Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Media, PA and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,662 a month against $2,945 in Media, PA, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Media, PA
Learn more

Media, PA Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
Learn more

Vancouver Living Index

Jump to prices

Media, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,945

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,662

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,945 per month in Media, PA vs $2,662 in Vancouver, rent included.

Media, PA $2,945
Vancouver $2,662

A couple spends around $4,031 per month in Media, PA vs $3,916 in Vancouver, rent included.

Media, PA $4,031
Vancouver $3,916

A family of three spends $5,117 per month in Media, PA vs $5,170 in Vancouver, rent included.

Media, PA $5,117
Vancouver $5,170

Media, PA costs about 11% more than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Media, PA and Vancouver sit above the global median – Media, PA by 117%, Vancouver by 96%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.68 $21.68

$18.01 CA$25.46

20.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.3 $80.3

$71.0 CA$100

13.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.20 $12.20

$10.83 CA$15.31

12.65%

Cappuccino

$5.39 $5.39

$3.94 CA$5.56

36.80%

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

$3.07 $3.07

$2.13 CA$3.01

44.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.66 CA$2.34

36.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 $6.04

$5.73 CA$8.10

5.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 $8.14

$6.40 CA$9.04

27.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$2.15 CA$3.04

-46.98%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.55 CA$3.61

56.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.56 CA$6.45

-8.99%

Eggs

$4.87 $4.87

$4.06 CA$5.74

19.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.07 $12.07

$12.14 CA$17.17

-0.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.61 $12.61

$13.23 CA$18.71

-4.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.72 $17.72

$20.24 CA$28.62

-12.45%

Apples (1kg)

$6.12 $6.12

$4.05 CA$5.73

51.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.42 CA$2.00

10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$3.97 CA$5.62

42.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

$3.91 CA$5.53

27.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.64 CA$3.74

3.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$2.82 CA$3.98

10.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.48 CA$3.51

-1.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.59 CA$2.24

42.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.91 $11.91

$15.30 CA$21.64

-22.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 $14.96

$14.32 CA$20.24

4.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.57 CA$3.63

2.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.91 CA$4.12

32.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.55 CA$3.60

-23.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.6 CA$120

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 $1.81

$2.64 CA$3.73

-31.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.63 CA$2.31

-13.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.03 $24.03

$31.77 CA$44.91

-24.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.42 CA$2.01

-26.06%

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

$31.5K $31.5K

$27.1K CA$38.3K

16.21%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$21.6K CA$30.5K

20.77%

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

$215 $215

$81.3 CA$115

163.89%

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

$62.2 $62.2

$37.20 CA$52.6

67.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.2 $65.2

$52.6 CA$74.4

23.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.82 $41.82

$44.34 CA$62.7

-5.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.37 CA$17.49

Cinema Ticket

$14.56 $14.56

$12.62 CA$17.85

15.37%

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

$1,918 $1,918

$1,093 CA$1,544

75.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.1K $35.1K

$20.0K CA$28.2K

76.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.83 $48.83

$58.5 CA$82.7

-16.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.08 $48.08

$33.35 CA$47.14

44.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 $91.9

$96.3 CA$136

-4.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$95.6 CA$135

17.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,767 $1,767

$1,765 CA$2,495

0.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,607 $1,607

$1,508 CA$2,132

6.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,564 $2,564

$3,122 CA$4,414

-17.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 $2,152

$2,469 CA$3,490

-12.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,635 $2,635

$8,173 CA$11.6K

-67.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,694 $2,694

$6,354 CA$8,982

-57.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,992 $4,992

$3,592 CA$5,078

38.96%

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 Media, PA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Media, PA

$1.6K 54.6%

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.7% 6.2% $99

Groceries & Markets

Media, PA

$430 14.6%

Vancouver

$399 15% 7.2% $31

Eating Out

Media, PA

$343 11.6%

Vancouver

$280 10.5% 18.1% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Media, PA

$342 11.6%

Vancouver

$171 6.4% 50% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Media, PA

$135 4.6%

Vancouver

$128 4.8% 5.7% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Media, PA

$71 2.4%

Vancouver

$70 2.6% 1.9% $1.4

Getting Around

Media, PA

$17 * 0.6%

Vancouver

$106 4% 532% $89

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,767 in Media, PA 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 39% higher in Media, PA, 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 $80.0 in Media, PA versus $71.0 in Vancouver. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $430 vs $399 – making Vancouver the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Media, PA

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

19:59 7:59 PM

3 h behind Media, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,700

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Media, PA Vancouver 3,850 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Media, PA
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

Media, PA vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,945 in Media, PA, $2,662 in Vancouver – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,417 per month in Media, PA 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 Vancouver, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Media, PA and $71.0 in Vancouver. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Media, PA, 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 $2,945 in Media, PA and $2,662 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, Media, PA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.