Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burnaby and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Burnaby: $2,738 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $26,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Burnaby
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Burnaby Living Index
239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index

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Burnaby

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,738

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Burnaby and in New York, NY

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 New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,738 in Burnaby versus $4,950 in New York, NY.

Burnaby $2,738
New York, NY $4,950

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,928 in Burnaby versus $7,265 in New York, NY.

Burnaby $3,928
New York, NY $7,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,117 in Burnaby versus $9,581 in New York, NY.

Burnaby $5,117
New York, NY $9,581

Living in Burnaby costs roughly 45% less than in New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burnaby 103% above, New York, NY 267% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.18 CA$29.94

$24.65 $24.65

-14.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.7 CA$118

$122 $122

-31.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 CA$12.64

$13.91 $13.91

-35.73%

Cappuccino

$4.66 CA$6.59

$6.59 $6.59

-29.29%

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

$2.30 CA$3.26

$3.84 $3.84

-40.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 CA$2.38

$2.87 $2.87

-41.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.45 CA$11.95

$7.79 $7.79

8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 CA$8.21

$9.85 $9.85

-41.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 CA$3.25

$1.38 $1.38

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 CA$3.83

$4.68 $4.68

-42.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.53 CA$4.99

$7.54 $7.54

-53.18%

Eggs

$3.08 CA$4.36

$5.93 $5.93

-48.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.50 CA$19.08

$18.83 $18.83

-28.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.49 CA$19.08

$17.36 $17.36

-22.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.16 CA$35.57

$18.51 $18.51

35.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.46 CA$6.30

$6.74 $6.74

-33.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 CA$1.84

$2.09 $2.09

-37.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.52 CA$6.38

$6.07 $6.07

-25.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.63 CA$6.54

$6.74 $6.74

-31.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$4.05 $4.05

-30.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.90

$4.37 $4.37

-20.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.68 CA$3.79

$2.89 $2.89

-7.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 CA$2.99

$2.60 $2.60

-18.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.99 CA$19.78

$18.72 $18.72

-25.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.46 CA$19.03

$20.06 $20.06

-32.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 CA$2.94

$3.25 $3.25

-36.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 CA$3.22

$3.73 $3.73

-38.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$3.06 $3.06

-24.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.5 CA$112

$140 $140

-43.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 CA$4.05

$3.04 $3.04

-5.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 CA$2.13

$2.15 $2.15

-30.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.37 CA$37.27

$41.82 $41.82

-36.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 CA$1.84

$1.12 $1.12

16.07%

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

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$35.5K $35.5K

-22.18%

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

$18.7K CA$26.4K

$26.0K $26.0K

-28.33%

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

$120 CA$170

$219 $219

-45.03%

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

$43.55 CA$61.6

$73.2 $73.2

-40.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 CA$75.1

$72.0 $72.0

-26.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.72 CA$42.01

$123 $123

-75.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.33 CA$14.61

$67.7 $67.7

-84.73%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 CA$19.67

$22.85 $22.85

-39.12%

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

$634 CA$897

$3,333 $3,333

-80.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$60.0K $60.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 CA$73.1

$75.2 $75.2

-31.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.6 CA$73.0

$52.4 $52.4

-1.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 CA$144

$122 $122

-16.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 CA$109

$133 $133

-41.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,628 CA$2,302

$4,389 $4,389

-62.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,491 CA$2,108

$3,130 $3,130

-52.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 CA$3,469

$8,918 $8,918

-72.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,187 CA$3,092

$5,354 $5,354

-59.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,588 CA$9,313

$19.4K $19.4K

-66.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,530 CA$7,817

$6,806 $6,806

-18.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,144 CA$4,445

$5,343 $5,343

-41.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

6.82

-30.21%

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

Last update for Burnaby: October 11, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burnaby

$1.5K 54.4%

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.2% 110% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Burnaby

$425 15.5%

New York, NY

$545 11% 28.4% $120

Eating Out

Burnaby

$322 11.8%

New York, NY

$404 8.2% 25.3% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burnaby

$217 7.9%

New York, NY

$364 7.4% 67.8% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Burnaby

$127 4.6%

New York, NY

$172 3.5% 35.4% $45

Getting Around

Burnaby

$99 3.6%

New York, NY

$167 3.4% 67.9% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Burnaby

$58 2.1%

New York, NY

$168 3.4% 193% $111

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,628 in Burnaby and $4,389 in New York, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 70% 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: $84.0 in Burnaby vs $122 in New York, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $425 vs $545 per month, with Burnaby cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Burnaby

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

14:50 2:50 PM

17:50 5:50 PM

3 h ahead of Burnaby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

249,125

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Burnaby New York, NY 3,890 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Burnaby
New York, NY

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 New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burnaby and New York, NY differ by about 81% in total monthly costs ($2,738 vs $4,950 including rent). Burnaby is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 70% lower in New York, NY. 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: $1,628 in Burnaby versus $4,389 in New York, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $634 in Burnaby versus $3,333 in New York, NY. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Burnaby 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 Burnaby gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.