Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edmonton and Nelson

For one person, living is cheaper in Nelson: $1,865 a month against $2,188 in Edmonton, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
90

Cost of Living Index in Nelson
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Nelson Living Index

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Edmonton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,188

/mo nomad

Nelson

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,865

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edmonton and in Nelson

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 Nelson actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,188 per month in Edmonton vs $1,865 in Nelson, rent included.

Edmonton $2,188
Nelson $1,865

A couple spends around $3,196 per month in Edmonton vs $2,872 in Nelson, rent included.

Edmonton $3,196
Nelson $2,872

A family of three spends $4,203 per month in Edmonton vs $3,879 in Nelson, rent included.

Edmonton $4,203
Nelson $3,879

Edmonton costs about 17% more than Nelson, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Edmonton and Nelson sit above the global median – Edmonton by 61%, Nelson by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.92 CA$27.86

$13.72 NZ$24.38

45.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.2 CA$109

$64.8 NZ$115

20.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.14 CA$14.18

$8.27 NZ$14.70

22.61%

Cappuccino

$3.96 CA$5.54

$3.19 NZ$5.66

24.14%

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

$2.34 CA$3.27

$1.82 NZ$3.23

28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 CA$2.83

$1.65 NZ$2.93

23.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 CA$8.05

$7.61 NZ$13.51

-24.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.34 CA$8.87

$5.84 NZ$10.37

8.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 CA$2.26

$1.93 NZ$3.43

-16.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 CA$3.01

$2.19 NZ$3.89

-1.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 CA$4.24

$1.96 NZ$3.48

54.59%

Eggs

$3.58 CA$5.01

$5.85 NZ$10.39

-38.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.77 CA$15.06

$9.13 NZ$16.21

17.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.31 CA$15.82

$7.62 NZ$13.54

48.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.80 CA$26.30

$13.65 NZ$24.24

37.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 CA$5.77

$3.15 NZ$5.60

31.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 CA$1.95

$2.15 NZ$3.81

-34.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.24 CA$5.93

$3.00 NZ$5.33

41.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.52

$5.63 NZ$10.00

-29.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 CA$2.97

$2.07 NZ$3.68

2.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.51

$1.23 NZ$2.19

45.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 CA$3.47

$2.02 NZ$3.60

22.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 CA$2.50

$1.08 NZ$1.92

65.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.32 CA$20.03

$25.87 NZ$45.96

-44.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.58 CA$16.20

$9.94 NZ$17.65

16.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.45 CA$4.83

$3.14 NZ$5.58

9.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 CA$4.17

$2.81 NZ$5.00

6.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.64 CA$3.69

$2.20 NZ$3.92

20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.9 CA$102

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 CA$4.01

$1.83 NZ$3.25

56.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 CA$1.99

$1.79 NZ$3.18

-20.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.99 CA$29.35

$33.80 NZ$60.1

-37.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.66

$1.56 NZ$2.77

-24.36%

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

$27.5K CA$38.4K

$17.1K NZ$30.3K

61.04%

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

$20.7K CA$29.0K

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

-7.25%

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

$231 CA$323

$130 NZ$231

77.22%

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

$43.33 CA$60.6

$32.93 NZ$58.5

31.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.8 CA$76.7

$43.70 NZ$77.6

25.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.95 CA$61.5

$101 NZ$179

-56.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.43 CA$25.77

$34.48 NZ$61.3

-46.55%

Cinema Ticket

$12.60 CA$17.63

$11.14 NZ$19.79

13.11%

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

$626 CA$876

$458 NZ$814

36.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,741 CA$13.6K

$13.1K NZ$23.3K

-25.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.27 CA$61.9

$52.9 NZ$94.0

-16.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.59 CA$66.6

$28.57 NZ$50.8

66.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 CA$123

$104 NZ$185

-15.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.1 CA$136

$143 NZ$253

-31.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 CA$1,522

$1,023 NZ$1,818

6.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$913 CA$1,277

$813 NZ$1,444

12.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 CA$2,405

$1,755 NZ$3,118

-2.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,382 CA$1,933

$1,455 NZ$2,584

-5.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,243 CA$3,137

$1,396 NZ$2,481

60.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,946 CA$2,723

$852 NZ$1,513

128.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,428 CA$4,795

$2,043 NZ$3,630

67.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.32

5.39

-19.85%

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

Last update for Edmonton: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nelson: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edmonton

$913 41.7%

Nelson

$813 43.6% 11% $100

Groceries & Markets

Edmonton

$363 16.6%

Nelson

$319 17.1% 12.2% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edmonton

$329 15%

Nelson

$207 11.1% 37.1% $122

Eating Out

Edmonton

$296 13.5%

Nelson

$236 12.7% 20.2% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Edmonton

$125 5.7%

Nelson

$148 7.9% 18.5% $23

Getting Around

Edmonton

$93 4.3%

Nelson

$20 * 1.1% 79% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Edmonton

$69 3.2%

Nelson

$123 6.6% 77.7% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,088 in Edmonton versus $1,023 in Nelson. 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 68% higher in Edmonton. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Edmonton versus $65 in Nelson. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $319 – making Nelson the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Edmonton

🇳🇿 Nelson

🕒 Local time

01:10 1:10 AM

20:10 8:10 PM

19 h ahead of Edmonton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,010,899

51,100

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.506 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.642 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.506 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Edmonton Nelson 12,640 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Edmonton
Nelson

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

Edmonton vs Nelson: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,188 in Edmonton, $1,865 in Nelson – Nelson comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,282 per month in Edmonton and $2,797 in Nelson. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,088 in Edmonton and $1,023 in Nelson. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Edmonton and $65 in Nelson. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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

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