Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Estevan and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Estevan: $2,230 a month against $2,662 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Estevan
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,230
/mo nomad
Vancouver
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,662
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,230 per month in Estevan vs $2,662 in Vancouver, rent included.

  • Estevan $2,230
  • Vancouver $2,662

A couple spends around $3,133 per month in Estevan vs $3,916 in Vancouver, rent included.

  • Estevan $3,133
  • Vancouver $3,916

A family of three spends $4,037 per month in Estevan vs $5,170 in Vancouver, rent included.

  • Estevan $4,037
  • Vancouver $5,170

Estevan is about 16% cheaper than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Estevan and Vancouver sit above the global median – Estevan by 65%, Vancouver by 96%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Estevan
Vancouver
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.21 CA$29.99
$18.01 CA$25.46
17.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.3 CA$93.8
$71.0 CA$100
-6.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.54 CA$7.83
$10.83 CA$15.31
-48.85%
Cappuccino
$2.16 CA$3.06
$3.94 CA$5.56
-45.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 CA$3.18
$2.13 CA$3.01
5.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 CA$2.52
$1.66 CA$2.34
7.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.76 CA$9.55
$5.73 CA$8.10
17.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.88 CA$8.31
$6.40 CA$9.04
-8.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Estevan
Vancouver
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.97 CA$1.37
$2.15 CA$3.04
-54.88%
White Bread (500g)
$1.16 CA$1.64
$2.55 CA$3.61
-54.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.10 CA$4.38
$4.56 CA$6.45
-32.02%
Eggs
$1.94 CA$2.75
$4.06 CA$5.74
-52.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.71 CA$19.38
$12.14 CA$17.17
12.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.36 CA$8.99
$13.23 CA$18.71
-51.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.11 CA$22.77
$20.24 CA$28.62
-20.41%
Apples (1kg)
$4.18 CA$5.90
$4.05 CA$5.73
3.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.19 CA$1.68
$1.42 CA$2.00
-16.20%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.93 CA$5.56
$3.97 CA$5.62
-1.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.57 CA$5.05
$3.91 CA$5.53
-8.70%
Potato (1kg)
$2.29 CA$3.23
$2.64 CA$3.74
-13.26%
Onion (1kg)
$2.37 CA$3.35
$2.82 CA$3.98
-15.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 CA$1.98
$2.48 CA$3.51
-43.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.41 CA$0.57
$1.59 CA$2.24
-74.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.50 CA$20.50
$15.30 CA$21.64
-5.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.39 CA$18.93
$14.32 CA$20.24
-6.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.46 CA$4.90
$2.57 CA$3.63
34.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.30 CA$4.67
$2.91 CA$4.12
13.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Estevan
Vancouver
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.00 CA$2.83
$2.55 CA$3.60
-21.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$61.5 CA$87.0
$84.6 CA$120
-27.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.70 CA$5.22
$2.64 CA$3.73
40.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.80 CA$1.13
$1.63 CA$2.31
-50.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.13 CA$29.87
$31.77 CA$44.91
-33.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.14 CA$1.61
$1.42 CA$2.01
-19.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K CA$39.5K
$27.1K CA$38.3K
3.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.6K CA$30.5K
$21.6K CA$30.5K
-0.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Estevan
Vancouver
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$127 CA$179
$81.3 CA$115
55.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$51.7 CA$73.0
$37.20 CA$52.6
38.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$56.3 CA$79.6
$52.6 CA$74.4
6.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Estevan
Vancouver
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.96 CA$57.9
$44.34 CA$62.7
-7.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.95 CA$28.21
$12.37 CA$17.49
61.28%
Cinema Ticket
$10.44 CA$14.76
$12.62 CA$17.85
-17.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Estevan
Vancouver
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$466 CA$659
$1,093 CA$1,544
-57.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K CA$15.1K
$20.0K CA$28.2K
-46.46%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Estevan
Vancouver
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.0 CA$73.5
$58.5 CA$82.7
-11.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.50 CA$53.0
$33.35 CA$47.14
12.44%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.2 CA$133
$96.3 CA$136
-2.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 CA$153
$95.6 CA$135
13.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Estevan
Vancouver
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,242 CA$1,756
$1,765 CA$2,495
-29.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,154 CA$1,631
$1,508 CA$2,132
-23.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,881 CA$2,659
$3,122 CA$4,414
-39.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,584 CA$2,240
$2,469 CA$3,490
-35.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,391 CA$6,208
$8,173 CA$11.6K
-46.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,310 CA$4,680
$6,354 CA$8,982
-47.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Estevan
Vancouver
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,314 CA$6,099
$3,592 CA$5,078
20.09%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.58
4.28
7.01%

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

Last update for Estevan: October 20, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Estevan
$1.2K
Vancouver
$1.5K 30.8% $355
Groceries & Markets
Estevan
$297
Vancouver
$399 34.3% $102
Eating Out
Estevan
$274
Vancouver
$280 2.3% $6.4
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Estevan
$235
Vancouver
$171 27% $63
Clothing & Footwear
Estevan
$131
Vancouver
$128 2.9% $3.8
Getting Around
Estevan
$77
Vancouver
$106 36.7% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Estevan
$62
Vancouver
$70 12.5% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,242 in Estevan 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 20% higher in Estevan, 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 $66.0 in Estevan versus $71.0 in Vancouver. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $399 – making Estevan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Estevan
🇨🇦 Vancouver
🕒 Local time
07:27 7:27 AM
06:27 6:27 AM
1 h behind Estevan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
11,054
631,486
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Estevan Vancouver 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Estevan
  • 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
Estevan vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Estevan and in Vancouver compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,230 in Estevan, $2,662 in Vancouver – roughly 19% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Estevan compared to Vancouver?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,344 per month in Estevan and $3,992 in Vancouver. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Estevan and Vancouver?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Estevan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Estevan and Vancouver?
Kindergarten costs $466 per month in Estevan and $1,093 in Vancouver. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 34% more in Vancouver, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Estevan, where all-in costs run around $2,230, than in Vancouver at $2,662. In Estevan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vancouver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Estevan or Vancouver?
Families tend to lean toward Estevan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How do I decide between Estevan and Vancouver?
If budget matters most, go with Estevan. 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.

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