Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Long Island, NY and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,626 a month against $3,867 in Long Island, NY, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Long Island, NY
🇺🇸 United States
$3,867
/mo nomad
Vancouver
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,626
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,867 per month in Long Island, NY vs $2,626 in Vancouver, rent included.

  • Long Island, NY $3,867
  • Vancouver $2,626

A couple spends around $5,541 per month in Long Island, NY vs $3,841 in Vancouver, rent included.

  • Long Island, NY $5,541
  • Vancouver $3,841

A family of three spends $7,215 per month in Long Island, NY vs $5,056 in Vancouver, rent included.

  • Long Island, NY $7,215
  • Vancouver $5,056

Long Island, NY costs about 47% more than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Long Island, NY and Vancouver sit above the global median – Long Island, NY by 186%, Vancouver by 95%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Long Island, NY
Vancouver
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.36 $25.36
$17.19 CA$24.30
47.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$101 $101
$69.1 CA$97.6
46.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.94 $10.94
$10.61 CA$15.00
3.11%
Cappuccino
$5.07 $5.07
$3.83 CA$5.42
32.38%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 $2.14
$2.04 CA$2.88
4.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 $1.59
$1.65 CA$2.34
-3.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.06 $8.06
$5.54 CA$7.83
45.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.87 $7.87
$6.20 CA$8.77
26.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Long Island, NY
Vancouver
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 $1.27
$2.14 CA$3.02
-40.65%
White Bread (500g)
$4.23 $4.23
$2.51 CA$3.54
68.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.91 $1.91
$4.49 CA$6.35
-57.46%
Eggs
$5.07 $5.07
$4.09 CA$5.78
23.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.14 $7.14
$11.73 CA$16.58
-39.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.65 $11.65
$13.11 CA$18.54
-11.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.63 $16.63
$19.50 CA$27.57
-14.72%
Apples (1kg)
$4.11 $4.11
$4.00 CA$5.65
2.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.26 $1.26
$1.38 CA$1.94
-8.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.15 $2.15
$3.88 CA$5.48
-44.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.06 $6.06
$3.95 CA$5.58
53.42%
Potato (1kg)
$1.08 $1.08
$2.72 CA$3.85
-60.29%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 $2.25
$2.86 CA$4.05
-21.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 $1.48
$2.46 CA$3.48
-39.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.83 $2.83
$1.56 CA$2.21
81.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.27 $11.27
$15.48 CA$21.88
-27.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.38 $17.38
$13.75 CA$19.44
26.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 $1.70
$2.63 CA$3.72
-35.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.06 $4.06
$2.89 CA$4.09
40.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Long Island, NY
Vancouver
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.76 $2.76
$2.48 CA$3.51
11.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$131 $131
$83.0 CA$117
57.66%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.05 $3.05
$2.72 CA$3.85
12.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.08 $2.08
$1.58 CA$2.24
31.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.16 $24.16
$31.05 CA$43.89
-22.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.12 $1.12
$1.37 CA$1.94
-18.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.7K $36.7K
$27.7K CA$39.1K
32.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.5K $25.5K
$19.6K CA$27.8K
29.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Long Island, NY
Vancouver
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$190 $190
$82.5 CA$117
130.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$48.53 $48.53
$37.26 CA$52.7
30.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.4 $54.4
$51.7 CA$73.1
5.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Long Island, NY
Vancouver
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.55 $31.55
$42.87 CA$60.6
-26.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$102 $102
$12.40 CA$17.53
724.11%
Cinema Ticket
$14.23 $14.23
$12.13 CA$17.15
17.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Long Island, NY
Vancouver
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,219 $2,219
$1,102 CA$1,557
101.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.0K $24.0K
$19.8K CA$28.0K
21.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Long Island, NY
Vancouver
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.01 $40.01
$56.4 CA$79.7
-29.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.5 $56.5
$33.43 CA$47.26
68.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.7 $75.7
$93.9 CA$133
-19.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$158 $158
$93.8 CA$133
68.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Long Island, NY
Vancouver
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,715 $2,715
$1,775 CA$2,509
52.98%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,463 $2,463
$1,497 CA$2,116
64.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,300 $5,300
$3,082 CA$4,357
71.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,883 $3,883
$2,416 CA$3,416
60.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,360 $4,360
$8,069 CA$11.4K
-45.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,364 $4,364
$6,449 CA$9,118
-32.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Long Island, NY
Vancouver
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,983 $4,983
$3,776 CA$5,339
31.96%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.63
4.28
54.91%

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

Last update for Long Island, NY: October 12, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Long Island, NY
$2.5K
Vancouver
$1.5K 39.2% $967
Groceries & Markets
Long Island, NY
$378
Vancouver
$392 3.7% $14
Eating Out
Long Island, NY
$368
Vancouver
$270 26.5% $97
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Long Island, NY
$293
Vancouver
$171 41.6% $122
Getting Around
Long Island, NY
$155
Vancouver
$104 33.3% $52
Clothing & Footwear
Long Island, NY
$149
Vancouver
$125 16% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Long Island, NY
$60
Vancouver
$67 11.9% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,715 in Long Island, NY versus $1,775 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 32% higher in Long Island, NY, 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 $101 in Long Island, NY versus $69.0 in Vancouver. Groceries tell a different story – $378 in Long Island, NY vs $392 in Vancouver – so Long Island, NY wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Long Island, NY
🇨🇦 Vancouver
🕒 Local time
19:32 7:32 PM
16:32 4:32 PM
3 h behind Long Island, NY
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
7,804,968
631,486
Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 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
  • Long Island, NY Vancouver 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Long Island, NY
  • 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
Long Island, NY vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Long Island, NY and in Vancouver compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,867 in Long Island, NY, $2,626 in Vancouver – roughly 47% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Long Island, NY compared to Vancouver?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,800 per month in Long Island, NY and $3,939 in Vancouver. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Long Island, NY and Vancouver?
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.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Long Island, NY and Vancouver?
Kindergarten costs $2,219 per month in Long Island, NY and $1,102 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?
Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Long Island, NY – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city is feasible on a $3,000 budget?
$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,867 in Long Island, NY and $2,626 in Vancouver. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
How does quality of life compare between Long Island, NY and Vancouver?
It depends on your priorities. Long Island, NY has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,626 in Vancouver to $3,867 in Long Island, NY. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Long Island, NY or Vancouver safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Long Island, NY and Vancouver?
If budget matters most, go with Vancouver. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Long Island, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Long Island, NY vs other spots: cost of living compared

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