Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burnaby and Auckland

For one person, living is cheaper in Auckland: $2,421 a month against $2,678 in Burnaby, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Burnaby
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Burnaby Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Auckland
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Auckland Living Index

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Burnaby

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,678

/mo nomad

Auckland

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,421

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Burnaby and in Auckland

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,678 in Burnaby versus $2,421 in Auckland.

Burnaby $2,678
Auckland $2,421

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,827 in Burnaby versus $3,382 in Auckland.

Burnaby $3,827
Auckland $3,382

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,976 in Burnaby versus $4,343 in Auckland.

Burnaby $4,976
Auckland $4,343

Living in Burnaby is roughly 11% more expensive than in Auckland, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burnaby 97% above, Auckland 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.23 CA$29.83

$14.26 NZ$25.10

48.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 CA$122

$67.0 NZ$118

29.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.53 CA$13.38

$9.12 NZ$16.06

4.50%

Cappuccino

$4.67 CA$6.57

$3.47 NZ$6.11

34.58%

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

$2.45 CA$3.44

$2.04 NZ$3.59

20.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 CA$2.52

$1.75 NZ$3.07

2.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.57 CA$12.04

$6.79 NZ$11.95

26.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.18 CA$8.68

$6.78 NZ$11.93

-8.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 CA$3.29

$1.92 NZ$3.37

21.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 CA$3.88

$2.17 NZ$3.82

27.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.52 CA$4.95

$1.83 NZ$3.23

92.35%

Eggs

$3.17 CA$4.46

$6.16 NZ$10.85

-48.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.05 CA$19.74

$8.97 NZ$15.79

56.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.07 CA$19.77

$9.99 NZ$17.58

40.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.31 CA$35.56

$17.72 NZ$31.19

42.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.42 CA$6.21

$2.97 NZ$5.22

48.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 CA$1.80

$2.08 NZ$3.67

-38.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.61 CA$6.48

$3.07 NZ$5.41

50.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.61 CA$6.48

$5.72 NZ$10.06

-19.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 CA$3.95

$2.17 NZ$3.82

29.49%

Onion (1kg)

$3.54 CA$4.97

$1.54 NZ$2.72

129.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 CA$3.85

$2.04 NZ$3.60

34.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 CA$2.95

$1.10 NZ$1.93

90.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.23 CA$19.99

$27.07 NZ$47.64

-47.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.39 CA$18.81

$10.21 NZ$17.98

31.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 CA$2.88

$2.87 NZ$5.05

-28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 CA$3.28

$3.38 NZ$5.95

-31.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 CA$3.57

$1.93 NZ$3.40

31.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.6 CA$115

$123 NZ$216

-33.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 CA$4.04

$2.29 NZ$4.03

25.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 CA$2.13

$2.02 NZ$3.56

-25.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.45 CA$37.16

$32.32 NZ$56.9

-18.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 CA$1.92

$1.83 NZ$3.23

-25.14%

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

$28.5K CA$40.1K

$27.2K NZ$47.9K

4.84%

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

$20.9K CA$29.4K

$22.2K NZ$39.0K

-5.44%

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

$126 CA$177

$184 NZ$325

-31.54%

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

$44.96 CA$63.2

$26.77 NZ$47.12

67.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.7 CA$74.1

$51.6 NZ$90.7

2.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.23 CA$43.88

$42.05 NZ$74.0

-25.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.52 CA$14.79

$18.31 NZ$32.22

-42.55%

Cinema Ticket

$14.23 CA$20.00

$12.18 NZ$21.43

16.83%

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

$649 CA$912

$1,063 NZ$1,872

-38.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K NZ$34.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 CA$73.3

$80.3 NZ$141

-35.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 CA$72.2

$39.90 NZ$70.2

28.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$145

$92.7 NZ$163

11.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 CA$111

$113 NZ$198

-29.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 CA$2,379

$1,271 NZ$2,237

33.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 CA$1,976

$1,213 NZ$2,134

15.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,623 CA$3,685

$2,222 NZ$3,911

18.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,985 CA$2,789

$1,658 NZ$2,918

19.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,886 CA$9,674

$7,413 NZ$13.0K

-7.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,338 CA$7,499

$5,429 NZ$9,555

-1.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,149 CA$4,424

$2,958 NZ$5,206

6.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

5.37

-11.36%

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

Last update for Burnaby: October 26, 2026

Last update for Auckland: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burnaby

$1.4K 52.5%

Auckland

$1.2K 50.1% 13.8% $194

Groceries & Markets

Burnaby

$431 16.1%

Auckland

$344 14.2% 20.3% $87

Eating Out

Burnaby

$327 12.2%

Auckland

$246 10.2% 24.8% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burnaby

$224 8.4%

Auckland

$263 10.9% 17.3% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Burnaby

$129 4.8%

Auckland

$147 6.1% 13.9% $18

Getting Around

Burnaby

$102 3.8%

Auckland

$143 5.9% 39.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Burnaby

$60 2.2%

Auckland

$66 2.7% 11.2% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,693 in Burnaby and $1,271 in Auckland. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burnaby pays 6% 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: $87 in Burnaby vs $67 in Auckland for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $431 vs $344 per month, with Auckland cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Burnaby

🇳🇿 Auckland

🕒 Local time

02:28 2:28 AM

22:28 10:28 PM

20 h ahead of Burnaby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

249,125

1,463,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.712 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 NZD = 0.568 USD

1 NZD = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.712 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 NZD (1 NZD = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 NZD (1 NZD = 0.511 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Burnaby Auckland 11,360 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Burnaby
Auckland

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

Burnaby vs Auckland: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Auckland wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Burnaby. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Auckland the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Burnaby, 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: $1,693 in Burnaby versus $1,271 in Auckland. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $649 in Burnaby versus $1,063 in Auckland. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Burnaby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Auckland 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.

It comes down to priorities – Auckland wins on affordability, Burnaby on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.