Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge Bay and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Cambridge Bay: $2,251 a month against $2,725 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge Bay
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Cambridge Bay Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Cambridge Bay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,251

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,251 in Cambridge Bay versus $2,725 in Vancouver.

Cambridge Bay $2,251
Vancouver $2,725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,293 in Cambridge Bay versus $4,039 in Vancouver.

Cambridge Bay $3,293
Vancouver $4,039

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,335 in Cambridge Bay versus $5,352 in Vancouver.

Cambridge Bay $4,335
Vancouver $5,352

Living in Cambridge Bay costs roughly 17% less than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cambridge Bay 65% above, Vancouver 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.62 CA$31.64

$17.65 CA$24.68

28.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.0 CA$90.9

$72.4 CA$101

-10.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.52 CA$16.11

$10.84 CA$15.16

6.27%

Cappuccino

$3.80 CA$5.32

$3.91 CA$5.47

-2.81%

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

$2.00 CA$2.80

$2.10 CA$2.94

-4.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 CA$2.26

$1.64 CA$2.29

-1.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.79 CA$6.69

$5.74 CA$8.03

-16.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 CA$6.94

$6.36 CA$8.90

-22.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 CA$2.95

$2.21 CA$3.09

-4.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 CA$3.53

$2.64 CA$3.70

-4.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 CA$4.19

$4.68 CA$6.54

-36.11%

Eggs

$3.42 CA$4.79

$4.24 CA$5.93

-19.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.98 CA$13.95

$11.92 CA$16.68

-16.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.86 CA$17.98

$13.12 CA$18.35

-1.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 CA$19.50

$20.40 CA$28.53

-31.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 CA$5.26

$4.10 CA$5.74

-8.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 CA$1.85

$1.38 CA$1.93

-4.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.40

$3.83 CA$5.36

-17.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 CA$5.37

$3.92 CA$5.48

-2.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.80

$2.77 CA$3.88

-1.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 CA$3.10

$2.84 CA$3.97

-21.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 CA$3.74

$2.60 CA$3.64

2.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 CA$2.43

$1.59 CA$2.23

9.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.67 CA$20.52

$15.87 CA$22.19

-7.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.54 CA$20.33

$14.00 CA$19.58

3.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 CA$3.37

$2.57 CA$3.60

-6.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 CA$3.90

$3.01 CA$4.22

-7.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 CA$3.25

$2.55 CA$3.57

-9.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.0 CA$89.5

$84.1 CA$118

-23.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 CA$4.19

$2.67 CA$3.73

12.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.58 CA$2.22

-7.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.90 CA$29.23

$32.19 CA$45.02

-35.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.64

$1.45 CA$2.03

-19.31%

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

$26.3K CA$36.8K

$27.5K CA$38.4K

-4.20%

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

$18.6K CA$26.0K

$21.3K CA$29.8K

-12.82%

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

$129 CA$181

$82.5 CA$115

56.57%

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

$38.55 CA$53.9

$37.46 CA$52.4

2.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 CA$75.7

$51.7 CA$72.3

4.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.99 CA$60.1

$40.52 CA$56.7

6.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.17 CA$22.61

$12.69 CA$17.75

27.42%

Cinema Ticket

$9.48 CA$13.26

$12.66 CA$17.71

-25.12%

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

$558 CA$781

$1,080 CA$1,510

-48.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K CA$20.8K

$20.1K CA$28.2K

-26.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 CA$72.8

$58.5 CA$81.8

-10.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.63 CA$59.6

$34.10 CA$47.69

25.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 CA$111

$96.9 CA$136

-18.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.6 CA$129

$97.4 CA$136

-4.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 CA$1,613

$1,813 CA$2,536

-36.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 CA$1,534

$1,576 CA$2,204

-30.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,867 CA$2,611

$3,217 CA$4,499

-41.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,722 CA$2,408

$2,651 CA$3,708

-35.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,906 CA$6,862

$8,590 CA$12.0K

-42.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,094 CA$4,327

$6,649 CA$9,300

-53.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,733 CA$5,221

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

4.28

9.35%

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

Last update for Cambridge Bay: October 24, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge Bay

$1.1K 48.7%

Vancouver

$1.6K 57.8% 43.7% $479

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge Bay

$357 15.9%

Vancouver

$401 14.7% 12.2% $44

Eating Out

Cambridge Bay

$310 13.8%

Vancouver

$277 10.2% 10.5% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge Bay

$222 9.9%

Vancouver

$172 6.3% 22.6% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge Bay

$120 5.3%

Vancouver

$129 4.7% 7.6% $9.1

Getting Around

Cambridge Bay

$84 3.7%

Vancouver

$105 3.9% 25.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge Bay

$62 2.8%

Vancouver

$66 2.4% 6.3% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,153 in Cambridge Bay and $1,813 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $65 in Cambridge Bay vs $72 in Vancouver for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $357 vs $401 per month, with Cambridge Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Cambridge Bay

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

02:18 2:18 AM

01:18 1:18 AM

1 h behind Cambridge Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,800

631,486

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Cambridge Bay Vancouver 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge Bay
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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

Cambridge Bay vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,251 in Cambridge Bay and $2,725 in Vancouver, so Cambridge Bay is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,376 in Cambridge Bay and $4,087 in Vancouver to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,153 in Cambridge Bay versus $1,813 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,251 per month in Cambridge Bay versus $2,725 in Vancouver – Cambridge Bay is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cambridge Bay runs roughly 24% less than in Vancouver. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Cambridge Bay gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Cambridge Bay is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Vancouver, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Cambridge Bay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.