Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burnaby and Dresden

For one person, living is cheaper in Dresden: $1,950 a month against $2,678 in Burnaby, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Burnaby
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Burnaby Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Dresden
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Dresden Living Index

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Burnaby

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,678

/mo nomad

Dresden

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Burnaby and in Dresden

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 Dresden actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,678 in Burnaby versus $1,950 in Dresden.

Burnaby $2,678
Dresden $1,950

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,827 in Burnaby versus $2,979 in Dresden.

Burnaby $3,827
Dresden $2,979

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,976 in Burnaby versus $4,008 in Dresden.

Burnaby $4,976
Dresden $4,008

Living in Burnaby is roughly 37% more expensive than in Dresden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burnaby 97% above, Dresden 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.23 CA$29.83

$18.79 €16.88

12.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 CA$122

$83.6 €75.1

3.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.53 CA$13.38

$11.27 €10.13

-15.44%

Cappuccino

$4.67 CA$6.57

$4.19 €3.77

11.46%

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

$2.45 CA$3.44

$3.57 €3.20

-31.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 CA$2.52

$3.13 €2.82

-42.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.57 CA$12.04

$6.01 €5.40

42.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.18 CA$8.68

$6.44 €5.79

-4.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 CA$3.29

$1.25 €1.12

87.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 CA$3.88

$2.07 €1.86

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.52 CA$4.95

$2.82 €2.53

24.82%

Eggs

$3.17 CA$4.46

$3.82 €3.44

-17.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.05 CA$19.74

$17.43 €15.66

-19.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.07 CA$19.77

$11.73 €10.54

19.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.31 CA$35.56

$22.15 €19.91

14.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.42 CA$6.21

$3.16 €2.84

39.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 CA$1.80

$1.97 €1.77

-35.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.61 CA$6.48

$2.16 €1.94

113.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.61 CA$6.48

$3.83 €3.44

20.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 CA$3.95

$1.53 €1.38

83.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.54 CA$4.97

$1.48 €1.33

139.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 CA$3.85

$1.50 €1.34

82.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 CA$2.95

$1.25 €1.12

68.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.23 CA$19.99

$9.56 €8.59

48.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.39 CA$18.81

$5.74 €5.16

133.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 CA$2.88

$1.13 €1.02

81.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 CA$3.28

$1.41 €1.27

65.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 CA$3.57

$3.82 €3.43

-33.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.6 CA$115

$71.7 €64.4

13.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 CA$4.04

$4.45 €4.00

-35.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 CA$2.13

$2.70 €2.43

-44.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.45 CA$37.16

$33.89 €30.45

-21.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 CA$1.92

$2.33 €2.09

-41.20%

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

$28.5K CA$40.1K

$33.3K €29.9K

-14.30%

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

$20.9K CA$29.4K

$37.9K €34.1K

-44.80%

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

$126 CA$177

$391 €351

-67.71%

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

$44.96 CA$63.2

$20.99 €18.86

114.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.7 CA$74.1

$43.76 €39.32

20.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.23 CA$43.88

$34.70 €31.18

-10.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.52 CA$14.79

$25.48 €22.89

-58.71%

Cinema Ticket

$14.23 CA$20.00

$13.66 €12.28

4.17%

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

$649 CA$912

$902 €811

-28.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K €14.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 CA$73.3

$86.9 €78.1

-39.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 CA$72.2

$40.49 €36.38

26.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$145

$107 €95.8

-2.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 CA$111

$119 €107

-33.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 CA$2,379

$749 €673

125.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 CA$1,976

$523 €470

168.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,623 CA$3,685

$1,571 €1,411

66.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,985 CA$2,789

$972 €874

104.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,886 CA$9,674

$4,645 €4,174

48.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,338 CA$7,499

$2,684 €2,411

98.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,149 CA$4,424

$2,989 €2,685

5.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

3.96

20.20%

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

Last update for Burnaby: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dresden: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burnaby

$1.4K 52.5%

Dresden

$523 26.8% 62.8% $883

Groceries & Markets

Burnaby

$431 16.1%

Dresden

$341 17.5% 20.9% $90

Eating Out

Burnaby

$327 12.2%

Dresden

$304 15.6% 6.9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burnaby

$224 8.4%

Dresden

$456 23.4% 104% $232

Clothing & Footwear

Burnaby

$129 4.8%

Dresden

$159 8.2% 23.4% $30

Getting Around

Burnaby

$102 3.8%

Dresden

$105 5.4% 2.7% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Burnaby

$60 2.2%

Dresden

$62 3.2% 3.9% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,693 in Burnaby and $749 in Dresden. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burnaby pays 5% 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 $84 in Dresden for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $431 vs $341 per month, with Dresden cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Burnaby

🇩🇪 Dresden

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

19:03 7:03 PM

8 h ahead of Burnaby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

249,125

556,780

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.712 USD

1 CAD = 0.639 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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 = 0.639 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Burnaby Dresden 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Burnaby
Dresden

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 Dresden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burnaby and Dresden differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($2,678 vs $1,950 including rent). Dresden is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 5% 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 $749 in Dresden. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $649 in Burnaby versus $902 in Dresden. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Burnaby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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