Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dawson City and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Dawson City: $1,906 a month against $2,725 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Vancouver outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

92

Cost of Living Index in Dawson City
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Dawson City Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Dawson City

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,906

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,906 per month in Dawson City vs $2,725 in Vancouver, rent included.

Dawson City $1,906
Vancouver $2,725

A couple spends around $3,291 per month in Dawson City vs $4,039 in Vancouver, rent included.

Dawson City $3,291
Vancouver $4,039

A family of three spends $4,677 per month in Dawson City vs $5,352 in Vancouver, rent included.

Dawson City $4,677
Vancouver $5,352

Dawson City is about 30% cheaper than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Dawson City and Vancouver sit above the global median – Dawson City by 40%, Vancouver by 100%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.11 CA$35.12

$17.65 CA$24.68

42.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 CA$143

$72.4 CA$101

40.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.82

$10.84 CA$15.16

-2.31%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.37

$3.91 CA$5.47

-1.79%

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

$1.74 CA$2.43

$2.10 CA$2.94

-17.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 CA$2.37

$1.64 CA$2.29

3.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 CA$7.10

$5.74 CA$8.03

-11.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 CA$7.95

$6.36 CA$8.90

-10.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.63 CA$3.68

$2.21 CA$3.09

19.00%

White Bread (500g)

$4.12 CA$5.76

$2.64 CA$3.70

56.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.92 CA$6.87

$4.68 CA$6.54

5.13%

Eggs

$5.10 CA$7.13

$4.24 CA$5.93

20.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.27 CA$14.36

$11.92 CA$16.68

-13.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.47 CA$20.24

$13.12 CA$18.35

10.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.45 CA$20.21

$20.40 CA$28.53

-29.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.71

$4.10 CA$5.74

-0.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 CA$2.00

$1.38 CA$1.93

3.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 CA$5.82

$3.83 CA$5.36

8.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.13 CA$5.77

$3.92 CA$5.48

5.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 CA$3.27

$2.77 CA$3.88

-15.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 CA$3.08

$2.84 CA$3.97

-22.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 CA$3.50

$2.60 CA$3.64

-3.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 CA$2.31

$1.59 CA$2.23

3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.02 CA$19.61

$15.87 CA$22.19

-11.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.81 CA$17.92

$14.00 CA$19.58

-8.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 CA$3.28

$2.57 CA$3.60

-8.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 CA$4.59

$3.01 CA$4.22

8.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 CA$3.04

$2.55 CA$3.57

-14.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.6 CA$80.6

$84.1 CA$118

-31.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 CA$4.06

$2.67 CA$3.73

8.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 CA$2.00

$1.58 CA$2.22

-9.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.86 CA$30.57

$32.19 CA$45.02

-32.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.70

$1.45 CA$2.03

-15.86%

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

$27.1K CA$37.9K

$27.5K CA$38.4K

-1.37%

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

$18.7K CA$26.2K

$21.3K CA$29.8K

-12.21%

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

$137 CA$192

$82.5 CA$115

66.46%

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

$39.51 CA$55.3

$37.46 CA$52.4

5.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.1 CA$77.1

$51.7 CA$72.3

6.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.34 CA$53.6

$40.52 CA$56.7

-5.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.44 CA$28.59

$12.69 CA$17.75

61.07%

Cinema Ticket

$11.14 CA$15.58

$12.66 CA$17.71

-12.01%

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

$639 CA$894

$1,080 CA$1,510

-40.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K CA$19.8K

$20.1K CA$28.2K

-29.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 CA$89.8

$58.5 CA$81.8

9.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.97 CA$54.5

$34.10 CA$47.69

14.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.9 CA$93.5

$96.9 CA$136

-30.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$146

$97.4 CA$136

7.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 CA$1,791

$1,813 CA$2,536

-29.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$679 CA$950

$1,576 CA$2,204

-56.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,030 CA$2,839

$3,217 CA$4,499

-36.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 CA$2,390

$2,651 CA$3,708

-35.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 CA$5,878

$8,590 CA$12.0K

-51.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,257 CA$4,555

$6,649 CA$9,300

-51.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,937 CA$4,108

$3,733 CA$5,221

-21.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

4.28

9.35%

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

Last update for Dawson City: October 24, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dawson City

$679 35.6%

Vancouver

$1.6K 57.8% 132% $896

Groceries & Markets

Dawson City

$406 21.3%

Vancouver

$401 14.7% 1.1% $4.7

Eating Out

Dawson City

$329 17.3%

Vancouver

$277 10.2% 15.8% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dawson City

$232 12.2%

Vancouver

$172 6.3% 26% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Dawson City

$124 6.5%

Vancouver

$129 4.7% 4.4% $5.5

Getting Around

Dawson City

$76 4%

Vancouver

$105 3.9% 37.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Dawson City

$61 3.2%

Vancouver

$66 2.4% 8.6% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,281 in Dawson City versus $1,813 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 27% 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 $102 in Dawson City versus $72 in Vancouver. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $406 vs $401 – making Vancouver the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Dawson City

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

18:56 6:56 PM

Same time as Dawson City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,375

631,486

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Dawson City Vancouver 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Dawson City
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

Dawson City vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Vancouver is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,859 per month in Dawson City and $4,087 in Vancouver. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dawson City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,281 there versus $1,813 in Vancouver.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,906 in Dawson City and $2,725 in Vancouver. That makes Dawson City about 30% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $639 per month in Dawson City and $1,080 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 Dawson City, where all-in costs run around $1,906, than in Vancouver at $2,725. In Dawson City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vancouver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dawson City – 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 Dawson City. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vancouver makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.