Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cary, NC and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,626 a month against $2,842 in Cary, NC, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Cary, NC
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Cary, NC Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Cary, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,842

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,842 in Cary, NC versus $2,626 in Vancouver.

Cary, NC $2,842
Vancouver $2,626

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,173 in Cary, NC versus $3,841 in Vancouver.

Cary, NC $4,173
Vancouver $3,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,505 in Cary, NC versus $5,056 in Vancouver.

Cary, NC $5,505
Vancouver $5,056

Living in Cary, NC is roughly 8% more expensive than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cary, NC 111% above, Vancouver 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.35 $19.35

$17.19 CA$24.30

12.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.3 $99.3

$69.1 CA$97.6

43.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 $10.42

$10.61 CA$15.00

-1.79%

Cappuccino

$5.06 $5.06

$3.83 CA$5.42

32.11%

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

$2.03 $2.03

$2.04 CA$2.88

-0.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.65 CA$2.34

12.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.51 $4.51

$5.54 CA$7.83

-18.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.39 $6.39

$6.20 CA$8.77

3.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.14 CA$3.02

-51.40%

White Bread (500g)

$5.51 $5.51

$2.51 CA$3.54

119.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.18 $6.18

$4.49 CA$6.35

37.64%

Eggs

$4.02 $4.02

$4.09 CA$5.78

-1.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.74 $17.74

$11.73 CA$16.58

51.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.62 $16.62

$13.11 CA$18.54

26.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.96 $17.96

$19.50 CA$27.57

-7.90%

Apples (1kg)

$6.25 $6.25

$4.00 CA$5.65

56.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.38 CA$1.94

39.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.88 CA$5.48

-3.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.90 $6.90

$3.95 CA$5.58

74.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.72 CA$3.85

19.49%

Onion (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.86 CA$4.05

45.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.46 CA$3.48

20.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.56 CA$2.21

52.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 $10.06

$15.48 CA$21.88

-35.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 $9.71

$13.75 CA$19.44

-29.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.63 CA$3.72

-11.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 $4.04

$2.89 CA$4.09

39.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.48 CA$3.51

2.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.7 $78.7

$83.0 CA$117

-5.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 CA$3.85

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.24

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.05 CA$43.89

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.37 CA$1.94

-32.12%

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

$27.7K CA$39.1K

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

$28.7K $28.7K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

45.93%

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

$179 $179

$82.5 CA$117

116.85%

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

$47.18 $47.18

$37.26 CA$52.7

26.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 $67.6

$51.7 CA$73.1

30.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.8 $77.8

$42.87 CA$60.6

81.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.88 $21.88

$12.40 CA$17.53

76.45%

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 $15.26

$12.13 CA$17.15

25.80%

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

$1,455 $1,455

$1,102 CA$1,557

32.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K CA$28.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.9 $65.9

$56.4 CA$79.7

16.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.18 $32.18

$33.43 CA$47.26

-3.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$93.9 CA$133

27.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$93.8 CA$133

46.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,904 $1,904

$1,775 CA$2,509

7.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 $1,407

$1,497 CA$2,116

-5.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,710 $2,710

$3,082 CA$4,357

-12.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,162 $2,162

$2,416 CA$3,416

-10.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,859 $2,859

$8,069 CA$11.4K

-64.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,643 $2,643

$6,449 CA$9,118

-59.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,032 $6,032

$3,776 CA$5,339

59.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.42

4.28

50.00%

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

Last update for Cary, NC: October 10, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cary, NC

$1.4K 49.5%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57% 6.3% $89

Groceries & Markets

Cary, NC

$486 17.1%

Vancouver

$392 14.9% 19.3% $94

Eating Out

Cary, NC

$298 10.5%

Vancouver

$270 10.3% 9.2% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cary, NC

$294 10.3%

Vancouver

$171 6.5% 41.6% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Cary, NC

$160 5.6%

Vancouver

$125 4.8% 21.7% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Cary, NC

$108 3.8%

Vancouver

$67 2.6% 38% $41

Getting Around

Cary, NC

$89 * 3.1%

Vancouver

$104 3.9% 16.6% $15

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 $1,904 in Cary, NC and $1,775 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cary, NC pays 60% 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 Cary, NC vs $69.0 in Vancouver for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $486 vs $392 per month, with Vancouver cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cary, NC

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

12:47 12:47 PM

09:47 9:47 AM

3 h behind Cary, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,987

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cary, NC Vancouver 3,860 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cary, NC
Vancouver

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

Cary, NC vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 60% higher in Cary, NC, 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: $1,904 in Cary, NC versus $1,775 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,455 in Cary, NC versus $1,102 in Vancouver. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Cary, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 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 Vancouver gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Cary, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.