Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acton, MA and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,684 a month against $3,160 in Acton, MA, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Acton, MA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

154

Cost of Living Index in Acton, MA
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Acton, MA Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Acton, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,160

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Acton, MA and in Vancouver

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Acton, MA and in Vancouver actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,160 per month in Acton, MA vs $2,684 in Vancouver, rent included.

Acton, MA $3,160
Vancouver $2,684

A couple spends around $4,763 per month in Acton, MA vs $3,878 in Vancouver, rent included.

Acton, MA $4,763
Vancouver $3,878

A family of three spends $6,366 per month in Acton, MA vs $5,072 in Vancouver, rent included.

Acton, MA $6,366
Vancouver $5,072

Acton, MA costs about 18% more than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Acton, MA and Vancouver sit above the global median – Acton, MA by 136%, Vancouver by 100%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.95 $17.95

$17.30 CA$24.66

3.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.4 $97.4

$69.0 CA$98.3

41.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.55 $13.55

$10.56 CA$15.05

28.31%

Cappuccino

$5.51 $5.51

$3.89 CA$5.54

41.65%

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

$2.83 $2.83

$2.05 CA$2.93

38.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.62 CA$2.31

65.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 $5.07

$5.54 CA$7.90

-8.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 $7.87

$6.33 CA$9.02

24.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.31 CA$3.30

-58.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 $2.40

$2.50 CA$3.56

-4.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.34 $5.34

$4.44 CA$6.33

20.27%

Eggs

$4.75 $4.75

$4.07 CA$5.80

16.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.39 $11.39

$11.28 CA$16.08

0.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.17 $14.17

$13.42 CA$19.13

5.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.70 $17.70

$20.10 CA$28.65

-11.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$4.06 CA$5.78

4.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.33 CA$1.90

30.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.91 CA$5.57

-24.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$4.05 CA$5.78

-2.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.72 CA$3.88

-29.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.89 CA$4.12

-2.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.53 CA$3.61

-23.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.19 $13.19

$15.57 CA$22.19

-15.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.10 $9.10

$14.05 CA$20.03

-35.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.69 CA$3.83

-23.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.99 CA$4.26

38.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.48

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 CA$119

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 CA$3.87

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 CA$2.24

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.39 CA$44.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.38 CA$1.96

-34.78%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$28.1K CA$40.0K

33.31%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$19.8K CA$28.2K

33.28%

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

$317 $317

$81.2 CA$116

290.12%

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

$61.6 $61.6

$37.45 CA$53.4

64.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.7 $73.7

$51.4 CA$73.2

43.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.04 $25.04

$43.47 CA$62.0

-42.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 CA$17.86

Cinema Ticket

$13.14 $13.14

$12.54 CA$17.88

4.78%

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

$1,836 $1,836

$1,094 CA$1,560

67.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.1K $30.1K

$19.9K CA$28.4K

51.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 $56.2

$57.0 CA$81.3

-1.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.84 $38.84

$32.73 CA$46.66

18.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 $79.7

$92.6 CA$132

-13.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.2 $99.2

$94.2 CA$134

5.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,657 $2,657

$1,745 CA$2,488

52.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,890 $1,890

$1,484 CA$2,115

27.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,852 $2,852

$2,998 CA$4,273

-4.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,608 $3,608

$2,422 CA$3,453

48.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,002 CA$11.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,457 CA$9,204

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,839 $8,839

$3,799 CA$5,416

132.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

4.28

55.14%

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

Last update for Acton, MA: October 4, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Acton, MA

$1.9K 59.4%

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6% 21.5% $407

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acton, MA

$452 14.2%

Vancouver

$170 6.5% 62.4% $282

Groceries & Markets

Acton, MA

$351 * 11%

Vancouver

$399 15.2% 13.5% $48

Eating Out

Acton, MA

$313 9.9%

Vancouver

$272 10.4% 13.3% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Acton, MA

$123 3.9%

Vancouver

$124 4.8% 0.9% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Acton, MA

$51 1.6%

Vancouver

$69 2.6% 33.6% $17

Getting Around

Acton, MA

- * 0%

Vancouver

$104 4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,657 in Acton, MA versus $1,745 in Vancouver. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 133% higher in Acton, MA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $97.0 in Acton, MA versus $69.0 in Vancouver. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Acton, MA vs $399 in Vancouver – so Acton, MA wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Acton, MA

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

18:18 6:18 PM

3 h behind Acton, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,596

631,486

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

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).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Acton, MA Vancouver 3,990 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Acton, MA
Vancouver

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

Acton, MA vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Acton, MA costs about 18% more than Vancouver, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,741 per month in Acton, MA and $4,026 in Vancouver. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vancouver, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,160 in Acton, MA and $2,684 in Vancouver. That's a gap of about 18%.

Kindergarten costs $1,836 per month in Acton, MA and $1,094 in Vancouver. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,160 in Acton, MA and $2,684 in Vancouver. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Vancouver – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Vancouver. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Acton, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.