Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rockville, MD and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,684 a month against $3,127 in Rockville, MD, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

152

Cost of Living Index in Rockville, MD
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Rockville, MD Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Rockville, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,127

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,127 in Rockville, MD versus $2,684 in Vancouver.

Rockville, MD $3,127
Vancouver $2,684

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,604 in Rockville, MD versus $3,878 in Vancouver.

Rockville, MD $4,604
Vancouver $3,878

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,082 in Rockville, MD versus $5,072 in Vancouver.

Rockville, MD $6,082
Vancouver $5,072

Living in Rockville, MD is roughly 17% more expensive than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rockville, MD 133% above, Vancouver 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.16 $22.16

$17.30 CA$24.67

28.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.7 $73.7

$69.0 CA$98.3

6.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 $10.43

$10.56 CA$15.06

-1.23%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$3.89 CA$5.55

37.53%

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

$2.48 $2.48

$2.05 CA$2.93

20.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.62 CA$2.31

9.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.71 $6.71

$5.54 CA$7.91

21.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.68 $7.68

$6.33 CA$9.02

21.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.31 CA$3.30

-51.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.50 CA$3.57

18.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$4.44 CA$6.34

-40.99%

Eggs

$3.95 $3.95

$4.07 CA$5.80

-2.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 $9.67

$11.28 CA$16.08

-14.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.23 $9.23

$13.42 CA$19.13

-31.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.18 $18.18

$20.10 CA$28.66

-9.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$4.06 CA$5.79

12.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.33 CA$1.90

-4.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$3.91 CA$5.57

16.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$4.05 CA$5.78

-3.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.72 CA$3.88

-6.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.89 CA$4.12

-10.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.53 CA$3.61

5.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.62 CA$2.31

7.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 $14.00

$15.57 CA$22.20

-10.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.53 $14.53

$14.05 CA$20.03

3.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.69 CA$3.83

-8.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.99 CA$4.27

21.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.23 $4.23

$2.44 CA$3.48

73.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

$83.4 CA$119

66.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.71 CA$3.87

83.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.57 CA$2.24

-29.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.34 $23.34

$31.39 CA$44.76

-25.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.38 CA$1.96

-26.09%

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

$34.9K $34.9K

$28.1K CA$40.0K

24.24%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$19.8K CA$28.3K

28.82%

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

$300 $300

$81.2 CA$116

269.59%

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

$51.0 $51.0

$37.45 CA$53.4

36.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 $58.9

$51.4 CA$73.3

14.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.95 $41.95

$43.47 CA$62.0

-3.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.64 $12.64

$12.53 CA$17.86

0.88%

Cinema Ticket

$16.35 $16.35

$12.54 CA$17.88

30.38%

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

$1,902 $1,902

$1,094 CA$1,560

73.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.4K $27.4K

$19.9K CA$28.4K

37.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.57 $45.57

$57.0 CA$81.3

-20.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 $40.27

$32.73 CA$46.67

23.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.1 $87.1

$92.6 CA$132

-5.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 $129

$94.2 CA$134

36.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 $2,107

$1,745 CA$2,489

20.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,634 $1,634

$1,484 CA$2,116

10.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,765 $3,765

$2,998 CA$4,275

25.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,911 $2,911

$2,422 CA$3,454

20.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,396 $4,396

$8,002 CA$11.4K

-45.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 $2,437

$6,457 CA$9,207

-62.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,212 $6,212

$3,799 CA$5,417

63.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

4.28

50.93%

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

Last update for Rockville, MD: 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

Rockville, MD

$1.6K 52.4%

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6% 9.2% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rockville, MD

$410 13.2%

Vancouver

$170 6.5% 58.5% $240

Groceries & Markets

Rockville, MD

$358 11.5%

Vancouver

$399 15.2% 11.3% $41

Eating Out

Rockville, MD

$339 10.9%

Vancouver

$272 10.4% 19.7% $67

Getting Around

Rockville, MD

$167 5.3%

Vancouver

$104 4% 37.7% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Rockville, MD

$136 4.4%

Vancouver

$124 4.8% 8.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Rockville, MD

$75 2.4%

Vancouver

$69 2.6% 8.2% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,107 in Rockville, MD and $1,745 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rockville, MD pays 63% 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: $74.0 in Rockville, MD vs $69.0 in Vancouver. Groceries flip the comparison at $358 vs $399, with Rockville, MD cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rockville, MD

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

23:10 11:10 PM

20:10 8:10 PM

3 h behind Rockville, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,139

631,486

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.701 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Rockville, MD Vancouver 3,770 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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Rockville, MD
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Rockville, MD vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Rockville, MD. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Vancouver the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 63% higher in Rockville, MD, 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: $2,107 in Rockville, MD versus $1,745 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Rockville, MD pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Vancouver – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $74.0 in Rockville, MD. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

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.

Expats usually find Vancouver gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Rockville, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.