Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hilo, HI and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,684 a month against $2,966 in Hilo, HI, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Hilo, HI
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Hilo, HI Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Hilo, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,966

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,966 per month in Hilo, HI vs $2,684 in Vancouver, rent included.

Hilo, HI $2,966
Vancouver $2,684

A couple spends around $4,340 per month in Hilo, HI vs $3,878 in Vancouver, rent included.

Hilo, HI $4,340
Vancouver $3,878

A family of three spends $5,713 per month in Hilo, HI vs $5,072 in Vancouver, rent included.

Hilo, HI $5,713
Vancouver $5,072

Hilo, HI costs about 11% more than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hilo, HI and Vancouver sit above the global median – Hilo, HI by 121%, Vancouver by 100%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.26 $19.26

$17.30 CA$24.61

11.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.1 $76.1

$69.0 CA$98.1

10.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 $12.21

$10.56 CA$15.02

15.63%

Cappuccino

$5.72 $5.72

$3.89 CA$5.53

47.04%

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

$2.69 $2.69

$2.05 CA$2.92

31.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.62 CA$2.31

35.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$5.54 CA$7.89

10.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.07 $7.07

$6.33 CA$9.00

11.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.31 CA$3.29

-23.81%

White Bread (500g)

$9.55 $9.55

$2.50 CA$3.56

282.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$4.44 CA$6.32

-3.60%

Eggs

$6.72 $6.72

$4.07 CA$5.79

65.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.71 $19.71

$11.28 CA$16.04

74.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.73 $17.73

$13.42 CA$19.09

32.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$30.34 $30.34

$20.10 CA$28.59

50.95%

Apples (1kg)

$8.58 $8.58

$4.06 CA$5.77

111.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.33 CA$1.89

86.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$10.21 $10.21

$3.91 CA$5.56

161.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$11.90 $11.90

$4.05 CA$5.77

193.83%

Potato (1kg)

$8.87 $8.87

$2.72 CA$3.87

226.10%

Onion (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$2.89 CA$4.11

162.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.52 $5.52

$2.53 CA$3.60

118.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.62 CA$2.30

88.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.04 $12.04

$15.57 CA$22.15

-22.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.62 $21.62

$14.05 CA$19.99

53.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.69 CA$3.82

-34.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 CA$4.26

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 CA$119

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.71 CA$3.86

53.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.57 CA$2.23

-21.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.39 CA$44.65

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.38 CA$1.96

4.35%

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

$30.3K $30.3K

$28.1K CA$39.9K

7.95%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$19.8K CA$28.2K

30.44%

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

$297 $297

$81.2 CA$115

265.93%

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

$65.7 $65.7

$37.45 CA$53.3

75.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$126 $126

$51.4 CA$73.1

145.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.55 $43.55

$43.47 CA$61.8

0.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.52 $24.52

$12.53 CA$17.82

95.69%

Cinema Ticket

$13.14 $13.14

$12.54 CA$17.84

4.78%

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

$1,094 CA$1,557

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K CA$28.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.10 $37.10

$57.0 CA$81.1

-34.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.30 $30.30

$32.73 CA$46.56

-7.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.8 $66.8

$92.6 CA$132

-27.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.8 $83.8

$94.2 CA$134

-11.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,682 $1,682

$1,745 CA$2,483

-3.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,255 $1,255

$1,484 CA$2,111

-15.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,187 $2,187

$2,998 CA$4,264

-27.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,093 $2,093

$2,422 CA$3,446

-13.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,484 $5,484

$8,002 CA$11.4K

-31.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,339 $5,339

$6,457 CA$9,184

-17.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,434 $4,434

$3,799 CA$5,404

16.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

4.28

54.67%

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

Last update for Hilo, HI: October 4, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hilo, HI

$1.3K 42.5%

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6% 18.2% $229

Groceries & Markets

Hilo, HI

$707 * 23.9%

Vancouver

$399 15.2% 43.6% $308

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hilo, HI

$489 16.6%

Vancouver

$170 6.5% 65.2% $319

Eating Out

Hilo, HI

$324 11%

Vancouver

$272 10.4% 16% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Hilo, HI

$98 3.3%

Vancouver

$124 4.8% 26.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Hilo, HI

$70 2.4%

Vancouver

$69 2.6% 1.8% $1.3

Getting Around

Hilo, HI

$10 * 0.4%

Vancouver

$104 4% 909% $93

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,682 in Hilo, HI versus $1,745 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 17% higher in Hilo, HI, 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 $76.0 in Hilo, HI versus $69.0 in Vancouver. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $707 vs $399 – making Vancouver the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hilo, HI

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

17:47 5:47 PM

20:47 8:47 PM

3 h ahead of Hilo, HI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,186

631,486

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hilo, HI Vancouver 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Hilo, HI
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

Hilo, HI vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hilo, HI costs about 11% more than Vancouver, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,450 per month in Hilo, HI and $4,026 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 $2,966 in Hilo, HI and $2,684 in Vancouver. That's a gap of about 11%.

Groceries cost about 77% more in Hilo, HI, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,966 in Hilo, HI and $2,684 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Vancouver. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hilo, HI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.