apparel.
RENT PER MONTH
Many people who want to settle in Vancouver find it difficult to afford to live there due to the high rent prices.
If you are coming alone, renting an apartment in the city center would cost you around $1500 per month, which is somebody’s whole monthly salary, and if you are coming with a family, be ready to pay around $2700.
Cost of Living Averages Table for Vancouver
*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $11.32 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $4.90 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $1.48 | Average Market Prices |
| Milk (1 Liter) | $6.51 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $1.98 |
| Eggs (12) | $2.91 | Average Transport Prices |
| One Way Ticket | $2.15 |
| Monthly Pass | $71.69 |
| Gasoline | $4.39 | Average Utilities Prices |
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $60.04 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.28 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $57.06 | Average Leisure Prices |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $39.51 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $13.39 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $11.32 | Average Clothing Prices |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $54.32 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $32.42 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $79.60 | Average Rent Prices |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $1442.35 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $1119.13 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $2693.26 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Vancouver?
Vancouver is one of very few cities where rent takes more money of the monthly budget than food.
Actually, almost 40% of your income would go on the rent due to its high prices.
Food is of utmost importance, so a lot of money is devoted to this and restaurants are also frequently visited by Vancouver’s residents.
If anything remains, after all the basic costs are paid, it is spent on sports and apparel, but those who earn the minimum usually do not have anything left.
Average Costs Breakdown
Vancouver: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
The fact is that living in Vancouver is not cheap and you might need to know how much money you have earn to make a decent living there.
It is estimated that the average salary would be enough to cover all the costs, including the rent, and that is true if a person possess the place to live.
Otherwise, it would be difficult to provide for other things, like entertainment and leisure activities, so as to have enough for basic necessities.
Buying a house there can be an option and mortgage interest rates are around 3%.
Vancouver Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Vancouver Safety Review
Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: LOW
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW
- MUGGING RISK: LOW
- TERRORISM RISK: LOW
- SCAMS RISK: LOW
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW
Cost of Living by City in Vancouver
| City | Cost of Living Index |
|---|---|
| Abbotsford | 58.95 |
| Barrie | 77.37 |
| Brampton | 68.79 |
| Burlington | 73.13 |
| Burnaby | 64.94 |
| Calgary | 68.93 |
| Coquitlam | 67.43 |
| Edmonton | 67.03 |
| Halifax | 70.88 |
| Hamilton | 60.75 |
| Kelowna | 66.6 |
| Kingston | 66.45 |
| Kitchener | 58.93 |
| London | 59.15 |
| Mississauga | 65.08 |
| Moncton | 61.15 |
| Montreal | 63.52 |
| Nanaimo, BC | 65.28 |
| Oshawa | 65.44 |
| Ottawa | 62.88 |
| Quebec City | 66.1 |
| Red Deer | 67.42 |
| Regina | 68.46 |
| Saskatoon | 74.26 |
| St. John’s, NL | 74.05 |
| Surrey | 59.18 |
| Toronto | 70.19 |
| Victoria | 66.17 |
| Windsor | 64.42 |
| Winnipeg | 63.15 |
East Van resident my whole life! Wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. This guide is really accurate, I spend almost exactly that amount on rent in the city center although it’s split between 3 of us. Gas prices are even higher now though, it’s getting ridiculous. I’m riding my bike or walking whenever possible now until they come back down.