Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Vila and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $3,148 in Port Vila, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Port Vila
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Port Vila Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Port Vila

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,148

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Vila and in Calgary

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,148 in Port Vila versus $2,223 in Calgary.

Port Vila $3,148
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,290 in Port Vila versus $3,301 in Calgary.

Port Vila $4,290
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,432 in Port Vila versus $4,379 in Calgary.

Port Vila $5,432
Calgary $4,379

Living in Port Vila is roughly 42% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Port Vila 133% above, Calgary 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.57 VUV 1,474

$17.22 CA$24.34

-27.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 VUV 6,558

$71.1 CA$100

-21.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.47 VUV 1,697

$10.53 CA$14.89

37.42%

Cappuccino

$3.99 VUV 468

$3.66 CA$5.18

9.02%

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

$2.30 VUV 270

$1.98 CA$2.80

16.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 VUV 276

$1.94 CA$2.74

21.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 VUV 603

$4.95 CA$7.00

3.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 VUV 839

$5.57 CA$7.87

28.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.73 VUV 320

$1.88 CA$2.65

45.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 VUV 231

$2.67 CA$3.78

-26.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.63 VUV 426

$5.32 CA$7.52

-31.77%

Eggs

$6.30 VUV 739

$3.79 CA$5.35

66.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.57 VUV 2,061

$11.09 CA$15.68

58.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.60 VUV 1,947

$11.36 CA$16.05

46.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.68 VUV 1,604

$18.40 CA$26.01

-25.65%

Apples (1kg)

$7.13 VUV 837

$4.56 CA$6.45

56.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 VUV 252

$1.44 CA$2.04

49.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.86 VUV 453

$4.08 CA$5.76

-5.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$9.44 VUV 1,107

$3.89 CA$5.50

142.67%

Potato (1kg)

$9.13 VUV 1,071

$2.64 CA$3.73

245.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 VUV 407

$2.64 CA$3.73

31.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.58 VUV 303

$2.50 CA$3.54

3.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 VUV 140

$1.50 CA$2.12

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.06 VUV 1,063

$14.05 CA$19.86

-35.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.51 VUV 1,467

$15.70 CA$22.20

-20.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 VUV 287

$2.44 CA$3.45

0.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 VUV 316

$3.09 CA$4.37

-12.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 VUV 151

$2.82 CA$3.99

-54.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.6 VUV 8,052

$88.6 CA$125

-22.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 VUV 302

$3.12 CA$4.41

-17.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 VUV 103

$1.35 CA$1.91

-34.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 VUV 609

$27.02 CA$38.20

-80.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 VUV 206

$1.16 CA$1.64

51.72%

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

$22.8K VUV 2.7M

$27.9K CA$39.5K

-18.16%

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

$37.9K VUV 4.5M

$20.3K CA$28.8K

86.44%

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

$636 VUV 74.6K

$161 CA$227

295.41%

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

$22.30 VUV 2,615

$38.13 CA$53.9

-41.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$362 VUV 42.4K

$50.0 CA$70.7

622.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.7 VUV 7,936

$51.5 CA$72.8

31.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.93 VUV 1,986

$18.14 CA$25.64

-6.67%

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 CA$19.54

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

$631 VUV 74.0K

$786 CA$1,111

-19.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,973 VUV 818.0K

$15.5K CA$21.8K

-54.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.45 VUV 4,862

$58.3 CA$82.4

-28.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.0 VUV 7,856

$39.27 CA$55.5

70.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.0 VUV 10.1K

$89.8 CA$127

-4.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 VUV 12.0K

$110 CA$155

-6.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 VUV 181.7K

$1,229 CA$1,737

26.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 VUV 131.3K

$1,001 CA$1,415

11.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,413 VUV 400.3K

$1,921 CA$2,716

77.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,886 VUV 221.3K

$1,621 CA$2,292

16.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,917 VUV 694.1K

$3,549 CA$5,018

66.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,162 VUV 253.6K

$3,335 CA$4,715

-35.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$678 VUV 79.5K

$3,165 CA$4,474

-78.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.18

4.51

37.03%

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

Last update for Port Vila: October 10, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Vila

$1.1K 35.6%

Calgary

$1K 45% 10.6% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Vila

$1K 32.4%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 75.6% $771

Groceries & Markets

Port Vila

$476 15.1%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 19.1% $91

Eating Out

Port Vila

$250 8%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 5.8% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Port Vila

$134 4.2%

Calgary

$134 6% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Port Vila

$81 2.6%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 36% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Port Vila

$68 * 2.2%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 17% $11

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 $1,549 in Port Vila and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 367% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $56.0 in Port Vila vs $71.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $476 vs $385, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇺 Port Vila

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

16:30 4:30 PM

23:30 11:30 PM

17 h behind Port Vila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,039 Capital

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to VUV – Vanuatu Vatu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇺 Vanuatu Vatu (Vt)

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 132 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to VUV in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Port Vila Calgary 10,700 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Vila
Calgary

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

Port Vila vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and utilities. The 42% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 367% lower in Calgary. 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: $1,549 in Port Vila versus $1,229 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $56.0 in Port Vila. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,148 per month in Port Vila versus $2,223 in Calgary – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $3,148 in Port Vila, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Port Vila. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary 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.

Safety-wise, Port Vila and Calgary are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Port Vila. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.