Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cold Lake and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Cold Lake: $1,912 a month against $2,626 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Cold Lake
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Cold Lake Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Cold Lake

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,912

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,912 per month in Cold Lake vs $2,626 in Vancouver, rent included.

Cold Lake $1,912
Vancouver $2,626

A couple spends around $2,791 per month in Cold Lake vs $3,841 in Vancouver, rent included.

Cold Lake $2,791
Vancouver $3,841

A family of three spends $3,670 per month in Cold Lake vs $5,056 in Vancouver, rent included.

Cold Lake $3,670
Vancouver $5,056

Cold Lake is about 27% cheaper than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cold Lake and Vancouver sit above the global median – Cold Lake by 42%, Vancouver by 95%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.96 CA$28.21

$17.19 CA$24.30

16.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 CA$81.2

$69.1 CA$97.6

-16.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.67 CA$13.68

$10.61 CA$15.00

-8.86%

Cappuccino

$3.82 CA$5.40

$3.83 CA$5.42

-0.26%

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

$2.26 CA$3.19

$2.04 CA$2.88

10.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 CA$2.01

$1.65 CA$2.34

-13.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 CA$7.87

$5.54 CA$7.83

0.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 CA$8.68

$6.20 CA$8.77

-0.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$2.14 CA$3.02

-45.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 CA$3.09

$2.51 CA$3.54

-13.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 CA$4.06

$4.49 CA$6.35

-36.08%

Eggs

$3.07 CA$4.35

$4.09 CA$5.78

-24.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.61 CA$14.99

$11.73 CA$16.58

-9.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.16 CA$15.77

$13.11 CA$18.54

-14.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.77 CA$26.53

$19.50 CA$27.57

-3.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.50 CA$4.94

$4.00 CA$5.65

-12.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$1.38 CA$1.94

-15.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$3.88 CA$5.48

-27.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 CA$3.50

$3.95 CA$5.58

-37.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 CA$3.04

$2.72 CA$3.85

-20.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 CA$1.50

$2.86 CA$4.05

-62.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 CA$3.30

$2.46 CA$3.48

-5.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$1.56 CA$2.21

12.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.94 CA$16.88

$15.48 CA$21.88

-22.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.41 CA$16.14

$13.75 CA$19.44

-17.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.57 CA$5.05

$2.63 CA$3.72

35.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 CA$4.03

$2.89 CA$4.09

-1.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 CA$3.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.0 CA$117

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 CA$4.13

$2.72 CA$3.85

7.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.95

$1.58 CA$2.24

-12.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.67 CA$29.22

$31.05 CA$43.89

-33.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 CA$1.45

$1.37 CA$1.94

-24.82%

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

$28.3K CA$40.0K

$27.7K CA$39.1K

2.20%

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

$19.4K CA$27.4K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

-1.31%

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

$225 CA$318

$82.5 CA$117

172.81%

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

$43.04 CA$60.8

$37.26 CA$52.7

15.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 CA$76.7

$51.7 CA$73.1

4.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.87 CA$60.6

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.40 CA$17.53

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 CA$17.82

$12.13 CA$17.15

3.96%

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

$761 CA$1,075

$1,102 CA$1,557

-30.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,434 CA$13.3K

$19.8K CA$28.0K

-52.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.35 CA$40.08

$56.4 CA$79.7

-49.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.05 CA$49.55

$33.43 CA$47.26

4.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.5 CA$72.8

$93.9 CA$133

-45.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.9 CA$121

$93.8 CA$133

-8.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$860 CA$1,216

$1,775 CA$2,509

-51.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$840 CA$1,188

$1,497 CA$2,116

-43.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 CA$2,183

$3,082 CA$4,357

-49.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 CA$1,975

$2,416 CA$3,416

-42.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,069 CA$11.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,449 CA$9,118

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,084 CA$4,359

$3,776 CA$5,339

-18.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.32

4.28

0.93%

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

Last update for Cold Lake: 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

Cold Lake

$840 44%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57% 78.1% $656

Groceries & Markets

Cold Lake

$335 17.5%

Vancouver

$392 14.9% 17.3% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cold Lake

$322 16.9%

Vancouver

$171 6.5% 46.8% $151

Eating Out

Cold Lake

$289 15.1%

Vancouver

$270 10.3% 6.6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Cold Lake

$90 4.7%

Vancouver

$125 4.8% 38.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Cold Lake

$25 * 1.3%

Vancouver

$67 2.6% 166% $42

Getting Around

Cold Lake

$9.8 * 0.5%

Vancouver

$104 3.9% 953% $94

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $860 in Cold Lake versus $1,775 in Vancouver. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 22% higher in Vancouver, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Cold Lake versus $69.0 in Vancouver. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $335 vs $392 – making Cold Lake the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Cold Lake

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

13:42 1:42 PM

12:42 12:42 PM

1 h behind Cold Lake

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,595

631,486

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Cold Lake Vancouver 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cold Lake
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

Cold Lake vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Vancouver is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,868 per month in Cold Lake and $3,939 in Vancouver. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cold Lake, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,912 in Cold Lake and $2,626 in Vancouver. That's a gap of about 37%.

Kindergarten costs $761 per month in Cold Lake and $1,102 in Vancouver. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Cold Lake, where all-in costs run around $1,912, than in Vancouver at $2,626. In Cold Lake it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vancouver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cold Lake – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cold Lake. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vancouver makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.