Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanaimo, BC and Thun

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanaimo, BC: $2,368 a month against $3,488 in Thun, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Nanaimo, BC
Learn more

Nanaimo, BC Living Index
167

Cost of Living Index in Thun
Learn more

Thun Living Index

Jump to prices

Nanaimo, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,368

/mo nomad

Thun

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Thun actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,368 in Nanaimo, BC versus $3,488 in Thun.

Nanaimo, BC $2,368
Thun $3,488

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,410 in Nanaimo, BC versus $5,274 in Thun.

Nanaimo, BC $3,410
Thun $5,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,452 in Nanaimo, BC versus $7,060 in Thun.

Nanaimo, BC $4,452
Thun $7,060

Living in Nanaimo, BC costs roughly 32% less than in Thun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nanaimo, BC 74% above, Thun 156% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.85 CA$25.05

$29.14 CHF 24.17

-38.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 CA$111

$123 CHF 102

-35.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.34 CA$15.92

$15.96 CHF 13.24

-28.95%

Cappuccino

$4.10 CA$5.75

$6.33 CHF 5.25

-35.23%

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

$2.32 CA$3.26

$6.10 CHF 5.06

-61.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.30

$5.99 CHF 4.97

-72.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 CA$7.96

$9.16 CHF 7.60

-38.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 CA$7.97

$7.80 CHF 6.47

-27.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 CA$2.42

$2.20 CHF 1.82

-21.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.38 CA$4.75

$3.01 CHF 2.49

12.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 CA$4.29

$3.14 CHF 2.60

-2.55%

Eggs

$4.08 CA$5.72

$7.87 CHF 6.53

-48.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.27 CA$15.82

$24.90 CHF 20.65

-54.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.22 CA$19.96

$27.51 CHF 22.82

-48.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.80 CA$23.58

$39.29 CHF 32.60

-57.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 CA$6.63

$3.58 CHF 2.97

32.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 CA$1.73

$1.97 CHF 1.63

-37.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.24 CA$5.94

$2.63 CHF 2.18

61.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.70 CA$8.00

$4.73 CHF 3.93

20.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 CA$4.08

$1.65 CHF 1.37

76.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 CA$3.99

$2.01 CHF 1.67

41.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 CA$3.93

$2.28 CHF 1.89

22.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.19

$1.30 CHF 1.08

74.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.39 CA$20.19

$11.23 CHF 9.32

28.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.34 CA$20.12

$12.22 CHF 10.14

17.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 CA$3.85

$2.29 CHF 1.90

19.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 CA$3.72

$2.88 CHF 2.39

-7.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 CA$2.81

$4.18 CHF 3.47

-52.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.18 CA$64.8

$102 CHF 84.5

-54.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 CA$3.94

$7.70 CHF 6.39

-63.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 CA$2.95

$4.58 CHF 3.80

-54.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.55 CA$40.07

$83.8 CHF 69.6

-65.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 CA$1.97

$2.36 CHF 1.96

-40.68%

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

$26.1K CA$36.7K

$39.5K CHF 32.8K

-33.88%

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

$20.8K CA$29.2K

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

-47.54%

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

$149 CA$209

$289 CHF 240

-48.39%

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

$41.64 CA$58.4

$45.48 CHF 37.73

-8.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.1 CA$91.4

$64.3 CHF 53.4

1.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.48 CA$35.75

$90.3 CHF 74.9

-71.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.96 CA$26.61

$46.46 CHF 38.54

-59.19%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 CA$15.87

$23.20 CHF 19.25

-51.25%

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

$705 CA$989

$3,003 CHF 2,491

-76.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K CA$18.2K

$30.1K CHF 25.0K

-56.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.80 CA$68.5

$144 CHF 119

-66.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.66 CA$47.24

$79.9 CHF 66.3

-57.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 CA$142

$162 CHF 135

-37.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$153

$195 CHF 162

-43.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 CA$1,971

$1,792 CHF 1,486

-21.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 CA$1,643

$1,510 CHF 1,253

-22.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,075 CA$2,912

$2,952 CHF 2,449

-29.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,701 CA$2,387

$2,512 CHF 2,084

-32.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,789 CA$5,318

$16.3K CHF 13.5K

-76.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,508 CA$4,923

$12.3K CHF 10.2K

-71.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,153 CA$4,424

$5,715 CHF 4,741

-44.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

2.42

95.04%

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

Last update for Nanaimo, BC: October 25, 2026

Last update for Thun: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nanaimo, BC

$1.2K 49.5%

Thun

$1.5K 43.3% 29% $339

Groceries & Markets

Nanaimo, BC

$412 17.4%

Thun

$565 16.2% 37.2% $153

Eating Out

Nanaimo, BC

$282 11.9%

Thun

$467 13.4% 65.7% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanaimo, BC

$256 10.8%

Thun

$399 11.4% 55.8% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Nanaimo, BC

$132 5.6%

Thun

$261 7.5% 98.3% $130

Getting Around

Nanaimo, BC

$68 2.9%

Thun

$149 4.3% 121% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Nanaimo, BC

$48 2%

Thun

$137 3.9% 184% $89

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,404 in Nanaimo, BC and $1,792 in Thun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thun pays 81% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Nanaimo, BC vs $123 in Thun for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $412 vs $565 per month, with Nanaimo, BC cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Nanaimo, BC

🇨🇭 Thun

🕒 Local time

15:10 3:10 PM

23:10 11:10 PM

8 h ahead of Nanaimo, BC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,504

43,905

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.924 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nanaimo, BC Thun 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nanaimo, BC
Thun

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

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

Nanaimo, BC wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Thun. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Nanaimo, BC the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Nanaimo, BC. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,404 in Nanaimo, BC versus $1,792 in Thun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nanaimo, BC runs roughly 55% less than in Thun. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $705 in Nanaimo, BC versus $3,003 in Thun. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Nanaimo, BC is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Nanaimo, BC gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Thun. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.