Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dartmouth and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Dartmouth: $1,993 a month against $2,626 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dartmouth
Learn more

Dartmouth Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
Learn more

Vancouver Living Index

Jump to prices

Dartmouth

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,993

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,993 per month in Dartmouth vs $2,626 in Vancouver, rent included.

Dartmouth $1,993
Vancouver $2,626

A couple spends around $2,990 per month in Dartmouth vs $3,841 in Vancouver, rent included.

Dartmouth $2,990
Vancouver $3,841

A family of three spends $3,987 per month in Dartmouth vs $5,056 in Vancouver, rent included.

Dartmouth $3,987
Vancouver $5,056

Dartmouth is about 24% cheaper than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dartmouth and Vancouver sit above the global median – Dartmouth by 48%, Vancouver by 95%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.55 CA$14.91

$17.19 CA$24.30

-38.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.5 CA$82.7

$69.1 CA$97.6

-15.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.96 CA$9.84

$10.61 CA$15.00

-34.40%

Cappuccino

$3.56 CA$5.04

$3.83 CA$5.42

-7.05%

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

$2.00 CA$2.82

$2.04 CA$2.88

-1.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.66

$1.65 CA$2.34

13.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.45 CA$6.30

$5.54 CA$7.83

-19.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 CA$8.05

$6.20 CA$8.77

-8.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 CA$3.36

$2.14 CA$3.02

11.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 CA$2.89

$2.51 CA$3.54

-18.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.68

$4.49 CA$6.35

-26.28%

Eggs

$3.49 CA$4.93

$4.09 CA$5.78

-14.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.64 CA$10.80

$11.73 CA$16.58

-34.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.18 CA$12.98

$13.11 CA$18.54

-29.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.37 CA$14.65

$19.50 CA$27.57

-46.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$4.00 CA$5.65

-15.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 CA$2.15

$1.38 CA$1.94

10.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.47 CA$6.32

$3.88 CA$5.48

15.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 CA$8.12

$3.95 CA$5.58

45.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 CA$2.86

$2.72 CA$3.85

-25.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 CA$2.98

$2.86 CA$4.05

-26.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$2.46 CA$3.48

0.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 CA$3.01

$1.56 CA$2.21

36.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.95 CA$19.72

$15.48 CA$21.88

-9.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 CA$20.03

$13.75 CA$19.44

3.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 CA$4.74

$2.63 CA$3.72

27.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 CA$5.47

$2.89 CA$4.09

33.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 CA$2.78

$2.48 CA$3.51

-20.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.6 CA$84.2

$83.0 CA$117

-28.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.76 CA$3.90

$2.72 CA$3.85

1.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 CA$1.86

$1.58 CA$2.24

-16.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.34 CA$30.17

$31.05 CA$43.89

-31.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 CA$1.58

$1.37 CA$1.94

-18.25%

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

$28.0K CA$39.5K

$27.7K CA$39.1K

1.14%

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

$18.9K CA$26.7K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

-3.96%

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

$77.5 CA$109

$82.5 CA$117

-6.10%

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

$41.92 CA$59.3

$37.26 CA$52.7

12.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.3 CA$89.5

$51.7 CA$73.1

22.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.19 CA$49.75

$42.87 CA$60.6

-17.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.40 CA$17.53

Cinema Ticket

$12.41 CA$17.54

$12.13 CA$17.15

2.31%

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

$373 CA$527

$1,102 CA$1,557

-66.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K CA$18.7K

$19.8K CA$28.0K

-33.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.41 CA$55.7

$56.4 CA$79.7

-30.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.13 CA$46.84

$33.43 CA$47.26

-0.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.7 CA$94.3

$93.9 CA$133

-28.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.6 CA$105

$93.8 CA$133

-20.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 CA$1,717

$1,775 CA$2,509

-31.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 CA$1,466

$1,497 CA$2,116

-30.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 CA$2,765

$3,082 CA$4,357

-36.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,818 CA$2,570

$2,416 CA$3,416

-24.76%

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)

$2,539 CA$3,589

$3,776 CA$5,339

-32.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

4.28

7.48%

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

Last update for Dartmouth: October 13, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dartmouth

$1K 52.1%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57% 44.3% $459

Groceries & Markets

Dartmouth

$343 17.2%

Vancouver

$392 14.9% 14.6% $50

Eating Out

Dartmouth

$197 9.9%

Vancouver

$270 10.3% 37% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dartmouth

$183 9.2%

Vancouver

$171 6.5% 6.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Dartmouth

$96 4.8%

Vancouver

$125 4.8% 29.8% $29

Getting Around

Dartmouth

$77 3.9%

Vancouver

$104 3.9% 34.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Dartmouth

$60 3%

Vancouver

$67 2.6% 11.9% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,215 in Dartmouth 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 49% 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 $58.0 in Dartmouth versus $69.0 in Vancouver. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $343 vs $392 – making Dartmouth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Dartmouth

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

02:29 2:29 AM

4 h behind Dartmouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,000

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dartmouth Vancouver 4,430 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dartmouth
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

Dartmouth vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,993 in Dartmouth, $2,626 in Vancouver – roughly 32% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,989 per month in Dartmouth 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 Dartmouth, 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 $1,993 in Dartmouth and $2,626 in Vancouver. That's a gap of about 32%.

Public transport costs about 39% less in Dartmouth. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Dartmouth, where all-in costs run around $1,993, than in Vancouver at $2,626. In Dartmouth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vancouver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dartmouth – 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 Dartmouth. 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.