Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guelph and Vancouver

For one person, living costs are similar in Guelph and in Vancouver: $2,693 and $2,725 a month, rent and utilities included.

Guelph, Canada
Vancouver, Canada
Guelph
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,693
/mo nomad
Vancouver
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,725
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,693 in Guelph versus $2,725 in Vancouver.

  • Guelph $2,693
  • Vancouver $2,725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,753 in Guelph versus $4,039 in Vancouver.

  • Guelph $3,753
  • Vancouver $4,039

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,814 in Guelph versus $5,352 in Vancouver.

  • Guelph $4,814
  • Vancouver $5,352

Monthly costs are close between Guelph and Vancouver; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Guelph 98% above, Vancouver 100% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Guelph
Vancouver
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.26 CA$29.83
$17.65 CA$24.77
20.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$70.7 CA$99.2
$72.4 CA$102
-2.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.61 CA$16.29
$10.84 CA$15.21
7.10%
Cappuccino
$3.49 CA$4.90
$3.91 CA$5.49
-10.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 CA$2.02
$2.10 CA$2.95
-31.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 CA$1.83
$1.64 CA$2.30
-20.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.10 CA$7.16
$5.74 CA$8.06
-11.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.85 CA$8.21
$6.36 CA$8.93
-8.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Guelph
Vancouver
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.16 CA$3.03
$2.21 CA$3.10
-2.26%
White Bread (500g)
$2.78 CA$3.90
$2.64 CA$3.71
5.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.78 CA$5.31
$4.68 CA$6.56
-19.23%
Eggs
$3.06 CA$4.29
$4.24 CA$5.95
-27.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.04 CA$14.09
$11.92 CA$16.73
-15.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$16.01 CA$22.46
$13.12 CA$18.42
22.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.09 CA$31.00
$20.40 CA$28.63
8.28%
Apples (1kg)
$3.54 CA$4.97
$4.10 CA$5.76
-13.66%
Banana (1kg)
$1.32 CA$1.85
$1.38 CA$1.93
-4.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.34 CA$6.10
$3.83 CA$5.37
13.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.74 CA$6.65
$3.92 CA$5.50
20.92%
Potato (1kg)
$3.48 CA$4.89
$2.77 CA$3.89
25.63%
Onion (1kg)
$2.34 CA$3.29
$2.84 CA$3.98
-17.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.02 CA$4.23
$2.60 CA$3.65
16.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.48 CA$2.08
$1.59 CA$2.24
-6.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.86 CA$15.24
$15.87 CA$22.27
-31.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.94 CA$15.36
$14.00 CA$19.64
-21.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.50 CA$4.92
$2.57 CA$3.61
36.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 CA$4.36
$3.01 CA$4.23
3.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Guelph
Vancouver
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.28 CA$3.21
$2.55 CA$3.59
-10.59%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.9 CA$92.5
$84.1 CA$118
-21.66%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.34 CA$3.28
$2.67 CA$3.74
-12.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.83 CA$2.57
$1.58 CA$2.22
15.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.94 CA$33.60
$32.19 CA$45.17
-25.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.17 CA$1.65
$1.45 CA$2.04
-19.31%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.4K CA$39.8K
$27.5K CA$38.6K
3.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.9K CA$32.1K
$21.3K CA$29.9K
7.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guelph
Vancouver
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$122 CA$171
$82.5 CA$116
47.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$42.99 CA$60.3
$37.46 CA$52.6
14.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$56.3 CA$79.0
$51.7 CA$72.5
8.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Guelph
Vancouver
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.50 CA$66.7
$40.52 CA$56.9
17.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.55 CA$20.43
$12.69 CA$17.81
14.66%
Cinema Ticket
$10.55 CA$14.81
$12.66 CA$17.77
-16.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Guelph
Vancouver
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$832 CA$1,167
$1,080 CA$1,515
-22.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.2K CA$24.1K
$20.1K CA$28.3K
-14.72%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Guelph
Vancouver
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.9 CA$88.3
$58.5 CA$82.0
7.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.51 CA$51.2
$34.10 CA$47.85
7.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.9 CA$119
$96.9 CA$136
-12.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 CA$174
$97.4 CA$137
27.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Guelph
Vancouver
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,515 CA$2,126
$1,813 CA$2,545
-16.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,472 CA$2,066
$1,576 CA$2,211
-6.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,164 CA$3,038
$3,217 CA$4,514
-32.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,008 CA$2,818
$2,651 CA$3,721
-24.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,967 CA$6,971
$8,590 CA$12.1K
-42.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,356 CA$6,114
$6,649 CA$9,331
-34.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Guelph
Vancouver
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,053 CA$4,285
$3,733 CA$5,239
-18.21%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.99
4.28
16.59%

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

Last update for Guelph: October 26, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Guelph
$1.5K
Vancouver
$1.6K 7% $104
Groceries & Markets
Guelph
$410
Vancouver
$401 2.3% $9.6
Eating Out
Guelph
$295
Vancouver
$277 6.1% $18
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guelph
$221
Vancouver
$172 22.5% $50
Clothing & Footwear
Guelph
$139
Vancouver
$129 7% $9.7
Getting Around
Guelph
$87
Vancouver
$105 21.2% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Guelph
$69
Vancouver
$66 4% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,515 in Guelph and $1,813 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 22% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Guelph vs $72 in Vancouver. Groceries flip the comparison at $410 vs $401, with Vancouver cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Guelph
🇨🇦 Vancouver
🕒 Local time
18:23 6:23 PM
15:23 3:23 PM
3 h behind Guelph
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
131,794
631,486
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Guelph Vancouver 3,300 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Guelph
  • 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
Guelph vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Where can you earn more: Guelph or Vancouver?
On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Guelph. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Guelph and Vancouver?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,515 in Guelph versus $1,813 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $832 in Guelph versus $1,080 in Vancouver. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Guelph runs roughly 22% less than in Vancouver. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Is $2,500 enough to cover costs in Guelph or in Vancouver?
Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Guelph is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Is Guelph or Vancouver more family-friendly?
For families, Guelph is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Vancouver, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Guelph wins on affordability, Vancouver on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Guelph vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?