Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pittsburgh, PA and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Pittsburgh, PA: $2,512 a month against $2,684 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Vancouver outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

123

Cost of Living Index in Pittsburgh, PA
Learn more

Pittsburgh, PA Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
Learn more

Vancouver Living Index

Jump to prices

Pittsburgh, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,512

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,512 per month in Pittsburgh, PA vs $2,684 in Vancouver, rent included.

Pittsburgh, PA $2,512
Vancouver $2,684

A couple spends around $3,647 per month in Pittsburgh, PA vs $3,878 in Vancouver, rent included.

Pittsburgh, PA $3,647
Vancouver $3,878

A family of three spends $4,782 per month in Pittsburgh, PA vs $5,072 in Vancouver, rent included.

Pittsburgh, PA $4,782
Vancouver $5,072

Pittsburgh, PA is about 6% cheaper than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Pittsburgh, PA and Vancouver sit above the global median – Pittsburgh, PA by 87%, Vancouver by 100%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.25 $20.25

$17.30 CA$24.66

17.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 $60.6

$69.0 CA$98.3

-12.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 $9.91

$10.56 CA$15.05

-6.16%

Cappuccino

$5.07 $5.07

$3.89 CA$5.54

30.33%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$2.05 CA$2.93

28.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.62 CA$2.31

27.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.38 $6.38

$5.54 CA$7.90

15.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.17 $8.17

$6.33 CA$9.02

29.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$2.31 CA$3.30

-45.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.50 CA$3.56

46.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

$4.44 CA$6.33

12.39%

Eggs

$4.71 $4.71

$4.07 CA$5.80

15.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.28 $14.28

$11.28 CA$16.08

26.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.46 $12.46

$13.42 CA$19.13

-7.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.97 $17.97

$20.10 CA$28.65

-10.60%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$4.06 CA$5.78

26.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.33 CA$1.90

9.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$3.91 CA$5.57

5.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$4.05 CA$5.78

37.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$2.72 CA$3.88

-11.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.89 CA$4.12

-13.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 $2.28

$2.53 CA$3.61

-9.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.62 CA$2.31

23.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.91 $10.91

$15.57 CA$22.19

-29.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.13 $13.13

$14.05 CA$20.03

-6.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.69 CA$3.83

-23.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.99 CA$4.26

29.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.44 CA$3.48

15.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 $97.0

$83.4 CA$119

16.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.71 CA$3.87

49.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.57 CA$2.24

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.13 $21.13

$31.39 CA$44.75

-32.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.38 CA$1.96

-19.57%

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

$36.9K $36.9K

$28.1K CA$40.0K

31.60%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$19.8K CA$28.2K

27.64%

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

$257 $257

$81.2 CA$116

217.15%

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

$51.9 $51.9

$37.45 CA$53.4

38.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 $69.3

$51.4 CA$73.2

34.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.98 $44.98

$43.47 CA$62.0

3.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.77 $28.77

$12.53 CA$17.86

129.61%

Cinema Ticket

$12.23 $12.23

$12.54 CA$17.88

-2.47%

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

$1,796 $1,796

$1,094 CA$1,560

64.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.2K $34.2K

$19.9K CA$28.4K

71.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.98 $46.98

$57.0 CA$81.3

-17.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.51 $46.51

$32.73 CA$46.66

42.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.4 $73.4

$92.6 CA$132

-20.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$94.2 CA$134

8.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 $1,566

$1,745 CA$2,488

-10.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 $1,125

$1,484 CA$2,115

-24.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 $2,493

$2,998 CA$4,273

-16.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,722 $1,722

$2,422 CA$3,453

-28.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$8,002 CA$11.4K

-60.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,056 $2,056

$6,457 CA$9,204

-68.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,319 $4,319

$3,799 CA$5,416

13.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.52

4.28

52.34%

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

Last update for Pittsburgh, PA: October 3, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pittsburgh, PA

$1.1K 44.1%

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6% 31.8% $358

Groceries & Markets

Pittsburgh, PA

$415 16.3%

Vancouver

$399 15.2% 4.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pittsburgh, PA

$379 14.9%

Vancouver

$170 6.5% 55.1% $209

Eating Out

Pittsburgh, PA

$320 12.5%

Vancouver

$272 10.4% 14.9% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Pittsburgh, PA

$121 4.8%

Vancouver

$124 4.8% 2.9% $3.5

Getting Around

Pittsburgh, PA

$120 4.7%

Vancouver

$104 4% 13.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Pittsburgh, PA

$69 2.7%

Vancouver

$69 2.6% 1.3% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,566 in Pittsburgh, PA versus $1,745 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 14% higher in Pittsburgh, PA, 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 $61.0 in Pittsburgh, PA versus $69.0 in Vancouver. Groceries tell a different story – $415 in Pittsburgh, PA vs $399 in Vancouver – so Vancouver wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Pittsburgh, PA

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

21:46 9:46 PM

18:46 6:46 PM

3 h behind Pittsburgh, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

311,647

631,486

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pittsburgh, PA Vancouver 3,490 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Pittsburgh, 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

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

Vancouver costs about 7% more than Pittsburgh, PA, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,768 per month in Pittsburgh, PA and $4,026 in Vancouver. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pittsburgh, PA, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,796 per month in Pittsburgh, PA and $1,094 in Vancouver. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Vancouver – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,512 in Pittsburgh, PA and $2,684 in Vancouver. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Pittsburgh, PA costs $2,512 versus $2,684 in Vancouver. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Pittsburgh, PA. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vancouver makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.