Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Queens, NY and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,662 a month against $3,339 in Queens, NY, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Queens, NY
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Queens, NY Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Queens, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,339

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,662

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,339 in Queens, NY versus $2,662 in Vancouver.

Queens, NY $3,339
Vancouver $2,662

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,831 in Queens, NY versus $3,916 in Vancouver.

Queens, NY $4,831
Vancouver $3,916

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,323 in Queens, NY versus $5,170 in Vancouver.

Queens, NY $6,323
Vancouver $5,170

Living in Queens, NY is roughly 25% more expensive than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Queens, NY 146% above, Vancouver 96% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.16 $19.16

$18.01 CA$25.46

6.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.1 $80.1

$71.0 CA$100

12.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.04 $13.04

$10.83 CA$15.31

20.41%

Cappuccino

$6.18 $6.18

$3.94 CA$5.56

56.85%

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

$2.53 $2.53

$2.13 CA$3.01

18.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.66 CA$2.34

-10.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.25 $9.25

$5.73 CA$8.10

61.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 $6.93

$6.40 CA$9.04

8.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.15 CA$3.04

-40.93%

White Bread (500g)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.55 CA$3.61

70.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.02 $6.02

$4.56 CA$6.45

32.02%

Eggs

$6.88 $6.88

$4.06 CA$5.74

69.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.73 $13.73

$12.14 CA$17.17

13.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.31 $10.31

$13.23 CA$18.71

-22.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.51 $19.51

$20.24 CA$28.62

-3.61%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$4.05 CA$5.73

47.90%

Banana (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.42 CA$2.00

145.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$3.97 CA$5.62

10.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$3.91 CA$5.53

33.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.64 CA$3.74

14.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.82 CA$3.98

8.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.11 $3.11

$2.48 CA$3.51

25.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.59 CA$2.24

94.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.63 $14.63

$15.30 CA$21.64

-4.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.84 $14.84

$14.32 CA$20.24

3.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.57 CA$3.63

-28.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.91 CA$4.12

20.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.55 CA$3.60

15.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$131 $131

$84.6 CA$120

54.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.64 CA$3.73

12.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.63 CA$2.31

36.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.49 $41.49

$31.77 CA$44.91

30.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.42 CA$2.01

-23.24%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$27.1K CA$38.3K

2.75%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$21.6K CA$30.5K

18.20%

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

$175 $175

$81.3 CA$115

114.91%

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

$49.84 $49.84

$37.20 CA$52.6

33.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 $50.7

$52.6 CA$74.4

-3.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.68 $45.68

$44.34 CA$62.7

3.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

$12.37 CA$17.49

446.65%

Cinema Ticket

$20.43 $20.43

$12.62 CA$17.85

61.89%

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

$1,979 $1,979

$1,093 CA$1,544

81.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K $16.2K

$20.0K CA$28.2K

-18.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.52 $49.52

$58.5 CA$82.7

-15.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.0 $81.0

$33.35 CA$47.14

142.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 $85.7

$96.3 CA$136

-11.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$95.6 CA$135

8.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,272 $2,272

$1,765 CA$2,495

28.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 $1,870

$1,508 CA$2,132

23.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,863 $5,863

$3,122 CA$4,414

87.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,964 $2,964

$2,469 CA$3,490

20.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,775 $8,775

$8,173 CA$11.6K

7.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,134 $6,134

$6,354 CA$8,982

-3.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,625 $3,625

$3,592 CA$5,078

0.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

4.28

58.88%

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

Last update for Queens, NY: October 19, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Queens, NY

$1.9K 56%

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.7% 19.3% $361

Groceries & Markets

Queens, NY

$464 13.9%

Vancouver

$399 15% 14.1% $65

Eating Out

Queens, NY

$343 10.3%

Vancouver

$280 10.5% 18.2% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Queens, NY

$275 8.3%

Vancouver

$171 6.4% 37.8% $104

Getting Around

Queens, NY

$156 4.7%

Vancouver

$106 4% 32.5% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Queens, NY

$144 4.3%

Vancouver

$128 4.8% 11.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Queens, NY

$87 2.6%

Vancouver

$70 2.6% 19.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,272 in Queens, NY and $1,765 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Queens, NY pays 1% 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: $80.0 in Queens, NY vs $71.0 in Vancouver for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $464 vs $399 per month, with Vancouver cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Queens, NY

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

15:18 3:18 PM

3 h behind Queens, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,405,464

631,486

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Queens, NY Vancouver 3,920 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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Queens, NY
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Queens, NY vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1% higher in Queens, NY, 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: $2,272 in Queens, NY versus $1,765 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Vancouver – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $80.0 in Queens, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,339 per month in Queens, NY versus $2,662 in Vancouver – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Vancouver is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

Expats usually find Vancouver gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Queens, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.