Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amherst, NY and Vancouver

For one person, living costs are similar in Amherst, NY and in Vancouver: $2,595 and $2,626 a month, rent and utilities included.

126

Cost of Living Index in Amherst, NY
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Amherst, NY Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Amherst, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,595

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Amherst, NY 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 Amherst, NY and in Vancouver actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,595 per month in Amherst, NY vs $2,626 in Vancouver, rent included.

Amherst, NY $2,595
Vancouver $2,626

A couple spends around $3,768 per month in Amherst, NY vs $3,841 in Vancouver, rent included.

Amherst, NY $3,768
Vancouver $3,841

A family of three spends $4,940 per month in Amherst, NY vs $5,056 in Vancouver, rent included.

Amherst, NY $4,940
Vancouver $5,056

Amherst, NY is about 1% cheaper than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Amherst, NY and Vancouver sit above the global median – Amherst, NY by 92%, Vancouver by 95%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.34 $18.34

$17.19 CA$24.30

6.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.8 $75.8

$69.1 CA$97.6

9.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 $12.21

$10.61 CA$15.00

15.08%

Cappuccino

$5.97 $5.97

$3.83 CA$5.42

55.87%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$2.04 CA$2.88

29.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.65 CA$2.34

25.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.05 $7.05

$5.54 CA$7.83

27.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.67 $7.67

$6.20 CA$8.77

23.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.14 CA$3.02

-55.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.51 CA$3.54

31.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$4.49 CA$6.35

-3.12%

Eggs

$4.09 $4.09

$4.09 CA$5.78

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 $11.17

$11.73 CA$16.58

-4.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$13.11 CA$18.54

-23.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.07 $16.07

$19.50 CA$27.57

-17.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$4.00 CA$5.65

22.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.38 CA$1.94

-0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$3.88 CA$5.48

19.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.20 $5.20

$3.95 CA$5.58

31.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.72 CA$3.85

-1.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.86 CA$4.05

5.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 $2.41

$2.46 CA$3.48

-2.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.56 CA$2.21

54.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.28 $14.28

$15.48 CA$21.88

-7.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.07 $15.07

$13.75 CA$19.44

9.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.63 CA$3.72

-22.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.89 CA$4.09

42.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.48 CA$3.51

-17.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.0 CA$117

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.77 $3.77

$2.72 CA$3.85

38.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.58 CA$2.24

37.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.49 $30.49

$31.05 CA$43.89

-1.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.37 CA$1.94

-18.98%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$27.7K CA$39.1K

25.91%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

29.00%

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

$230 $230

$82.5 CA$117

179.23%

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

$51.5 $51.5

$37.26 CA$52.7

38.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.4 $67.4

$51.7 CA$73.1

30.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.68 $40.68

$42.87 CA$60.6

-5.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.95 $19.95

$12.40 CA$17.53

60.89%

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 $12.96

$12.13 CA$17.15

6.84%

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

$1,491 $1,491

$1,102 CA$1,557

35.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K $17.8K

$19.8K CA$28.0K

-10.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 $52.9

$56.4 CA$79.7

-6.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.32 $44.32

$33.43 CA$47.26

32.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.2 $97.2

$93.9 CA$133

3.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$93.8 CA$133

21.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,601 $1,601

$1,775 CA$2,509

-9.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,306 $1,306

$1,497 CA$2,116

-12.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,483 $2,483

$3,082 CA$4,357

-19.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,117 $2,117

$2,416 CA$3,416

-12.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,696 $2,696

$8,069 CA$11.4K

-66.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,376 $2,376

$6,449 CA$9,118

-63.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,054 $4,054

$3,776 CA$5,339

7.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.52

4.28

52.34%

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

Last update for Amherst, NY: October 11, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Amherst, NY

$1.3K 50.3%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57% 14.6% $190

Groceries & Markets

Amherst, NY

$387 14.9%

Vancouver

$392 14.9% 1.4% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amherst, NY

$349 13.5%

Vancouver

$171 6.5% 50.9% $178

Eating Out

Amherst, NY

$324 12.5%

Vancouver

$270 10.3% 16.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Amherst, NY

$139 5.4%

Vancouver

$125 4.8% 10.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Amherst, NY

$67 2.6%

Vancouver

$67 2.6% 0.8% $0.5

Getting Around

Amherst, NY

$23 * 0.9%

Vancouver

$104 3.9% 354% $81

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,601 in Amherst, NY versus $1,775 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 7% higher in Amherst, NY, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Amherst, NY versus $69.0 in Vancouver. Groceries tell a different story – $387 in Amherst, NY vs $392 in Vancouver – so Amherst, NY wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Amherst, NY

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

03:57 3:57 AM

00:57 12:57 AM

3 h behind Amherst, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,819

631,486

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Amherst, NY Vancouver 3,430 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Amherst, NY
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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

Amherst, NY vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver costs about 1% more than Amherst, NY, 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 $3,893 per month in Amherst, NY and $3,939 in Vancouver. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Amherst, NY and $69.0 in Vancouver. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Vancouver, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,595 in Amherst, NY and $2,626 in Vancouver. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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