Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Owen Sound and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Owen Sound: $2,042 a month against $2,725 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Owen Sound
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Owen Sound Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Owen Sound

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,042

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,042 in Owen Sound versus $2,725 in Vancouver.

Owen Sound $2,042
Vancouver $2,725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,127 in Owen Sound versus $4,039 in Vancouver.

Owen Sound $3,127
Vancouver $4,039

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,212 in Owen Sound versus $5,352 in Vancouver.

Owen Sound $4,212
Vancouver $5,352

Living in Owen Sound costs roughly 25% less than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Owen Sound 50% above, Vancouver 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.32 CA$20.09

$17.65 CA$24.77

-18.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.61 CA$66.8

$72.4 CA$102

-34.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.19 CA$12.90

$10.84 CA$15.21

-15.22%

Cappuccino

$3.58 CA$5.02

$3.91 CA$5.49

-8.44%

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

$2.12 CA$2.98

$2.10 CA$2.95

0.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.46

$1.64 CA$2.30

6.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.33 CA$6.07

$5.74 CA$8.06

-24.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 CA$8.09

$6.36 CA$8.93

-9.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 CA$3.41

$2.21 CA$3.10

9.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 CA$3.87

$2.64 CA$3.71

4.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 CA$4.93

$4.68 CA$6.56

-25.00%

Eggs

$4.36 CA$6.12

$4.24 CA$5.95

2.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 CA$13.85

$11.92 CA$16.73

-17.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.08 CA$22.57

$13.12 CA$18.42

22.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.97 CA$33.64

$20.40 CA$28.63

17.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 CA$4.72

$4.10 CA$5.76

-18.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.60

$1.38 CA$1.93

34.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 CA$4.56

$3.83 CA$5.37

-15.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.84 CA$3.98

$3.92 CA$5.50

-27.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 CA$3.35

$2.77 CA$3.89

-13.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 CA$3.69

$2.84 CA$3.98

-7.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 CA$3.06

$2.60 CA$3.65

-16.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CA$1.79

$1.59 CA$2.24

-19.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.67 CA$19.19

$15.87 CA$22.27

-13.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.75 CA$19.30

$14.00 CA$19.64

-1.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.58 CA$6.43

$2.57 CA$3.61

78.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 CA$6.85

$3.01 CA$4.23

62.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.10 CA$2.95

$2.55 CA$3.59

-17.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.0 CA$87.0

$84.1 CA$118

-26.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 CA$6.37

$2.67 CA$3.74

70.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.22

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.08 CA$35.19

$32.19 CA$45.17

-22.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 CA$1.57

$1.45 CA$2.04

-22.76%

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

$26.8K CA$37.6K

$27.5K CA$38.6K

-2.54%

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

$21.7K CA$30.5K

$21.3K CA$29.9K

1.99%

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

$89.7 CA$126

$82.5 CA$116

8.78%

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

$29.11 CA$40.85

$37.46 CA$52.6

-22.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.43 CA$66.6

$51.7 CA$72.5

-8.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$116 CA$162

$40.52 CA$56.9

185.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.66 CA$58.5

$12.69 CA$17.81

228.29%

Cinema Ticket

$7.77 CA$10.91

$12.66 CA$17.77

-38.63%

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

$478 CA$672

$1,080 CA$1,515

-55.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,258 CA$10.2K

$20.1K CA$28.3K

-63.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.42 CA$49.71

$58.5 CA$82.0

-39.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.63 CA$38.78

$34.10 CA$47.85

-18.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.9 CA$122

$96.9 CA$136

-10.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 CA$151

$97.4 CA$137

10.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 CA$1,882

$1,813 CA$2,545

-26.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 CA$1,268

$1,576 CA$2,211

-42.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,200 CA$3,087

$3,217 CA$4,514

-31.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,634 CA$2,293

$2,651 CA$3,721

-38.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,590 CA$12.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,649 CA$9,331

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,971 CA$4,169

$3,733 CA$5,239

-20.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.26

4.28

22.90%

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

Last update for Owen Sound: October 25, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Owen Sound

$903 44.2%

Vancouver

$1.6K 57.8% 74.4% $672

Groceries & Markets

Owen Sound

$417 20.4%

Vancouver

$401 14.7% 3.9% $16

Eating Out

Owen Sound

$234 11.4%

Vancouver

$277 10.2% 18.5% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Owen Sound

$166 8.1%

Vancouver

$172 6.3% 3.2% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Owen Sound

$131 6.4%

Vancouver

$66 2.4% 49.8% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Owen Sound

$116 5.7%

Vancouver

$129 4.7% 11.3% $13

Getting Around

Owen Sound

$75 * 3.7%

Vancouver

$105 3.9% 40% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Owen Sound and $1,813 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 26% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $48 in Owen Sound vs $72 in Vancouver. Groceries flip the comparison at $417 vs $401, with Vancouver cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Owen Sound

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

21:23 9:23 PM

18:23 6:23 PM

3 h behind Owen Sound

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,341

631,486

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Owen Sound Vancouver 3,200 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Owen Sound
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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

Owen Sound vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Owen Sound is about 25% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Owen Sound. 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: $1,341 in Owen Sound versus $1,813 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Owen Sound – a meal for two runs $48 versus $72 in Vancouver. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,042 per month in Owen Sound versus $2,725 in Vancouver – Owen Sound is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,042 in Owen Sound versus $2,725 in Vancouver, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Owen Sound but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Owen Sound the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 – Owen Sound wins on affordability, Vancouver on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.