Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Punta Cana and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Punta Cana: $732 a month against $2,626 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Punta Cana
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Punta Cana Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Punta Cana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$732

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $732 per month in Punta Cana vs $2,626 in Vancouver, rent included.

Punta Cana $732
Vancouver $2,626

A couple spends around $1,677 per month in Punta Cana vs $3,841 in Vancouver, rent included.

Punta Cana $1,677
Vancouver $3,841

A family of three spends $2,622 per month in Punta Cana vs $5,056 in Vancouver, rent included.

Punta Cana $2,622
Vancouver $5,056

Punta Cana is about 72% cheaper than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Punta Cana sits 46% below the global median, while Vancouver is 95% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.29 DOP 506

$17.19 CA$24.42

-51.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.44 DOP 2,531

$69.1 CA$98.1

-39.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.98 DOP 426

$10.61 CA$15.08

-34.21%

Cappuccino

$1.81 DOP 111

$3.83 CA$5.44

-52.74%

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

$0.71 DOP 43.32

$2.04 CA$2.90

-65.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 DOP 24.70

$1.65 CA$2.35

-75.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 DOP 149

$5.54 CA$7.87

-55.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 DOP 235

$6.20 CA$8.81

-37.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 DOP 73.6

$2.14 CA$3.04

-43.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 DOP 110

$2.51 CA$3.56

-28.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 DOP 87.1

$4.49 CA$6.38

-68.15%

Eggs

$1.44 DOP 87.8

$4.09 CA$5.81

-64.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.42 DOP 392

$11.73 CA$16.66

-45.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.49 DOP 213

$13.11 CA$18.63

-73.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.65 DOP 284

$19.50 CA$27.70

-76.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 DOP 179

$4.00 CA$5.68

-26.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 DOP 88.1

$1.38 CA$1.95

4.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 DOP 205

$3.88 CA$5.51

-13.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 DOP 130

$3.95 CA$5.61

-45.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.49 DOP 213

$2.72 CA$3.87

28.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.91 DOP 178

$2.86 CA$4.07

1.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 DOP 53.0

$2.46 CA$3.50

-64.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 DOP 98.3

$1.56 CA$2.22

3.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.85 DOP 296

$15.48 CA$21.99

-68.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.63 DOP 1,016

$13.75 CA$19.54

20.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 DOP 177

$2.63 CA$3.73

10.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 DOP 202

$2.89 CA$4.11

14.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 DOP 83.6

$2.48 CA$3.52

-44.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.0 CA$118

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 DOP 154

$2.72 CA$3.87

-6.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 DOP 199

$1.58 CA$2.25

105.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.05 CA$44.11

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 DOP 86.7

$1.37 CA$1.95

3.65%

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

$14.6K DOP 889.4K

$27.7K CA$39.3K

-47.34%

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

$25.0K DOP 1.5M

$19.6K CA$27.9K

27.26%

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

$93.1 DOP 5,688

$82.5 CA$117

12.92%

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

$26.76 DOP 1,634

$37.26 CA$52.9

-28.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.04 DOP 2,323

$51.7 CA$73.5

-26.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.2 DOP 5,143

$42.87 CA$60.9

96.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.14 DOP 985

$12.40 CA$17.62

30.16%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 DOP 307

$12.13 CA$17.24

-58.53%

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

$147 DOP 8,983

$1,102 CA$1,565

-86.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,484 DOP 334.9K

$19.8K CA$28.2K

-72.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.44 DOP 1,615

$56.4 CA$80.1

-53.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.62 DOP 2,786

$33.43 CA$47.49

36.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 DOP 3,682

$93.9 CA$133

-35.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.1 DOP 4,035

$93.8 CA$133

-29.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$950 DOP 58.0K

$1,775 CA$2,521

-46.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 CA$2,126

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,606 DOP 159.2K

$3,082 CA$4,378

-15.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$998 DOP 60.9K

$2,416 CA$3,433

-58.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,908 DOP 177.6K

$8,069 CA$11.5K

-63.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,250 DOP 76.4K

$6,449 CA$9,162

-80.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,776 CA$5,365

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

157.01%

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

Last update for Punta Cana: October 10, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Punta Cana

$233 31.8%

Vancouver

$392 14.9% 68.4% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Punta Cana

$158 21.6%

Vancouver

$171 6.5% 8.6% $14

Eating Out

Punta Cana

$133 18.2%

Vancouver

$270 10.3% 103% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Punta Cana

$94 12.9%

Vancouver

$67 2.6% 28.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Punta Cana

$89 12.2%

Vancouver

$125 4.8% 39.8% $36

Getting Around

Punta Cana

$24 * 3.3%

Vancouver

$104 3.9% 327% $79

Accommodation & Living

Punta Cana

- * 0%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $950 in Punta Cana versus $1,775 in Vancouver. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Punta Cana versus $69.0 in Vancouver. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $392 – making Punta Cana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Punta Cana

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

13:01 1:01 PM

10:01 10:01 AM

3 h behind Punta Cana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,023

631,486

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.46 EUR

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 61.07 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.39 DOP (100 DOP = 1.46 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Punta Cana Vancouver 5,920 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Punta Cana
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

Punta Cana vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $732 in Punta Cana, $2,626 in Vancouver – roughly 259% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,098 per month in Punta Cana and $3,939 in Vancouver. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $732 in Punta Cana and $2,626 in Vancouver. That's a gap of about 259%.

Kindergarten costs $147 per month in Punta Cana and $1,102 in Vancouver. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Punta Cana, where all-in costs run around $732, than in Vancouver at $2,626. In Punta Cana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vancouver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Punta Cana – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Punta Cana. 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.