Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oshawa and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Oshawa: $2,370 a month against $2,683 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Oshawa
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Oshawa Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Oshawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,370

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,370 in Oshawa versus $2,683 in Vancouver.

Oshawa $2,370
Vancouver $2,683

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,414 in Oshawa versus $3,963 in Vancouver.

Oshawa $3,414
Vancouver $3,963

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,457 in Oshawa versus $5,244 in Vancouver.

Oshawa $4,457
Vancouver $5,244

Living in Oshawa costs roughly 12% less than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oshawa 75% above, Vancouver 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.25 CA$19.90

$18.10 CA$25.26

-21.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 CA$88.7

$71.0 CA$99.1

-10.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.33 CA$11.63

$10.57 CA$14.75

-21.19%

Cappuccino

$3.54 CA$4.95

$3.97 CA$5.54

-10.83%

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

$1.77 CA$2.47

$2.07 CA$2.89

-14.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 CA$1.90

$1.85 CA$2.58

-26.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 CA$6.79

$5.67 CA$7.91

-14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 CA$8.43

$6.61 CA$9.23

-8.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.91 CA$4.06

$2.16 CA$3.01

34.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 CA$4.06

$2.58 CA$3.60

12.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.12 CA$5.75

$4.30 CA$6.00

-4.19%

Eggs

$2.97 CA$4.14

$4.09 CA$5.71

-27.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 CA$14.15

$12.12 CA$16.91

-16.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.74 CA$19.19

$13.28 CA$18.54

3.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.60 CA$23.17

$20.11 CA$28.07

-17.45%

Apples (1kg)

$4.20 CA$5.87

$3.96 CA$5.53

6.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 CA$1.70

$1.43 CA$1.99

-14.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.10

$3.71 CA$5.18

-20.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 CA$5.36

$3.92 CA$5.48

-2.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 CA$4.69

$2.87 CA$4.00

17.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.59

$2.98 CA$4.16

-13.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 CA$3.28

$2.61 CA$3.65

-9.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 CA$2.41

$1.63 CA$2.28

6.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.29 CA$19.95

$15.94 CA$22.25

-10.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.63 CA$17.63

$14.25 CA$19.89

-11.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 CA$4.92

$2.52 CA$3.52

40.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 CA$4.87

$2.87 CA$4.01

21.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.94

$2.57 CA$3.58

9.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.1 CA$122

$84.4 CA$118

3.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 CA$3.82

$2.74 CA$3.83

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.00

$1.63 CA$2.27

-11.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.58 CA$27.33

$31.90 CA$44.52

-38.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.46 CA$2.03

-15.07%

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

$28.8K CA$40.2K

$26.7K CA$37.3K

7.75%

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

$22.9K CA$32.0K

$21.0K CA$29.4K

8.98%

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

$139 CA$194

$88.2 CA$123

57.46%

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

$37.94 CA$53.0

$36.72 CA$51.3

3.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 CA$75.9

$49.81 CA$69.5

9.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.91 CA$31.98

$45.34 CA$63.3

-49.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.28 CA$40.87

$12.13 CA$16.93

141.38%

Cinema Ticket

$10.86 CA$15.17

$12.55 CA$17.52

-13.47%

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

$922 CA$1,287

$1,055 CA$1,473

-12.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,083 CA$11.3K

$28.5K CA$39.8K

-71.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 CA$81.4

$56.4 CA$78.8

3.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 CA$80.5

$34.37 CA$47.98

67.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 CA$150

$89.8 CA$125

19.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 CA$180

$94.3 CA$132

36.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 CA$1,954

$1,738 CA$2,426

-19.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 CA$1,685

$1,528 CA$2,134

-21.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,003 CA$2,795

$3,107 CA$4,337

-35.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 CA$2,546

$2,547 CA$3,555

-28.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,158 CA$7,200

$8,540 CA$11.9K

-39.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.3K CA$14.4K

$6,328 CA$8,833

63.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,049 CA$4,256

$3,770 CA$5,262

-19.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.53

4.24

6.84%

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

Last update for Oshawa: October 31, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oshawa

$1.2K 50.9%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57% 26.6% $321

Groceries & Markets

Oshawa

$390 16.5%

Vancouver

$398 14.9% 2.1% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oshawa

$231 9.8%

Vancouver

$175 6.5% 24.4% $56

Eating Out

Oshawa

$230 9.7%

Vancouver

$281 10.5% 22.1% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Oshawa

$158 6.7%

Vancouver

$124 4.6% 21.9% $35

Getting Around

Oshawa

$108 4.6%

Vancouver

$106 3.9% 2.6% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Oshawa

$45 1.9%

Vancouver

$70 2.6% 57.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,400 in Oshawa and $1,738 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 24% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $64 in Oshawa vs $71 in Vancouver for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $390 vs $398 per month, with Oshawa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Oshawa

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

16:55 4:55 PM

14:55 2:55 PM

2 h behind Oshawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,458

631,486

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Oshawa Vancouver 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Oshawa
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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

Oshawa vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oshawa wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Vancouver. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Oshawa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Oshawa. 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: $1,400 in Oshawa versus $1,738 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Vancouver runs roughly 3% less than in Oshawa. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,370 per month in Oshawa versus $2,683 in Vancouver – Oshawa is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Oshawa 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.

It comes down to priorities – Oshawa wins on affordability, Vancouver on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.