Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canada and the Gambia

For one person, living is cheaper in the Gambia: $703 a month against $2,310 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Canada
Gambia
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,310
/mo nomad
🇬🇲 Gambia
$703
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Canada and in the Gambia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Canada and in the Gambia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,310 per month in Canada vs $703 in the Gambia, rent included.

  • Canada $2,310
  • Gambia $703

A couple spends around $3,356 per month in Canada vs $1,215 in the Gambia, rent included.

  • Canada $3,356
  • Gambia $1,215

A family of three spends $4,403 per month in Canada vs $1,726 in the Gambia, rent included.

  • Canada $4,403
  • Gambia $1,726

The regional cost range is wider in Canada ($889–$3,737) than in the Gambia ($56–$677), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Canada is about 229% higher than in the Gambia on average.

Canada sits 70% above the global median, while the Gambia is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Canada
Gambia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.16 CA$25.52
$6.81 GMD 505
166.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.2 CA$100
$74.8 GMD 5,542
-4.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.81 CA$15.19
$7.59 GMD 562
42.42%
Cappuccino
$3.78 CA$5.31
$3.51 GMD 260
7.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 CA$2.97
$2.19 GMD 163
-3.65%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 CA$2.33
$1.31 GMD 96.9
26.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.62 CA$7.89
$5.73 GMD 424
-1.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.72 CA$8.04
$4.52 GMD 335
26.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Canada
Gambia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 CA$3.06
$1.38 GMD 102
57.25%
White Bread (500g)
$2.60 CA$3.66
$0.72 GMD 53.4
261.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.65 CA$5.13
$1.19 GMD 88.2
206.72%
Eggs
$3.63 CA$5.10
$2.07 GMD 154
75.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.76 CA$15.12
$5.92 GMD 439
81.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.90 CA$16.72
$8.57 GMD 635
38.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.42 CA$21.67
$5.55 GMD 411
177.84%
Apples (1kg)
$4.03 CA$5.66
$2.01 GMD 149
100.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 CA$1.95
$1.53 GMD 114
-9.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.88 CA$5.44
$2.08 GMD 154
86.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.08 CA$5.74
$1.76 GMD 131
131.82%
Potato (1kg)
$2.57 CA$3.61
$0.98 GMD 72.6
162.24%
Onion (1kg)
$2.48 CA$3.48
$0.91 GMD 67.3
172.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.65 CA$3.72
$0.28 GMD 20.95
846.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 CA$2.41
$0.39 GMD 28.75
338.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.32 CA$20.12
$1.66 GMD 123
762.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.49 CA$18.95
$6.83 GMD 506
97.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.84 CA$3.99
$1.51 GMD 112
88.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.30 CA$4.64
$1.57 GMD 117
110.19%
🚌 Getting Around
Canada
Gambia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.55 CA$3.59
$0.33 GMD 24.09
672.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$71.9 CA$101
$6.63 GMD 491
984.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.18 CA$4.47
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.54 CA$2.16
$0.65 GMD 48.22
136.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.69 CA$37.50
$4.03 GMD 299
562.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 CA$1.75
$1.03 GMD 76.6
20.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K CA$39.2K
$2,672 GMD 198.0K
943.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.1K CA$29.6K
$3,254 GMD 241.1K
547.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Canada
Gambia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$147 CA$207
$30.48 GMD 2,258
383.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$41.80 CA$58.7
$14.20 GMD 1,052
194.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$60.2 CA$84.6
$51.7 GMD 3,830
16.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Canada
Gambia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.01 CA$54.8
$23.45 GMD 1,738
66.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.06 CA$26.78
$13.63 GMD 1,010
39.84%
Cinema Ticket
$11.21 CA$15.75
$3.33 GMD 247
236.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Canada
Gambia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$721 CA$1,013
$6.61 GMD 490
10808.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K CA$20.9K
$138 GMD 10.2K
10690.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Canada
Gambia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.3 CA$77.7
$56.8 GMD 4,212
-2.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.95 CA$54.7
$44.94 GMD 3,330
-13.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.4 CA$123
$97.8 GMD 7,247
-10.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 CA$142
$87.6 GMD 6,490
15.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Canada
Gambia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,290 CA$1,813
$102 GMD 7,587
1160.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,130 CA$1,588
$82.4 GMD 6,107
1271.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,036 CA$2,861
$219 GMD 16.2K
830.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,731 CA$2,432
$104 GMD 7,684
1569.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,769 CA$6,700
$1,467 GMD 108.7K
225.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,730 CA$5,240
$1,144 GMD 84.8K
226.06%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Canada
Gambia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,070 CA$4,313
$60.4 GMD 4,477
4980.49%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.87
15
-67.53%

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

Last update for Canada: October 26, 2026

Last update for the Gambia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Canada
$1.1K
Gambia
$82 92.7% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Canada
$371
Gambia
$183 50.8% $188
Eating Out
Canada
$278
Gambia
$171 38.4% $107
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Canada
$249
Gambia
$96 61.4% $153
Clothing & Footwear
Canada
$127
Gambia
$129 1.5% $1.9
Getting Around
Canada
$93
Gambia
$11 * 88% $82
Sport & Entertainment
Canada
$61
Gambia
$30 51% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,250 in Canada vs $105 in the Gambia. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,434 in Ottawa and $105 in Banjul.

Average salary: $2,968 in Canada vs $62 in the Gambia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1090% higher in Canada.

Public transport is 843% more expensive in Canada.

Salaries are about 48 times higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Canada.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Canada
🇬🇲 Gambia
🕒 Local time
07:10 7:10 AM
11:10 11:10 AM
4 h ahead of Canada
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
36,991,981
2,639,916
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GMD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

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).

Gambian Dalasi exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 74.1 GMD (100 GMD = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 82.47 GMD (100 GMD = 1.21 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Canada Gambia 6,550 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Canada
  • Gambia

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
Canada vs Gambia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Canada more expensive than the Gambia?
The Gambia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 70% lower on average.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Housing costs more in Canada: a central one-bedroom averages $1,250 versus $105 in the Gambia.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget in Canada or in the Gambia?
$1,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in the Gambia, but in Canada it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.
Should I move to Canada or to the Gambia?
The Gambia is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.

Canada vs other spots: cost of living compared

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