Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Kingston: $2,297 a month against $2,662 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Kingston

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,297

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,662

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,297 per month in Kingston vs $2,662 in Vancouver, rent included.

Kingston $2,297
Vancouver $2,662

A couple spends around $3,179 per month in Kingston vs $3,916 in Vancouver, rent included.

Kingston $3,179
Vancouver $3,916

A family of three spends $4,062 per month in Kingston vs $5,170 in Vancouver, rent included.

Kingston $4,062
Vancouver $5,170

Kingston is about 14% cheaper than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kingston and Vancouver sit above the global median – Kingston by 70%, Vancouver by 96%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.68 CA$22.16

$18.01 CA$25.46

-12.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.5 CA$89.8

$71.0 CA$100

-10.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 CA$14.87

$10.83 CA$15.31

-2.86%

Cappuccino

$3.51 CA$4.96

$3.94 CA$5.56

-10.91%

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

$2.10 CA$2.96

$2.13 CA$3.01

-1.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 CA$1.85

$1.66 CA$2.34

-21.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 CA$7.98

$5.73 CA$8.10

-1.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.19 CA$8.75

$6.40 CA$9.04

-3.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$2.15 CA$3.04

4.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 CA$3.70

$2.55 CA$3.61

2.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 CA$4.24

$4.56 CA$6.45

-34.21%

Eggs

$2.93 CA$4.14

$4.06 CA$5.74

-27.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.43 CA$14.75

$12.14 CA$17.17

-14.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.77 CA$16.63

$13.23 CA$18.71

-11.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 CA$16.04

$20.24 CA$28.62

-43.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.21

$4.05 CA$5.73

-26.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$1.42 CA$2.00

-18.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.92

$3.97 CA$5.62

-12.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 CA$5.37

$3.91 CA$5.53

-2.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.21

$2.64 CA$3.74

12.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 CA$3.57

$2.82 CA$3.98

-10.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 CA$3.03

$2.48 CA$3.51

-13.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.27

$1.59 CA$2.24

0.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.24 CA$20.13

$15.30 CA$21.64

-6.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 CA$18.01

$14.32 CA$20.24

-11.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$2.57 CA$3.63

-12.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 CA$4.21

$2.91 CA$4.12

2.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.44

$2.55 CA$3.60

-4.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.8 CA$81.7

$84.6 CA$120

-31.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 CA$4.74

$2.64 CA$3.73

26.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 CA$1.99

$1.63 CA$2.31

-13.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.42 CA$45.84

$31.77 CA$44.91

2.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.59

$1.42 CA$2.01

-20.42%

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$27.1K CA$38.3K

2.96%

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

$20.8K CA$29.5K

$21.6K CA$30.5K

-3.56%

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

$130 CA$184

$81.3 CA$115

60.06%

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

$39.13 CA$55.3

$37.20 CA$52.6

5.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.6 CA$87.1

$52.6 CA$74.4

17.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.11 CA$41.16

$44.34 CA$62.7

-34.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.76 CA$12.38

$12.37 CA$17.49

-29.18%

Cinema Ticket

$10.66 CA$15.07

$12.62 CA$17.85

-15.53%

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

$525 CA$742

$1,093 CA$1,544

-51.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K CA$28.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 CA$75.5

$58.5 CA$82.7

-8.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.73 CA$44.86

$33.35 CA$47.14

-4.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.4 CA$111

$96.3 CA$136

-18.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.8 CA$116

$95.6 CA$135

-14.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,512 CA$2,137

$1,765 CA$2,495

-14.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 CA$1,751

$1,508 CA$2,132

-17.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,329 CA$3,293

$3,122 CA$4,414

-25.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,684 CA$2,380

$2,469 CA$3,490

-31.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,402 CA$4,810

$8,173 CA$11.6K

-58.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,433 CA$3,439

$6,354 CA$8,982

-61.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,099 CA$4,382

$3,592 CA$5,078

-13.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

4.28

7.71%

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

Last update for Kingston: October 19, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$1.2K 53.9%

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.7% 21.8% $270

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$336 14.6%

Vancouver

$399 15% 18.8% $63

Eating Out

Kingston

$253 11%

Vancouver

$280 10.5% 10.7% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$231 10.1%

Vancouver

$171 6.4% 25.9% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$110 4.8%

Vancouver

$128 4.8% 15.6% $17

Getting Around

Kingston

$78 3.4%

Vancouver

$106 4% 35.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$50 2.2%

Vancouver

$70 2.6% 37.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,512 in Kingston 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 16% 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 $64.0 in Kingston versus $71.0 in Vancouver. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $399 – making Kingston the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Kingston

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

19:30 7:30 PM

16:30 4:30 PM

3 h behind Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,363

631,486

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Kingston Vancouver 3,540 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Kingston
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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

Kingston vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,297 in Kingston, $2,662 in Vancouver – roughly 16% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,446 per month in Kingston 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 Kingston, 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 $2,297 in Kingston and $2,662 in Vancouver. That's a gap of about 16%.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Kingston. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Kingston, where all-in costs run around $2,297, than in Vancouver at $2,662. In Kingston it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vancouver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kingston – 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 Kingston. 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.