Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, NC and Vancouver

For one person, living costs are similar in Burlington, NC and in Vancouver: $2,604 and $2,662 a month, rent and utilities included.

Burlington, NC
🇺🇸 United States
$2,604
/mo nomad
Vancouver
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,662
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,604 per month in Burlington, NC vs $2,662 in Vancouver, rent included.

  • Burlington, NC $2,604
  • Vancouver $2,662

A couple spends around $3,784 per month in Burlington, NC vs $3,916 in Vancouver, rent included.

  • Burlington, NC $3,784
  • Vancouver $3,916

A family of three spends $4,963 per month in Burlington, NC vs $5,170 in Vancouver, rent included.

  • Burlington, NC $4,963
  • Vancouver $5,170

Burlington, NC is about 2% cheaper than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Burlington, NC and Vancouver sit above the global median – Burlington, NC by 92%, Vancouver by 96%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Burlington, NC
Vancouver
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.93 $18.93
$18.01 CA$25.46
5.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$74.7 $74.7
$71.0 CA$100
5.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.89 $10.89
$10.83 CA$15.31
0.55%
Cappuccino
$5.23 $5.23
$3.94 CA$5.56
32.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.51 $2.51
$2.13 CA$3.01
17.84%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 $2.06
$1.66 CA$2.34
24.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.14 $6.14
$5.73 CA$8.10
7.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.80 $6.80
$6.40 CA$9.04
6.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Burlington, NC
Vancouver
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$2.15 CA$3.04
-51.63%
White Bread (500g)
$3.57 $3.57
$2.55 CA$3.61
40.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.35 $4.35
$4.56 CA$6.45
-4.61%
Eggs
$4.22 $4.22
$4.06 CA$5.74
3.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.47 $12.47
$12.14 CA$17.17
2.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.29 $11.29
$13.23 CA$18.71
-14.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.63 $15.63
$20.24 CA$28.62
-22.78%
Apples (1kg)
$5.02 $5.02
$4.05 CA$5.73
23.95%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 $1.56
$1.42 CA$2.00
9.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.20 $4.20
$3.97 CA$5.62
5.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.81 $4.81
$3.91 CA$5.53
23.02%
Potato (1kg)
$2.91 $2.91
$2.64 CA$3.74
10.23%
Onion (1kg)
$2.76 $2.76
$2.82 CA$3.98
-2.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.11 $2.11
$2.48 CA$3.51
-14.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.08 $2.08
$1.59 CA$2.24
30.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.37 $9.37
$15.30 CA$21.64
-38.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.08 $14.08
$14.32 CA$20.24
-1.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.85 $1.85
$2.57 CA$3.63
-28.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.33 $3.33
$2.91 CA$4.12
14.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Burlington, NC
Vancouver
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.02 $2.02
$2.55 CA$3.60
-20.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$84.6 CA$120
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.40 $3.40
$2.64 CA$3.73
28.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.65 $1.65
$1.63 CA$2.31
1.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.99 $28.99
$31.77 CA$44.91
-8.75%
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)
$29.9K $29.9K
$27.1K CA$38.3K
10.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.5K $25.5K
$21.6K CA$30.5K
17.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Burlington, NC
Vancouver
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$191 $191
$81.3 CA$115
134.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$52.9 $52.9
$37.20 CA$52.6
42.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.0 $67.0
$52.6 CA$74.4
27.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Burlington, NC
Vancouver
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.35 $42.35
$44.34 CA$62.7
-4.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$12.37 CA$17.49
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.34 $13.34
$12.62 CA$17.85
5.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Burlington, NC
Vancouver
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,282 $1,282
$1,093 CA$1,544
17.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.7K $23.7K
$20.0K CA$28.2K
18.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Burlington, NC
Vancouver
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.0 $51.0
$58.5 CA$82.7
-12.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.90 $39.90
$33.35 CA$47.14
19.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.3 $85.3
$96.3 CA$136
-11.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 $112
$95.6 CA$135
17.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Burlington, NC
Vancouver
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,632 $1,632
$1,765 CA$2,495
-7.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,378 $1,378
$1,508 CA$2,132
-8.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,653 $2,653
$3,122 CA$4,414
-15.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,241 $2,241
$2,469 CA$3,490
-9.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,740 $2,740
$8,173 CA$11.6K
-66.48%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,417 $2,417
$6,354 CA$8,982
-61.95%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Burlington, NC
Vancouver
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$3,592 CA$5,078
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.51
4.28
52.10%

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

Last update for Burlington, NC: October 17, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Burlington, NC
$1.4K
Vancouver
$1.5K 9.5% $130
Groceries & Markets
Burlington, NC
$388
Vancouver
$399 2.8% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Burlington, NC
$310
Vancouver
$171 44.9% $139
Eating Out
Burlington, NC
$309
Vancouver
$280 9.4% $29
Clothing & Footwear
Burlington, NC
$130
Vancouver
$128 1.6% $2.1
Sport & Entertainment
Burlington, NC
$69
Vancouver
$70 0.8% $0.5
Getting Around
Burlington, NC
$20 *
Vancouver
$106 434% $86

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,632 in Burlington, NC versus $1,765 in Vancouver. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Burlington, NC versus $71.0 in Vancouver. Groceries tell a different story – $388 in Burlington, NC vs $399 in Vancouver – so Burlington, NC wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Burlington, NC
🇨🇦 Vancouver
🕒 Local time
16:45 4:45 PM
13:45 1:45 PM
3 h behind Burlington, NC
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
44,743
631,486
Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Burlington, NC Vancouver 3,790 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Burlington, NC
  • 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
Burlington, NC vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Burlington, NC and in Vancouver compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,604 in Burlington, NC, $2,662 in Vancouver – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Burlington, NC compared to Vancouver?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,907 per month in Burlington, NC and $3,992 in Vancouver. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Burlington, NC and Vancouver?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Burlington, NC, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Burlington, NC or Vancouver?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,604 in Burlington, NC and $2,662 in Vancouver. That's a gap of about 2%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Burlington, NC and Vancouver?
Kindergarten costs $1,282 per month in Burlington, NC and $1,093 in Vancouver. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is feasible on a $3,000 budget?
$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,604 in Burlington, NC and $2,662 in Vancouver. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Where should families live: Burlington, NC or Vancouver?
Families tend to lean toward Burlington, NC – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How do I decide between Burlington, NC and Vancouver?
If budget matters most, go with Burlington, NC. 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.

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