Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malden, MA and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,626 a month against $3,463 in Malden, MA, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

169

Cost of Living Index in Malden, MA
Learn more

Malden, MA Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
Learn more

Vancouver Living Index

Jump to prices

Malden, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,463

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,463 per month in Malden, MA vs $2,626 in Vancouver, rent included.

Malden, MA $3,463
Vancouver $2,626

A couple spends around $4,740 per month in Malden, MA vs $3,841 in Vancouver, rent included.

Malden, MA $4,740
Vancouver $3,841

A family of three spends $6,017 per month in Malden, MA vs $5,056 in Vancouver, rent included.

Malden, MA $6,017
Vancouver $5,056

Malden, MA costs about 32% more than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Malden, MA and Vancouver sit above the global median – Malden, MA by 157%, Vancouver by 95%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.97 $19.97

$17.19 CA$24.30

16.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.3 $95.3

$69.1 CA$97.6

38.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.66 $13.66

$10.61 CA$15.00

28.75%

Cappuccino

$5.38 $5.38

$3.83 CA$5.42

40.47%

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

$2.86 $2.86

$2.04 CA$2.88

40.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.65 CA$2.34

36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.79 $5.79

$5.54 CA$7.83

4.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 $7.94

$6.20 CA$8.77

28.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.14 CA$3.02

-42.06%

White Bread (500g)

$4.04 $4.04

$2.51 CA$3.54

60.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$4.49 CA$6.35

22.94%

Eggs

$4.84 $4.84

$4.09 CA$5.78

18.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 $12.09

$11.73 CA$16.58

3.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.41 $14.41

$13.11 CA$18.54

9.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.83 $17.83

$19.50 CA$27.57

-8.56%

Apples (1kg)

$6.64 $6.64

$4.00 CA$5.65

66.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.38 CA$1.94

26.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.34 $5.34

$3.88 CA$5.48

37.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.61 $5.61

$3.95 CA$5.58

42.03%

Potato (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.72 CA$3.85

62.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 $1.84

$2.86 CA$4.05

-35.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.46 CA$3.48

11.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.56 CA$2.21

43.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.37 $12.37

$15.48 CA$21.88

-20.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.65 $13.65

$13.75 CA$19.44

-0.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.63 CA$3.72

-20.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 $5.68

$2.89 CA$4.09

96.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.48 CA$3.51

-1.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.6 $90.6

$83.0 CA$117

9.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.72 CA$3.85

-2.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.58 CA$2.24

12.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.97 $27.97

$31.05 CA$43.89

-9.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.37 CA$1.94

-20.44%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$27.7K CA$39.1K

30.84%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

32.73%

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

$240 $240

$82.5 CA$117

190.97%

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

$54.2 $54.2

$37.26 CA$52.7

45.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.4 $86.4

$51.7 CA$73.1

67.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.09 $35.09

$42.87 CA$60.6

-18.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.40 CA$17.53

Cinema Ticket

$15.69 $15.69

$12.13 CA$17.15

29.35%

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

$1,834 $1,834

$1,102 CA$1,557

66.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K $30.4K

$19.8K CA$28.0K

53.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 $57.6

$56.4 CA$79.7

2.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.48 $38.48

$33.43 CA$47.26

15.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 $79.3

$93.9 CA$133

-15.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.8 $99.8

$93.8 CA$133

6.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,427 $2,427

$1,775 CA$2,509

36.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,997 $1,997

$1,497 CA$2,116

33.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,439 $3,439

$3,082 CA$4,357

11.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,763 $2,763

$2,416 CA$3,416

14.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,069 CA$11.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,449 CA$9,118

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,638 $4,638

$3,776 CA$5,339

22.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

4.28

55.14%

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

Last update for Malden, MA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malden, MA

$2K 57.7%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57% 25% $500

Groceries & Markets

Malden, MA

$453 13.1%

Vancouver

$392 14.9% 13.4% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malden, MA

$381 11%

Vancouver

$171 6.5% 54.9% $209

Eating Out

Malden, MA

$330 9.5%

Vancouver

$270 10.3% 18.2% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Malden, MA

$124 3.6%

Vancouver

$125 4.8% 0.8% $1.1

Getting Around

Malden, MA

$112 3.2%

Vancouver

$104 3.9% 7.5% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Malden, MA

$66 1.9%

Vancouver

$67 2.6% 1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,427 in Malden, MA 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 23% higher in Malden, MA, 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 $95.0 in Malden, MA versus $69.0 in Vancouver. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $453 vs $392 – making Vancouver the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Malden, MA

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

10:59 10:59 AM

07:59 7:59 AM

3 h behind Malden, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,450

631,486

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malden, MA Vancouver 4,020 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Malden, MA
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

Malden, MA vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Malden, MA is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,194 per month in Malden, MA and $3,939 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.

Public transport costs about 9% less in Vancouver. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,834 per month in Malden, MA and $1,102 in Vancouver. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,463 in Malden, MA and $2,626 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, Malden, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.