Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bristol, VA and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Bristol, VA: $2,038 a month against $2,662 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

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

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Bristol, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,038

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,662

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,038 in Bristol, VA versus $2,662 in Vancouver.

Bristol, VA $2,038
Vancouver $2,662

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,040 in Bristol, VA versus $3,916 in Vancouver.

Bristol, VA $3,040
Vancouver $3,916

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,041 in Bristol, VA versus $5,170 in Vancouver.

Bristol, VA $4,041
Vancouver $5,170

Living in Bristol, VA costs roughly 23% less than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bristol, VA 50% above, Vancouver 96% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.76 $17.76

$18.01 CA$25.46

-1.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 $63.9

$71.0 CA$100

-9.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 $10.82

$10.83 CA$15.31

-0.09%

Cappuccino

$4.03 $4.03

$3.94 CA$5.56

2.28%

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

$1.93 $1.93

$2.13 CA$3.01

-9.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.66 CA$2.34

6.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 $4.59

$5.73 CA$8.10

-19.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.90 $5.90

$6.40 CA$9.04

-7.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.15 CA$3.04

-55.35%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.55 CA$3.61

56.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$4.56 CA$6.45

-26.97%

Eggs

$3.69 $3.69

$4.06 CA$5.74

-9.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.25 $16.25

$12.14 CA$17.17

33.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.92 $15.92

$13.23 CA$18.71

20.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.05 $18.05

$20.24 CA$28.62

-10.82%

Apples (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$4.05 CA$5.73

28.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.42 CA$2.00

-10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$3.97 CA$5.62

18.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$3.91 CA$5.53

17.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$2.64 CA$3.74

45.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.82 CA$3.98

2.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$2.48 CA$3.51

-19.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.59 CA$2.24

47.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.54 $8.54

$15.30 CA$21.64

-44.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.55 $15.55

$14.32 CA$20.24

8.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.57 CA$3.63

-4.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.91 CA$4.12

26.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.6 CA$120

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.64 CA$3.73

15.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.63 CA$2.31

17.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.46 $29.46

$31.77 CA$44.91

-7.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.42 CA$2.01

-37.32%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$27.1K CA$38.3K

27.26%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$21.6K CA$30.5K

17.60%

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

$171 $171

$81.3 CA$115

110.63%

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

$67.4 $67.4

$37.20 CA$52.6

81.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$52.6 CA$74.4

34.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.37 $31.37

$44.34 CA$62.7

-29.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.37 CA$17.49

Cinema Ticket

$15.98 $15.98

$12.62 CA$17.85

26.62%

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

$1,465 $1,465

$1,093 CA$1,544

34.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K $24.8K

$20.0K CA$28.2K

24.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 $50.7

$58.5 CA$82.7

-13.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.93 $36.93

$33.35 CA$47.14

10.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.5 $65.5

$96.3 CA$136

-32.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 $90.6

$95.6 CA$135

-5.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 $1,107

$1,765 CA$2,495

-37.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$831 $831

$1,508 CA$2,132

-44.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,786 $1,786

$3,122 CA$4,414

-42.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,389 $1,389

$2,469 CA$3,490

-43.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,788 $1,788

$8,173 CA$11.6K

-78.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,800 $1,800

$6,354 CA$8,982

-71.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,025 $3,025

$3,592 CA$5,078

-15.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

4.28

51.40%

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

Last update for Bristol, VA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bristol, VA

$831 40.8%

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.7% 81.5% $677

Groceries & Markets

Bristol, VA

$440 21.6%

Vancouver

$399 15% 9.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bristol, VA

$309 15.2%

Vancouver

$171 6.4% 44.7% $138

Eating Out

Bristol, VA

$272 13.4%

Vancouver

$280 10.5% 2.9% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Bristol, VA

$110 5.4%

Vancouver

$128 4.8% 16.4% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Bristol, VA

$63 3.1%

Vancouver

$70 2.6% 9.9% $6.3

Getting Around

Bristol, VA

$13 * 0.6%

Vancouver

$106 4% 738% $93

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,107 in Bristol, VA and $1,765 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 19% 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: $64.0 in Bristol, VA vs $71.0 in Vancouver. Groceries flip the comparison at $440 vs $399, with Vancouver cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bristol, VA

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

12:16 12:16 PM

09:16 9:16 AM

3 h behind Bristol, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,141

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Bristol, VA Vancouver 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bristol, VA
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

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

Bristol, VA and Vancouver differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($2,038 vs $2,662 including rent). Bristol, VA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Vancouver. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,107 in Bristol, VA versus $1,765 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,465 in Bristol, VA versus $1,093 in Vancouver. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bristol, VA – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $71.0 in Vancouver. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,038 in Bristol, VA versus $2,662 in Vancouver, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Bristol, VA but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Bristol, VA 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 Bristol, VA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.