Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edmonton and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Edmonton: $2,188 a month against $2,725 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
130

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Edmonton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,188

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,188 per month in Edmonton vs $2,725 in Vancouver, rent included.

Edmonton $2,188
Vancouver $2,725

A couple spends around $3,196 per month in Edmonton vs $4,039 in Vancouver, rent included.

Edmonton $3,196
Vancouver $4,039

A family of three spends $4,203 per month in Edmonton vs $5,352 in Vancouver, rent included.

Edmonton $4,203
Vancouver $5,352

Edmonton is about 20% cheaper than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Edmonton and Vancouver sit above the global median – Edmonton by 61%, Vancouver by 100%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.92 CA$27.99

$17.65 CA$24.80

12.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.2 CA$110

$72.4 CA$102

7.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.14 CA$14.25

$10.84 CA$15.23

-6.46%

Cappuccino

$3.96 CA$5.57

$3.91 CA$5.50

1.28%

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

$2.34 CA$3.28

$2.10 CA$2.95

11.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 CA$2.85

$1.64 CA$2.30

23.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 CA$8.09

$5.74 CA$8.06

0.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.34 CA$8.91

$6.36 CA$8.94

-0.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 CA$2.27

$2.21 CA$3.11

-26.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 CA$3.02

$2.64 CA$3.71

-18.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 CA$4.26

$4.68 CA$6.57

-35.26%

Eggs

$3.58 CA$5.04

$4.24 CA$5.95

-15.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.77 CA$15.13

$11.92 CA$16.75

-9.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.31 CA$15.89

$13.12 CA$18.44

-13.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.80 CA$26.42

$20.40 CA$28.66

-7.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 CA$5.80

$4.10 CA$5.76

0.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 CA$1.96

$1.38 CA$1.94

1.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.24 CA$5.95

$3.83 CA$5.38

10.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.55

$3.92 CA$5.50

0.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 CA$2.99

$2.77 CA$3.90

-23.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$2.84 CA$3.98

-36.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 CA$3.49

$2.60 CA$3.65

-4.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 CA$2.51

$1.59 CA$2.24

12.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.32 CA$20.12

$15.87 CA$22.29

-9.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.58 CA$16.27

$14.00 CA$19.66

-17.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.45 CA$4.85

$2.57 CA$3.61

34.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 CA$4.19

$3.01 CA$4.24

-1.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.64 CA$3.71

$2.55 CA$3.59

3.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.9 CA$102

$84.1 CA$118

-13.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 CA$4.03

$2.67 CA$3.75

7.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 CA$2.00

$1.58 CA$2.23

-10.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.99 CA$29.48

$32.19 CA$45.23

-34.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.66

$1.45 CA$2.04

-18.62%

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

$27.5K CA$38.6K

-0.06%

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

$20.7K CA$29.1K

$21.3K CA$30.0K

-2.79%

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

$231 CA$324

$82.5 CA$116

179.76%

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

$43.33 CA$60.9

$37.46 CA$52.6

15.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.8 CA$77.0

$51.7 CA$72.6

6.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.95 CA$61.8

$40.52 CA$56.9

8.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.43 CA$25.89

$12.69 CA$17.83

45.23%

Cinema Ticket

$12.60 CA$17.71

$12.66 CA$17.79

-0.47%

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

$626 CA$880

$1,080 CA$1,517

-41.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,741 CA$13.7K

$20.1K CA$28.3K

-51.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.27 CA$62.2

$58.5 CA$82.1

-24.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.59 CA$66.9

$34.10 CA$47.91

39.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 CA$124

$96.9 CA$136

-9.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.1 CA$136

$97.4 CA$137

-0.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 CA$1,529

$1,813 CA$2,547

-39.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$913 CA$1,283

$1,576 CA$2,214

-42.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 CA$2,416

$3,217 CA$4,519

-46.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,382 CA$1,941

$2,651 CA$3,725

-47.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,243 CA$3,151

$8,590 CA$12.1K

-73.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,946 CA$2,735

$6,649 CA$9,342

-70.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,428 CA$4,816

$3,733 CA$5,245

-8.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.32

4.28

0.93%

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

Last update for Edmonton: October 25, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edmonton

$913 41.7%

Vancouver

$1.6K 57.8% 72.6% $663

Groceries & Markets

Edmonton

$363 16.6%

Vancouver

$401 14.7% 10.5% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edmonton

$329 15%

Vancouver

$172 6.3% 47.8% $157

Eating Out

Edmonton

$296 13.5%

Vancouver

$277 10.2% 6.5% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Edmonton

$125 5.7%

Vancouver

$129 4.7% 3.6% $4.5

Getting Around

Edmonton

$93 4.3%

Vancouver

$105 3.9% 12.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Edmonton

$69 3.2%

Vancouver

$66 2.4% 4.8% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,088 in Edmonton 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 9% 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 $78 in Edmonton versus $72 in Vancouver. Groceries tell a different story – $363 in Edmonton vs $401 in Vancouver – so Edmonton wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Edmonton

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

18:50 6:50 PM

17:50 5:50 PM

1 h behind Edmonton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,010,899

631,486

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.712 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

1 CAD = 0.712 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Edmonton Vancouver 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,188 in Edmonton, $2,725 in Vancouver – roughly 25% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,282 per month in Edmonton 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 Edmonton, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,088 there versus $1,813 in Vancouver.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,188 in Edmonton and $2,725 in Vancouver. That’s a gap of about 25%.

Public transport costs about 13% less in Edmonton. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,188 in Edmonton and $2,725 in Vancouver, 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.

If budget matters most, go with Edmonton. 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.