Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashburn, VA and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,626 a month against $3,327 in Ashburn, VA, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

163

Cost of Living Index in Ashburn, VA
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Ashburn, VA Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Ashburn, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,327

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,327 in Ashburn, VA versus $2,626 in Vancouver.

Ashburn, VA $3,327
Vancouver $2,626

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,551 in Ashburn, VA versus $3,841 in Vancouver.

Ashburn, VA $4,551
Vancouver $3,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,776 in Ashburn, VA versus $5,056 in Vancouver.

Ashburn, VA $5,776
Vancouver $5,056

Living in Ashburn, VA is roughly 27% more expensive than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ashburn, VA 146% above, Vancouver 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.37 $28.37

$17.19 CA$24.30

65.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.4 $89.4

$69.1 CA$97.6

29.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.16 $13.16

$10.61 CA$15.00

24.03%

Cappuccino

$6.11 $6.11

$3.83 CA$5.42

59.53%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$2.04 CA$2.88

46.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.65 CA$2.34

62.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$5.54 CA$7.83

45.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.95 $9.95

$6.20 CA$8.77

60.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.14 CA$3.02

-47.20%

White Bread (500g)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.51 CA$3.54

63.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$4.49 CA$6.35

16.93%

Eggs

$5.60 $5.60

$4.09 CA$5.78

36.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.93 $16.93

$11.73 CA$16.58

44.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.24 $15.24

$13.11 CA$18.54

16.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.88 $18.88

$19.50 CA$27.57

-3.18%

Apples (1kg)

$5.59 $5.59

$4.00 CA$5.65

39.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.38 CA$1.94

62.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.49 $6.49

$3.88 CA$5.48

67.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.92 $5.92

$3.95 CA$5.58

49.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.72 CA$3.85

5.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.86 CA$4.05

38.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.46 CA$3.48

-7.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.56 CA$2.21

76.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$15.48 CA$21.88

-36.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.11 $16.11

$13.75 CA$19.44

17.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.63 CA$3.72

-14.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.89 CA$4.09

57.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.48 CA$3.51

-10.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.0 $73.0

$83.0 CA$117

-12.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.72 CA$3.85

8.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.58 CA$2.24

-6.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.68 $22.68

$31.05 CA$43.89

-26.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.37 CA$1.94

-27.74%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$27.7K CA$39.1K

29.01%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

28.93%

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

$161 $161

$82.5 CA$117

94.87%

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

$68.0 $68.0

$37.26 CA$52.7

82.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.6 $77.6

$51.7 CA$73.1

49.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 $62.2

$42.87 CA$60.6

45.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 $11.99

$12.40 CA$17.53

-3.31%

Cinema Ticket

$17.98 $17.98

$12.13 CA$17.15

48.23%

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

$1,641 $1,641

$1,102 CA$1,557

49.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.8K $31.8K

$19.8K CA$28.0K

60.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 $53.7

$56.4 CA$79.7

-4.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.74 $44.74

$33.43 CA$47.26

33.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$93.9 CA$133

7.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$93.8 CA$133

35.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 $1,980

$1,775 CA$2,509

11.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,773 $1,773

$1,497 CA$2,116

18.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,102 $4,102

$3,082 CA$4,357

33.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,246 $2,246

$2,416 CA$3,416

-7.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,006 $3,006

$8,069 CA$11.4K

-62.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,079 $3,079

$6,449 CA$9,118

-52.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,570 $7,570

$3,776 CA$5,339

100.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

4.28

59.35%

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

Last update for Ashburn, VA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashburn, VA

$1.8K 53.3%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57% 15.6% $277

Groceries & Markets

Ashburn, VA

$488 14.7%

Vancouver

$392 14.9% 19.5% $95

Eating Out

Ashburn, VA

$423 12.7%

Vancouver

$270 10.3% 36.1% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashburn, VA

$306 9.2%

Vancouver

$171 6.5% 44% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Ashburn, VA

$147 4.4%

Vancouver

$125 4.8% 14.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Ashburn, VA

$98 3%

Vancouver

$67 2.6% 31.6% $31

Getting Around

Ashburn, VA

$92 2.8%

Vancouver

$104 3.9% 12.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,980 in Ashburn, VA and $1,775 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashburn, VA pays 100% 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: $89.0 in Ashburn, VA vs $69.0 in Vancouver for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $488 vs $392 per month, with Vancouver cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ashburn, VA

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

05:19 5:19 AM

3 h behind Ashburn, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,511

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 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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Ashburn, VA Vancouver 3,750 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashburn, VA
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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

Ashburn, VA vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ashburn, VA and Vancouver differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($3,327 vs $2,626 including rent). Vancouver is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 100% higher in Ashburn, VA, 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: $1,980 in Ashburn, VA versus $1,775 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,641 in Ashburn, VA versus $1,102 in Vancouver. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Ashburn, VA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Vancouver is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Vancouver gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Ashburn, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.