Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portsmouth, NH and Burnaby

For one person, living costs are similar in Portsmouth, NH and in Burnaby: $2,763 and $2,678 a month, rent and utilities included.

135

Cost of Living Index in Portsmouth, NH
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Portsmouth, NH Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Burnaby
Learn more

Burnaby Living Index

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Portsmouth, NH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,763

/mo nomad

Burnaby

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Portsmouth, NH and in Burnaby

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,763 in Portsmouth, NH versus $2,678 in Burnaby.

Portsmouth, NH $2,763
Burnaby $2,678

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,026 in Portsmouth, NH versus $3,827 in Burnaby.

Portsmouth, NH $4,026
Burnaby $3,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,289 in Portsmouth, NH versus $4,976 in Burnaby.

Portsmouth, NH $5,289
Burnaby $4,976

Living in Portsmouth, NH is roughly 3% more expensive than in Burnaby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Portsmouth, NH 103% above, Burnaby 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.24 $20.24

$21.23 CA$29.79

-4.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$86.5 CA$121

17.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.96 $8.96

$9.53 CA$13.37

-5.98%

Cappuccino

$4.11 $4.11

$4.67 CA$6.56

-11.99%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$2.45 CA$3.44

7.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.80 CA$2.52

-15.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 $7.08

$8.57 CA$12.03

-17.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.33 $7.33

$6.18 CA$8.67

18.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.34 CA$3.28

-45.73%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.76 CA$3.88

85.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$3.52 CA$4.95

17.05%

Eggs

$3.48 $3.48

$3.17 CA$4.45

9.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 $11.17

$14.05 CA$19.72

-20.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.93 $12.93

$14.07 CA$19.75

-8.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.86 $16.86

$25.31 CA$35.52

-33.39%

Apples (1kg)

$5.27 $5.27

$4.42 CA$6.20

19.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.28 CA$1.80

60.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$4.61 CA$6.47

-0.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$4.61 CA$6.48

-5.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$2.81 CA$3.95

-42.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$3.54 CA$4.96

-25.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.74 CA$3.84

-6.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.10 CA$2.95

42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.49 $13.49

$14.23 CA$19.96

-5.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.13 $16.13

$13.39 CA$18.79

20.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.05 CA$2.88

-14.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.33 CA$3.27

-12.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 CA$3.56

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.6 CA$115

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.85 $5.85

$2.88 CA$4.04

103.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.82 $4.82

$1.51 CA$2.12

219.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.45 CA$37.12

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.37 CA$1.92

-33.58%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$28.5K CA$40.1K

-2.06%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$20.9K CA$29.4K

24.60%

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

$192 $192

$126 CA$177

52.21%

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

$52.9 $52.9

$44.96 CA$63.1

17.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 $52.5

$52.7 CA$74.0

-0.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.45 $25.45

$31.23 CA$43.83

-18.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.52 CA$14.77

Cinema Ticket

$12.37 $12.37

$14.23 CA$19.97

-13.07%

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

$832 $832

$649 CA$910

28.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.8K $33.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.52 $24.52

$52.2 CA$73.3

-53.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.34 $37.34

$51.4 CA$72.1

-27.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.9 $51.9

$103 CA$145

-49.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.0 $81.0

$79.0 CA$111

2.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,145 $2,145

$1,693 CA$2,376

26.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,570 $1,570

$1,406 CA$1,973

11.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,185 $4,185

$2,623 CA$3,681

59.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 $2,494

$1,985 CA$2,786

25.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,895 $4,895

$6,886 CA$9,663

-28.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,078 $3,078

$5,338 CA$7,491

-42.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,986 $5,986

$3,149 CA$4,419

90.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

4.76

28.15%

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

Last update for Portsmouth, NH: October 25, 2026

Last update for Burnaby: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portsmouth, NH

$1.6K 56.8%

Burnaby

$1.4K 52.5% 10.4% $164

Groceries & Markets

Portsmouth, NH

$423 15.3%

Burnaby

$431 16.1% 1.8% $7.8

Eating Out

Portsmouth, NH

$305 11%

Burnaby

$327 12.2% 7.2% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portsmouth, NH

$298 10.8%

Burnaby

$224 8.4% 24.7% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Portsmouth, NH

$88 3.2%

Burnaby

$129 4.8% 46.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Portsmouth, NH

$50 1.8%

Burnaby

$60 2.2% 18.9% $9.5

Getting Around

Portsmouth, NH

$30 * 1.1%

Burnaby

$102 3.8% 241% $72

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 $2,145 in Portsmouth, NH and $1,693 in Burnaby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portsmouth, NH pays 90% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $102 in Portsmouth, NH vs $87 in Burnaby. Groceries flip the comparison at $423 vs $431, with Portsmouth, NH cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Portsmouth, NH

🇨🇦 Burnaby

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

07:10 7:10 AM

3 h behind Portsmouth, NH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,535

249,125

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Portsmouth, NH Burnaby 4,000 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Portsmouth, NH
Burnaby

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, NH vs Burnaby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portsmouth, NH and Burnaby differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,763 vs $2,678 including rent). Burnaby is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 90% higher in Portsmouth, NH, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,145 in Portsmouth, NH versus $1,693 in Burnaby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $832 in Portsmouth, NH versus $649 in Burnaby. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,763 per month in Portsmouth, NH versus $2,678 in Burnaby – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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 – Burnaby wins on affordability, Portsmouth, NH on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.