Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portsmouth and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Portsmouth: $929 a month against $2,684 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Portsmouth

🇩🇲 Dominica

$929

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $929 in Portsmouth versus $2,684 in Vancouver.

Portsmouth $929
Vancouver $2,684

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,626 in Portsmouth versus $3,878 in Vancouver.

Portsmouth $1,626
Vancouver $3,878

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,323 in Portsmouth versus $5,072 in Vancouver.

Portsmouth $2,323
Vancouver $5,072

Living in Portsmouth costs roughly 65% less than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Portsmouth is 31% below, Vancouver is 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.50 EC$14.84

$17.30 CA$24.66

-68.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 EC$152

$69.0 CA$98.3

-18.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 EC$18.44

$10.56 CA$15.05

-35.32%

Cappuccino

$2.67 EC$7.20

$3.89 CA$5.54

-31.36%

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

$2.19 EC$5.91

$2.05 CA$2.93

6.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 EC$5.05

$1.62 CA$2.31

15.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 EC$6.84

$5.54 CA$7.90

-54.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 EC$10.07

$6.33 CA$9.02

-41.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 EC$7.72

$2.31 CA$3.30

23.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 EC$6.03

$2.50 CA$3.56

-10.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 EC$5.43

$4.44 CA$6.33

-54.73%

Eggs

$6.50 EC$17.55

$4.07 CA$5.80

59.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.66 EC$7.17

$11.28 CA$16.08

-76.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.48 EC$14.80

$13.42 CA$19.13

-59.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.10 CA$28.65

Apples (1kg)

$7.21 EC$19.46

$4.06 CA$5.78

77.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 EC$6.93

$1.33 CA$1.90

93.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.00 EC$10.81

$3.91 CA$5.57

2.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 EC$11.17

$4.05 CA$5.78

2.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 EC$7.84

$2.72 CA$3.88

6.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 EC$7.51

$2.89 CA$4.12

-3.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 EC$4.91

$2.53 CA$3.61

-28.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 EC$5.13

$1.62 CA$2.31

17.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.57 CA$22.19

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 EC$30.56

$14.05 CA$20.03

-19.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 EC$5.06

$2.69 CA$3.83

-30.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 EC$7.20

$2.99 CA$4.26

-10.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 EC$2.03

$2.44 CA$3.48

-69.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 CA$119

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 EC$9.90

$2.71 CA$3.87

35.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.68 EC$9.93

$1.57 CA$2.24

134.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.39 CA$44.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CA$1.96

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

$28.1K CA$40.0K

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

$19.8K CA$28.2K

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

$81.2 CA$116

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

$40.78 EC$110

$37.45 CA$53.4

8.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.9 EC$172

$51.4 CA$73.2

24.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.97 EC$99.8

$43.47 CA$62.0

-14.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 CA$17.86

Cinema Ticket

$11.11 EC$30.01

$12.54 CA$17.88

-11.40%

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

$1,094 CA$1,560

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K CA$28.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 EC$151

$57.0 CA$81.3

-1.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.90 EC$64.5

$32.73 CA$46.66

-26.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.0 EC$151

$92.6 CA$132

-39.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 EC$178

$94.2 CA$134

-30.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$258 EC$696

$1,745 CA$2,488

-85.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$223 EC$602

$1,484 CA$2,115

-84.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$670 EC$1,808

$2,998 CA$4,273

-77.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 EC$1,667

$2,422 CA$3,453

-74.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,002 CA$11.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,457 CA$9,204

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 EC$1,691

$3,799 CA$5,416

-83.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

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

Last update for Portsmouth: October 4, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portsmouth

–

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6%

Groceries & Markets

Portsmouth

–

Vancouver

$399 15.2%

Eating Out

Portsmouth

–

Vancouver

$272 10.4%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portsmouth

–

Vancouver

$170 6.5%

Clothing & Footwear

Portsmouth

–

Vancouver

$124 4.8%

Getting Around

Portsmouth

–

Vancouver

$104 4%

Sport & Entertainment

Portsmouth

–

Vancouver

$69 2.6%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $258 in Portsmouth and $1,745 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 507% 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: $56.0 in Portsmouth vs $69.0 in Vancouver for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $399 per month, with Portsmouth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇲 Portsmouth

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

06:02 6:02 AM

03:02 3:02 AM

3 h behind Portsmouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,633

631,486

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.331 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 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).

USD to XCD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Portsmouth Vancouver 6,660 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Portsmouth
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

Portsmouth vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portsmouth is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 189% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 507% lower in Vancouver. 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: $258 in Portsmouth versus $1,745 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Vancouver. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Portsmouth – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $69.0 in Vancouver. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $929 in Portsmouth versus $2,684 in Vancouver, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Portsmouth but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Portsmouth 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, Portsmouth and Vancouver 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 Portsmouth gentler on the wallet – expenses run 189% less than in Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.