Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quebec City and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Quebec City: $1,935 a month against $2,725 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Quebec City
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Quebec City Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Quebec City

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,935

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,935 in Quebec City versus $2,725 in Vancouver.

Quebec City $1,935
Vancouver $2,725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,912 in Quebec City versus $4,039 in Vancouver.

Quebec City $2,912
Vancouver $4,039

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,889 in Quebec City versus $5,352 in Vancouver.

Quebec City $3,889
Vancouver $5,352

Living in Quebec City costs roughly 29% less than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Quebec City 42% above, Vancouver 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.22 CA$29.65

$17.65 CA$24.66

20.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 CA$89.3

$72.4 CA$101

-11.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 CA$15.03

$10.84 CA$15.14

-0.83%

Cappuccino

$3.83 CA$5.35

$3.91 CA$5.47

-2.05%

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

$2.13 CA$2.97

$2.10 CA$2.94

1.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.09

$1.64 CA$2.29

-8.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.68 CA$7.94

$5.74 CA$8.02

-1.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 CA$8.21

$6.36 CA$8.89

-7.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 CA$2.88

$2.21 CA$3.09

-6.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 CA$4.04

$2.64 CA$3.69

9.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.14 CA$5.79

$4.68 CA$6.54

-11.54%

Eggs

$3.15 CA$4.40

$4.24 CA$5.92

-25.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 CA$12.76

$11.92 CA$16.66

-23.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 CA$15.35

$13.12 CA$18.34

-16.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.62 CA$14.84

$20.40 CA$28.51

-47.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 CA$5.82

$4.10 CA$5.73

1.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 CA$2.17

$1.38 CA$1.92

12.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.19

$3.83 CA$5.35

-3.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 CA$5.64

$3.92 CA$5.47

3.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 CA$4.10

$2.77 CA$3.88

5.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 CA$3.99

$2.84 CA$3.96

0.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.73 CA$3.81

$2.60 CA$3.63

5.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.12

$1.59 CA$2.23

-4.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.78 CA$20.65

$15.87 CA$22.17

-6.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.35 CA$15.87

$14.00 CA$19.56

-18.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.24 CA$4.52

$2.57 CA$3.59

26.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 CA$4.81

$3.01 CA$4.21

14.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 CA$4.06

$2.55 CA$3.57

14.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 CA$98.7

$84.1 CA$118

-16.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 CA$4.04

$2.67 CA$3.73

8.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.07

$1.58 CA$2.21

-6.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.46 CA$49.54

$32.19 CA$44.98

10.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 CA$1.81

$1.45 CA$2.03

-10.34%

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

$28.7K CA$40.1K

$27.5K CA$38.4K

4.45%

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

$22.2K CA$31.0K

$21.3K CA$29.8K

3.96%

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

$100 CA$140

$82.5 CA$115

21.49%

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

$32.19 CA$44.98

$37.46 CA$52.3

-14.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.61 CA$63.7

$51.7 CA$72.2

-11.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.12 CA$46.27

$40.52 CA$56.6

-18.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.66 CA$17.69

$12.69 CA$17.73

-0.24%

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 CA$14.75

$12.66 CA$17.69

-16.59%

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

$676 CA$945

$1,080 CA$1,509

-37.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,492 CA$13.3K

$20.1K CA$28.1K

-52.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 CA$82.9

$58.5 CA$81.7

1.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 CA$71.2

$34.10 CA$47.65

49.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$126

$96.9 CA$135

-7.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$152

$97.4 CA$136

11.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,029 CA$1,437

$1,813 CA$2,534

-43.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 CA$1,147

$1,576 CA$2,202

-47.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,633 CA$2,281

$3,217 CA$4,494

-49.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,333 CA$1,862

$2,651 CA$3,705

-49.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,733 CA$6,614

$8,590 CA$12.0K

-44.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,728 CA$3,812

$6,649 CA$9,291

-58.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,906 CA$4,061

$3,733 CA$5,216

-22.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

4.28

3.74%

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

Last update for Quebec City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quebec City

$821 42.4%

Vancouver

$1.6K 57.8% 92% $755

Groceries & Markets

Quebec City

$347 18%

Vancouver

$401 14.7% 15.4% $53

Eating Out

Quebec City

$303 15.6%

Vancouver

$277 10.2% 8.5% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quebec City

$178 9.2%

Vancouver

$172 6.3% 3.6% $6.4

Clothing & Footwear

Quebec City

$139 7.2%

Vancouver

$129 4.7% 7.1% $9.8

Getting Around

Quebec City

$93 4.8%

Vancouver

$105 3.9% 13.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Quebec City

$54 2.8%

Vancouver

$66 2.4% 21.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,029 in Quebec City and $1,813 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 28% 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: $64 in Quebec City vs $72 in Vancouver for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $347 vs $401 per month, with Quebec City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Quebec City

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

06:21 6:21 AM

2 h behind Quebec City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

530,168

631,486

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Quebec City Vancouver 3,790 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Quebec City
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Quebec City vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quebec City wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Vancouver. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Quebec City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Quebec City. 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: $1,029 in Quebec City versus $1,813 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,935 per month in Quebec City versus $2,725 in Vancouver – Quebec City is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Quebec City runs roughly 16% less than in Vancouver. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

For families, Quebec City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Vancouver, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Quebec City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.