Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanaimo, BC and Edmonton

For one person, living is cheaper in Edmonton: $2,188 a month against $2,368 in Nanaimo, BC, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Nanaimo, BC
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Nanaimo, BC Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Edmonton
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Edmonton Living Index

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Nanaimo, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,368

/mo nomad

Edmonton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,188

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nanaimo, BC and in Edmonton

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nanaimo, BC and in Edmonton actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,368 per month in Nanaimo, BC vs $2,188 in Edmonton, rent included.

Nanaimo, BC $2,368
Edmonton $2,188

A couple spends around $3,410 per month in Nanaimo, BC vs $3,196 in Edmonton, rent included.

Nanaimo, BC $3,410
Edmonton $3,196

A family of three spends $4,452 per month in Nanaimo, BC vs $4,203 in Edmonton, rent included.

Nanaimo, BC $4,452
Edmonton $4,203

Nanaimo, BC costs about 8% more than Edmonton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nanaimo, BC and Edmonton sit above the global median – Nanaimo, BC by 74%, Edmonton by 61%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.85 CA$25.08

$19.92 CA$27.99

-10.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 CA$111

$78.2 CA$110

0.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.34 CA$15.93

$10.14 CA$14.25

11.83%

Cappuccino

$4.10 CA$5.76

$3.96 CA$5.57

3.54%

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

$2.32 CA$3.27

$2.34 CA$3.28

-0.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.30

$2.03 CA$2.85

-19.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 CA$7.97

$5.76 CA$8.09

-1.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 CA$7.98

$6.34 CA$8.91

-10.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 CA$2.43

$1.62 CA$2.27

6.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.38 CA$4.75

$2.15 CA$3.02

57.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 CA$4.30

$3.03 CA$4.26

0.99%

Eggs

$4.08 CA$5.73

$3.58 CA$5.04

13.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.27 CA$15.84

$10.77 CA$15.13

4.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.22 CA$19.98

$11.31 CA$15.89

25.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.80 CA$23.61

$18.80 CA$26.42

-10.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 CA$6.64

$4.13 CA$5.80

14.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 CA$1.73

$1.40 CA$1.96

-12.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.24 CA$5.95

Tomato (1kg)

$5.70 CA$8.01

$3.95 CA$5.55

44.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 CA$4.08

$2.13 CA$2.99

36.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 CA$3.99

$1.79 CA$2.52

58.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 CA$3.94

$2.48 CA$3.49

12.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.19

$1.79 CA$2.51

26.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.39 CA$20.22

$14.32 CA$20.12

0.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.34 CA$20.14

$11.58 CA$16.27

23.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 CA$3.85

$3.45 CA$4.85

-20.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 CA$3.73

$2.98 CA$4.19

-11.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 CA$2.81

$2.64 CA$3.71

-24.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.18 CA$64.9

$72.9 CA$102

-36.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 CA$3.95

$2.87 CA$4.03

-2.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 CA$2.96

$1.42 CA$2.00

47.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.55 CA$40.11

$20.99 CA$29.48

36.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 CA$1.97

$1.18 CA$1.66

18.64%

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

$26.1K CA$36.7K

$27.5K CA$38.6K

-4.86%

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

$20.8K CA$29.2K

$20.7K CA$29.1K

0.39%

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

$149 CA$210

$231 CA$324

-35.35%

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

$41.64 CA$58.5

$43.33 CA$60.9

-3.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.1 CA$91.5

$54.8 CA$77.0

18.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.48 CA$35.79

$43.95 CA$61.8

-42.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.96 CA$26.64

$18.43 CA$25.89

2.88%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 CA$15.89

$12.60 CA$17.71

-10.24%

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

$705 CA$990

$626 CA$880

12.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K CA$18.3K

$9,741 CA$13.7K

33.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.80 CA$68.6

$44.27 CA$62.2

10.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.66 CA$47.30

$47.59 CA$66.9

-29.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 CA$142

$87.9 CA$124

15.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$154

$97.1 CA$136

12.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 CA$1,973

$1,088 CA$1,529

29.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 CA$1,645

$913 CA$1,283

28.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,075 CA$2,916

$1,720 CA$2,416

20.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,701 CA$2,390

$1,382 CA$1,941

23.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,789 CA$5,324

$2,243 CA$3,151

68.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,508 CA$4,929

$1,946 CA$2,735

80.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,153 CA$4,429

$3,428 CA$4,816

-8.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

4.32

9.26%

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

Last update for Nanaimo, BC: October 25, 2026

Last update for Edmonton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nanaimo, BC

$1.2K 49.5%

Edmonton

$913 41.7% 22% $258

Groceries & Markets

Nanaimo, BC

$412 17.4%

Edmonton

$363 16.6% 11.9% $49

Eating Out

Nanaimo, BC

$282 11.9%

Edmonton

$296 13.5% 5.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanaimo, BC

$256 10.8%

Edmonton

$329 15% 28.5% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Nanaimo, BC

$132 5.6%

Edmonton

$125 5.7% 5.5% $7.2

Getting Around

Nanaimo, BC

$68 2.9%

Edmonton

$93 4.3% 38.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Nanaimo, BC

$48 2%

Edmonton

$69 3.2% 43.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,404 in Nanaimo, BC versus $1,088 in Edmonton. 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 9% higher in Edmonton, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Nanaimo, BC versus $78 in Edmonton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $412 vs $363 – making Edmonton the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Nanaimo, BC

🇨🇦 Edmonton

🕒 Local time

04:47 4:47 AM

05:47 5:47 AM

1 h ahead of Nanaimo, BC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,504

1,010,899

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.712 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.712 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Nanaimo, BC Edmonton 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Nanaimo, BC vs Edmonton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,368 in Nanaimo, BC, $2,188 in Edmonton – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,552 per month in Nanaimo, BC and $3,282 in Edmonton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Edmonton, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,088 there versus $1,404 in Nanaimo, BC.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Nanaimo, BC. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Nanaimo, BC, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,368 in Nanaimo, BC and $2,188 in Edmonton, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Edmonton – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.