Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edmonton and Nanaimo, BC

For one person, living is cheaper in Edmonton: $2,188 a month against $2,368 in Nanaimo, BC, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Edmonton
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Edmonton Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Nanaimo, BC
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Nanaimo, BC Living Index

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Edmonton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,188

/mo nomad

Nanaimo, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edmonton and in Nanaimo, BC

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

A single person spends $2,188 per month in Edmonton vs $2,368 in Nanaimo, BC, rent included.

Edmonton $2,188
Nanaimo, BC $2,368

A couple spends around $3,196 per month in Edmonton vs $3,410 in Nanaimo, BC, rent included.

Edmonton $3,196
Nanaimo, BC $3,410

A family of three spends $4,203 per month in Edmonton vs $4,452 in Nanaimo, BC, rent included.

Edmonton $4,203
Nanaimo, BC $4,452

Edmonton is about 8% cheaper than Nanaimo, BC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Edmonton and Nanaimo, BC sit above the global median – Edmonton by 61%, Nanaimo, BC by 74%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.92 CA$27.95

$17.85 CA$25.05

11.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.2 CA$110

$78.8 CA$111

-0.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.14 CA$14.23

$11.34 CA$15.92

-10.58%

Cappuccino

$3.96 CA$5.56

$4.10 CA$5.75

-3.41%

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

$2.34 CA$3.28

$2.32 CA$3.26

0.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 CA$2.84

$1.64 CA$2.30

23.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 CA$8.08

$5.67 CA$7.96

1.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.34 CA$8.90

$5.68 CA$7.97

11.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 CA$2.27

$1.73 CA$2.42

-6.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 CA$3.02

$3.38 CA$4.75

-36.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 CA$4.26

$3.06 CA$4.29

-0.98%

Eggs

$3.58 CA$5.03

$4.08 CA$5.72

-12.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.77 CA$15.11

$11.27 CA$15.82

-4.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.31 CA$15.88

$14.22 CA$19.96

-20.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.80 CA$26.39

$16.80 CA$23.58

11.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 CA$5.79

$4.73 CA$6.63

-12.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 CA$1.96

$1.23 CA$1.73

13.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.24 CA$5.95

$4.24 CA$5.94

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.54

$5.70 CA$8.00

-30.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 CA$2.98

$2.91 CA$4.08

-26.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$2.84 CA$3.99

-36.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 CA$3.48

$2.80 CA$3.93

-11.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 CA$2.51

$2.27 CA$3.19

-21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.32 CA$20.10

$14.39 CA$20.19

-0.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.58 CA$16.25

$14.34 CA$20.12

-19.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.45 CA$4.85

$2.74 CA$3.85

25.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 CA$4.18

$2.65 CA$3.72

12.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.64 CA$3.71

$2.00 CA$2.81

32.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.9 CA$102

$46.18 CA$64.8

57.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 CA$4.02

$2.81 CA$3.94

2.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 CA$1.99

$2.10 CA$2.95

-32.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.99 CA$29.45

$28.55 CA$40.07

-26.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.66

$1.40 CA$1.97

-15.71%

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

$27.5K CA$38.6K

$26.1K CA$36.7K

5.11%

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

$20.7K CA$29.1K

$20.8K CA$29.2K

-0.39%

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

$231 CA$324

$149 CA$209

54.68%

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

$43.33 CA$60.8

$41.64 CA$58.4

4.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.8 CA$77.0

$65.1 CA$91.4

-15.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.95 CA$61.7

$25.48 CA$35.75

72.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.43 CA$25.86

$18.96 CA$26.61

-2.80%

Cinema Ticket

$12.60 CA$17.69

$11.31 CA$15.87

11.41%

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

$626 CA$879

$705 CA$989

-11.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,741 CA$13.7K

$13.0K CA$18.2K

-25.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.27 CA$62.1

$48.80 CA$68.5

-9.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.59 CA$66.8

$33.66 CA$47.24

41.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 CA$123

$101 CA$142

-13.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.1 CA$136

$109 CA$153

-11.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 CA$1,527

$1,404 CA$1,971

-22.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$913 CA$1,281

$1,171 CA$1,643

-22.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 CA$2,413

$2,075 CA$2,912

-17.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,382 CA$1,939

$1,701 CA$2,387

-18.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,243 CA$3,148

$3,789 CA$5,318

-40.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,946 CA$2,732

$3,508 CA$4,923

-44.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,428 CA$4,811

$3,153 CA$4,424

8.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.32

4.72

-8.47%

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

Last update for Edmonton: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nanaimo, BC: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edmonton

$913 41.7%

Nanaimo, BC

$1.2K 49.5% 28.2% $258

Groceries & Markets

Edmonton

$363 16.6%

Nanaimo, BC

$412 17.4% 13.5% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edmonton

$329 15%

Nanaimo, BC

$256 10.8% 22.2% $73

Eating Out

Edmonton

$296 13.5%

Nanaimo, BC

$282 11.9% 4.9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Edmonton

$125 5.7%

Nanaimo, BC

$132 5.6% 5.8% $7.2

Getting Around

Edmonton

$93 4.3%

Nanaimo, BC

$68 2.9% 27.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Edmonton

$69 3.2%

Nanaimo, BC

$48 2% 30.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,088 in Edmonton versus $1,404 in Nanaimo, BC. 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 9% higher in Edmonton, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Edmonton versus $79 in Nanaimo, BC. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $412 – making Edmonton the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Edmonton

🇨🇦 Nanaimo, BC

🕒 Local time

14:27 2:27 PM

13:27 1:27 PM

1 h behind Edmonton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,010,899

90,504

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Edmonton Nanaimo, BC 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Edmonton
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Edmonton vs Nanaimo, BC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,188 in Edmonton, $2,368 in Nanaimo, BC – Edmonton comes out roughly 8% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,282 per month in Edmonton and $3,552 in Nanaimo, BC. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Edmonton, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,088 there versus $1,404 in Nanaimo, BC.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Nanaimo, BC. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Nanaimo, BC, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,188 in Edmonton and $2,368 in Nanaimo, BC, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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