Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burnaby and Portsmouth, NH

For one person, living costs are similar in Burnaby and in Portsmouth, NH: $2,678 and $2,763 a month, rent and utilities included.

128

Cost of Living Index in Burnaby
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Burnaby Living Index
135

Cost of Living Index in Portsmouth, NH
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Portsmouth, NH Living Index

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Burnaby

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,678

/mo nomad

Portsmouth, NH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,763

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Burnaby and in Portsmouth, NH

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,678 in Burnaby versus $2,763 in Portsmouth, NH.

Burnaby $2,678
Portsmouth, NH $2,763

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,827 in Burnaby versus $4,026 in Portsmouth, NH.

Burnaby $3,827
Portsmouth, NH $4,026

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,976 in Burnaby versus $5,289 in Portsmouth, NH.

Burnaby $4,976
Portsmouth, NH $5,289

Living in Burnaby costs roughly 3% less than in Portsmouth, NH, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burnaby 97% above, Portsmouth, NH 103% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.23 CA$29.83

$20.24 $20.24

4.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 CA$122

$102 $102

-14.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.53 CA$13.38

$8.96 $8.96

6.36%

Cappuccino

$4.67 CA$6.57

$4.11 $4.11

13.63%

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

$2.45 CA$3.44

$2.64 $2.64

-7.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 CA$2.52

$1.53 $1.53

17.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.57 CA$12.04

$7.08 $7.08

21.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.18 CA$8.68

$7.33 $7.33

-15.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 CA$3.29

$1.27 $1.27

84.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 CA$3.88

$5.12 $5.12

-46.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.52 CA$4.95

$4.12 $4.12

-14.56%

Eggs

$3.17 CA$4.46

$3.48 $3.48

-8.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.05 CA$19.74

$11.17 $11.17

25.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.07 CA$19.77

$12.93 $12.93

8.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.31 CA$35.56

$16.86 $16.86

50.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.42 CA$6.21

$5.27 $5.27

-16.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 CA$1.80

$2.06 $2.06

-37.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.61 CA$6.48

$4.58 $4.58

0.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.61 CA$6.48

$4.35 $4.35

5.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 CA$3.95

$1.61 $1.61

74.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.54 CA$4.97

$2.62 $2.62

35.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 CA$3.85

$2.55 $2.55

7.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 CA$2.95

$3.00 $3.00

-30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.23 CA$19.99

$13.49 $13.49

5.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.39 CA$18.81

$16.13 $16.13

-16.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 CA$2.88

$1.75 $1.75

17.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 CA$3.28

$2.04 $2.04

14.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 CA$3.57

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.6 CA$115

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 CA$4.04

$5.85 $5.85

-50.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 CA$2.13

$4.82 $4.82

-68.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.45 CA$37.16

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 CA$1.92

$0.91 $0.91

50.55%

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

$28.5K CA$40.1K

$28.0K $28.0K

2.10%

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

$20.9K CA$29.4K

$26.1K $26.1K

-19.75%

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

$126 CA$177

$192 $192

-34.30%

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

$44.96 CA$63.2

$52.9 $52.9

-15.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.7 CA$74.1

$52.5 $52.5

0.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.23 CA$43.88

$25.45 $25.45

22.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.52 CA$14.79

Cinema Ticket

$14.23 CA$20.00

$12.37 $12.37

15.04%

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

$649 CA$912

$832 $832

-22.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.8K $33.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 CA$73.3

$24.52 $24.52

112.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 CA$72.2

$37.34 $37.34

37.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$145

$51.9 $51.9

99.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 CA$111

$81.0 $81.0

-2.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 CA$2,379

$2,145 $2,145

-21.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 CA$1,976

$1,570 $1,570

-10.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,623 CA$3,685

$4,185 $4,185

-37.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,985 CA$2,789

$2,494 $2,494

-20.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,886 CA$9,674

$4,895 $4,895

40.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,338 CA$7,499

$3,078 $3,078

73.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,149 CA$4,424

$5,986 $5,986

-47.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

6.1

-21.97%

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

Last update for Burnaby: October 26, 2026

Last update for Portsmouth, NH: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burnaby

$1.4K 52.5%

Portsmouth, NH

$1.6K 56.8% 11.6% $164

Groceries & Markets

Burnaby

$431 16.1%

Portsmouth, NH

$423 15.3% 1.8% $7.8

Eating Out

Burnaby

$327 12.2%

Portsmouth, NH

$305 11% 6.7% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burnaby

$224 8.4%

Portsmouth, NH

$298 10.8% 32.9% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Burnaby

$129 4.8%

Portsmouth, NH

$88 3.2% 31.9% $41

Getting Around

Burnaby

$102 3.8%

Portsmouth, NH

$30 * 1.1% 70.7% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Burnaby

$60 2.2%

Portsmouth, NH

$50 1.8% 15.9% $9.5

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 $1,693 in Burnaby and $2,145 in Portsmouth, NH. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portsmouth, NH pays 90% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $87 in Burnaby vs $102 in Portsmouth, NH. Groceries flip the comparison at $431 vs $423, with Portsmouth, NH cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Burnaby

🇺🇸 Portsmouth, NH

🕒 Local time

09:59 9:59 AM

12:59 12:59 PM

3 h ahead of Burnaby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

249,125

95,535

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.712 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.712 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Burnaby Portsmouth, NH 4,000 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Burnaby
Portsmouth, NH

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 Portsmouth, NH: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burnaby and Portsmouth, NH differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,678 vs $2,763 including rent). Burnaby is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 47% lower in Burnaby. 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: $1,693 in Burnaby versus $2,145 in Portsmouth, NH. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $649 in Burnaby versus $832 in Portsmouth, NH. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,678 per month in Burnaby versus $2,763 in Portsmouth, NH – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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 – Burnaby wins on affordability, Portsmouth, NH on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.