Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ellicott City, MD and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,662 a month against $3,456 in Ellicott City, MD, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

168

Cost of Living Index in Ellicott City, MD
Learn more

Ellicott City, MD Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
Learn more

Vancouver Living Index

Jump to prices

Ellicott City, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,456

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,662

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,456 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $2,662 in Vancouver, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $3,456
Vancouver $2,662

A couple spends around $4,609 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $3,916 in Vancouver, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $4,609
Vancouver $3,916

A family of three spends $5,762 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $5,170 in Vancouver, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $5,762
Vancouver $5,170

Ellicott City, MD costs about 30% more than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ellicott City, MD and Vancouver sit above the global median – Ellicott City, MD by 155%, Vancouver by 96%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.95 $17.95

$18.01 CA$25.46

-0.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.3 $96.3

$71.0 CA$100

35.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.76 $10.76

$10.83 CA$15.31

-0.65%

Cappuccino

$5.19 $5.19

$3.94 CA$5.56

31.73%

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

$3.48 $3.48

$2.13 CA$3.01

63.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.66 CA$2.34

59.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.16 $7.16

$5.73 CA$8.10

24.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$6.40 CA$9.04

28.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$2.15 CA$3.04

-46.05%

White Bread (500g)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.55 CA$3.61

60.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$4.56 CA$6.45

-14.25%

Eggs

$4.71 $4.71

$4.06 CA$5.74

16.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.82 $16.82

$12.14 CA$17.17

38.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.10 $13.10

$13.23 CA$18.71

-0.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.63 $18.63

$20.24 CA$28.62

-7.95%

Apples (1kg)

$5.90 $5.90

$4.05 CA$5.73

45.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.42 CA$2.00

11.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.97 CA$5.62

5.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$3.91 CA$5.53

10.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.64 CA$3.74

-18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$2.82 CA$3.98

-7.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 $2.37

$2.48 CA$3.51

-4.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.59 CA$2.24

42.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.63 $13.63

$15.30 CA$21.64

-10.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.75 $15.75

$14.32 CA$20.24

9.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.57 CA$3.63

4.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 $3.13

$2.91 CA$4.12

7.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.6 CA$120

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.64 CA$3.73

-32.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.63 CA$2.31

-17.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.53 $23.53

$31.77 CA$44.91

-25.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.42 CA$2.01

-33.80%

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

$22.8K $22.8K

$27.1K CA$38.3K

-15.92%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$21.6K CA$30.5K

12.33%

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

$205 $205

$81.3 CA$115

152.31%

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

$51.0 $51.0

$37.20 CA$52.6

36.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.6 $79.6

$52.6 CA$74.4

51.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$114 $114

$44.34 CA$62.7

157.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.37 CA$17.49

Cinema Ticket

$14.86 $14.86

$12.62 CA$17.85

17.75%

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

$1,971 $1,971

$1,093 CA$1,544

80.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.0K $35.0K

$20.0K CA$28.2K

75.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$58.5 CA$82.7

-12.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 $56.0

$33.35 CA$47.14

67.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 $90.6

$96.3 CA$136

-5.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$95.6 CA$135

18.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,470 $2,470

$1,765 CA$2,495

39.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,078 $2,078

$1,508 CA$2,132

37.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,963 $2,963

$3,122 CA$4,414

-5.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,651 $2,651

$2,469 CA$3,490

7.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,173 CA$11.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,585 $2,585

$6,354 CA$8,982

-59.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,995 $4,995

$3,592 CA$5,078

39.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.28

58.64%

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

Last update for Ellicott City, MD: October 17, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ellicott City, MD

$2.1K 60.1%

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.7% 27.4% $569

Groceries & Markets

Ellicott City, MD

$436 12.6%

Vancouver

$399 15% 8.4% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ellicott City, MD

$336 9.7%

Vancouver

$171 6.4% 49% $165

Eating Out

Ellicott City, MD

$315 9.1%

Vancouver

$280 10.5% 10.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Ellicott City, MD

$144 4.2%

Vancouver

$70 2.6% 51.6% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Ellicott City, MD

$140 4.1%

Vancouver

$128 4.8% 8.8% $12

Getting Around

Ellicott City, MD

$8.5 * 0.3%

Vancouver

$106 4% 1146% $97

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,470 in Ellicott City, MD versus $1,765 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 39% higher in Ellicott City, MD, 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 $96.0 in Ellicott City, MD versus $71.0 in Vancouver. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $436 vs $399 – making Vancouver the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ellicott City, MD

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

18:00 6:00 PM

15:00 3:00 PM

3 h behind Ellicott City, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,834

631,486

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ellicott City, MD Vancouver 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ellicott City, MD
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

Ellicott City, MD vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ellicott City, MD is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,184 per month in Ellicott City, MD and $3,992 in Vancouver. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vancouver, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,456 in Ellicott City, MD and $2,662 in Vancouver. That's a gap of about 30%.

Kindergarten costs $1,971 per month in Ellicott City, MD and $1,093 in Vancouver. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,456 in Ellicott City, MD and $2,662 in Vancouver. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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