Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dresden and Burnaby

For one person, living is cheaper in Dresden: $1,950 a month against $2,678 in Burnaby, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Dresden
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Dresden Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Burnaby
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Burnaby Living Index

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Dresden

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,950

/mo nomad

Burnaby

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dresden and in Burnaby

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,950 in Dresden versus $2,678 in Burnaby.

Dresden $1,950
Burnaby $2,678

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,979 in Dresden versus $3,827 in Burnaby.

Dresden $2,979
Burnaby $3,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,008 in Dresden versus $4,976 in Burnaby.

Dresden $4,008
Burnaby $4,976

Living in Dresden costs roughly 27% less than in Burnaby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dresden 43% above, Burnaby 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.79 €16.88

$21.23 CA$29.79

-11.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.6 €75.1

$86.5 CA$121

-3.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.13

$9.53 CA$13.37

18.26%

Cappuccino

$4.19 €3.76

$4.67 CA$6.56

-10.28%

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

$3.57 €3.20

$2.45 CA$3.44

45.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 €2.82

$1.80 CA$2.52

73.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.01 €5.40

$8.57 CA$12.03

-29.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.44 €5.79

$6.18 CA$8.67

4.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

$2.34 CA$3.28

-46.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.76 CA$3.88

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.53

$3.52 CA$4.95

-19.89%

Eggs

$3.82 €3.43

$3.17 CA$4.45

20.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.43 €15.66

$14.05 CA$19.72

24.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.73 €10.54

$14.07 CA$19.75

-16.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.15 €19.90

$25.31 CA$35.52

-12.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.84

$4.42 CA$6.20

-28.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.28 CA$1.80

53.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$4.61 CA$6.47

-53.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 €3.44

$4.61 CA$6.48

-16.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 €1.38

$2.81 CA$3.95

-45.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 €1.33

$3.54 CA$4.96

-58.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.34

$2.74 CA$3.84

-45.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.12

$2.10 CA$2.95

-40.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.56 €8.59

$14.23 CA$19.96

-32.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.74 €5.16

$13.39 CA$18.79

-57.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.02

$2.05 CA$2.88

-44.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.27

$2.33 CA$3.27

-39.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.82 €3.43

$2.54 CA$3.56

50.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.7 €64.4

$81.6 CA$115

-12.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €4.00

$2.88 CA$4.04

54.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 €2.43

$1.51 CA$2.12

78.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.89 €30.45

$26.45 CA$37.12

28.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.37 CA$1.92

70.07%

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

$33.3K €29.9K

$28.5K CA$40.1K

16.68%

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

$37.9K €34.1K

$20.9K CA$29.4K

81.15%

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

$391 €351

$126 CA$177

209.65%

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

$20.99 €18.85

$44.96 CA$63.1

-53.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.76 €39.31

$52.7 CA$74.0

-17.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.70 €31.18

$31.23 CA$43.83

11.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.48 €22.89

$10.52 CA$14.77

142.21%

Cinema Ticket

$13.66 €12.27

$14.23 CA$19.97

-4.01%

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

$902 €810

$649 CA$910

39.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K €14.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.9 €78.0

$52.2 CA$73.3

66.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.49 €36.37

$51.4 CA$72.1

-21.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.8

$103 CA$145

3.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$79.0 CA$111

50.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$749 €673

$1,693 CA$2,376

-55.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 €470

$1,406 CA$1,973

-62.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,571 €1,411

$2,623 CA$3,681

-40.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$972 €873

$1,985 CA$2,786

-51.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,645 €4,173

$6,886 CA$9,663

-32.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,684 €2,411

$5,338 CA$7,491

-49.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,989 €2,685

$3,149 CA$4,419

-5.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

4.76

-16.81%

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

Last update for Dresden: October 25, 2026

Last update for Burnaby: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dresden

$523 26.8%

Burnaby

$1.4K 52.5% 169% $883

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dresden

$456 23.4%

Burnaby

$224 8.4% 50.9% $232

Groceries & Markets

Dresden

$341 17.5%

Burnaby

$431 16.1% 26.3% $90

Eating Out

Dresden

$304 15.6%

Burnaby

$327 12.2% 7.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Dresden

$159 8.2%

Burnaby

$129 4.8% 19% $30

Getting Around

Dresden

$105 5.4%

Burnaby

$102 3.8% 2.6% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Dresden

$62 3.2%

Burnaby

$60 2.2% 3.8% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $749 in Dresden and $1,693 in Burnaby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burnaby pays 5% 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: $84 in Dresden vs $87 in Burnaby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $341 vs $431 per month, with Dresden cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Dresden

🇨🇦 Burnaby

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

13:47 1:47 PM

8 h behind Dresden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

556,780

249,125

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Dresden Burnaby 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Dresden
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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

Dresden vs Burnaby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,950 in Dresden and $2,678 in Burnaby, so Dresden is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Dresden. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $749 in Dresden versus $1,693 in Burnaby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $902 in Dresden versus $649 in Burnaby. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Burnaby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Dresden gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Burnaby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.