Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge, MA and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,626 a month against $4,506 in Cambridge, MA, rent and utilities included – about $22,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

216

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge, MA
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Cambridge, MA Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Cambridge, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,506

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,506 in Cambridge, MA versus $2,626 in Vancouver.

Cambridge, MA $4,506
Vancouver $2,626

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,767 in Cambridge, MA versus $3,841 in Vancouver.

Cambridge, MA $5,767
Vancouver $3,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,029 in Cambridge, MA versus $5,056 in Vancouver.

Cambridge, MA $7,029
Vancouver $5,056

Living in Cambridge, MA is roughly 72% more expensive than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cambridge, MA 234% above, Vancouver 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.88 $19.88

$17.19 CA$24.30

15.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.2 $99.2

$69.1 CA$97.6

43.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.19 $12.19

$10.61 CA$15.00

14.89%

Cappuccino

$5.20 $5.20

$3.83 CA$5.42

35.77%

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

$3.17 $3.17

$2.04 CA$2.88

55.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.65 CA$2.34

41.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 $8.13

$5.54 CA$7.83

46.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.97 $7.97

$6.20 CA$8.77

28.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$2.14 CA$3.02

-45.33%

White Bread (500g)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.51 CA$3.54

80.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.97 $6.97

$4.49 CA$6.35

55.23%

Eggs

$4.91 $4.91

$4.09 CA$5.78

20.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 $15.35

$11.73 CA$16.58

30.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.11 CA$18.54

15.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.19 $19.19

$19.50 CA$27.57

-1.59%

Apples (1kg)

$6.46 $6.46

$4.00 CA$5.65

61.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.38 CA$1.94

24.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.92 $5.92

$3.88 CA$5.48

52.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.33 $7.33

$3.95 CA$5.58

85.57%

Potato (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.72 CA$3.85

61.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$2.86 CA$4.05

33.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.46 CA$3.48

21.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.56 CA$2.21

64.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.66 $12.66

$15.48 CA$21.88

-18.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 $15.72

$13.75 CA$19.44

14.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.63 CA$3.72

-25.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.41 $5.41

$2.89 CA$4.09

87.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.48 CA$3.51

0.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.0 $91.0

$83.0 CA$117

9.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.72 CA$3.85

-24.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.58 CA$2.24

-4.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 $10.82

$31.05 CA$43.89

-65.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.37 CA$1.94

-21.90%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$27.7K CA$39.1K

32.83%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

29.86%

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

$227 $227

$82.5 CA$117

175.81%

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

$54.4 $54.4

$37.26 CA$52.7

46.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.4 $78.4

$51.7 CA$73.1

51.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 $74.3

$42.87 CA$60.6

73.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.56 $30.56

$12.40 CA$17.53

146.45%

Cinema Ticket

$14.78 $14.78

$12.13 CA$17.15

21.85%

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

$2,847 $2,847

$1,102 CA$1,557

158.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K $35.9K

$19.8K CA$28.0K

80.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.4 $76.4

$56.4 CA$79.7

35.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.3 $51.3

$33.43 CA$47.26

53.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$93.9 CA$133

9.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$93.8 CA$133

46.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,392 $3,392

$1,775 CA$2,509

91.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,926 $2,926

$1,497 CA$2,116

95.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,218 $5,218

$3,082 CA$4,357

69.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,459 $3,459

$2,416 CA$3,416

43.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,990 $4,990

$8,069 CA$11.4K

-38.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,067 $5,067

$6,449 CA$9,118

-21.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,239 $6,239

$3,776 CA$5,339

65.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

4.28

51.87%

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

Last update for Cambridge, MA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge, MA

$2.9K 64.9%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57% 48.9% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge, MA

$502 11.2%

Vancouver

$392 14.9% 21.9% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge, MA

$360 8%

Vancouver

$171 6.5% 52.4% $189

Eating Out

Cambridge, MA

$337 7.5%

Vancouver

$270 10.3% 19.7% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge, MA

$166 3.7%

Vancouver

$125 4.8% 24.6% $41

Getting Around

Cambridge, MA

$111 2.5%

Vancouver

$104 3.9% 6.4% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge, MA

$104 2.3%

Vancouver

$67 2.6% 35.4% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,392 in Cambridge, MA and $1,775 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge, MA pays 65% 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: $99.0 in Cambridge, MA vs $69.0 in Vancouver for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $502 vs $392 per month, with Vancouver cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cambridge, MA

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

11:12 11:12 AM

08:12 8:12 AM

3 h behind Cambridge, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,162

631,486

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Cambridge, MA Vancouver 4,020 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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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, MA vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver wins on cost – living expenses run 72% lower than in Cambridge, MA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Vancouver the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 65% higher in Cambridge, MA, 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: $3,392 in Cambridge, MA versus $1,775 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Dining out is cheaper in Vancouver – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $99.0 in Cambridge, MA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Vancouver is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Vancouver delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,626 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Vancouver hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cambridge, MA and Vancouver are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Vancouver gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Cambridge, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.