Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saguenay and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Saguenay: $1,386 a month against $2,626 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Saguenay
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Saguenay Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Saguenay

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,386

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,386 in Saguenay versus $2,626 in Vancouver.

Saguenay $1,386
Vancouver $2,626

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,232 in Saguenay versus $3,841 in Vancouver.

Saguenay $2,232
Vancouver $3,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,078 in Saguenay versus $5,056 in Vancouver.

Saguenay $3,078
Vancouver $5,056

Living in Saguenay costs roughly 47% less than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Saguenay 3% above, Vancouver 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.93 CA$21.11

$17.19 CA$24.30

-13.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.47 CA$58.6

$69.1 CA$97.6

-39.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.97 CA$15.50

$10.61 CA$15.00

3.39%

Cappuccino

$3.64 CA$5.15

$3.83 CA$5.42

-4.96%

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

$1.47 CA$2.08

$2.04 CA$2.88

-27.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 CA$1.69

$1.65 CA$2.34

-27.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.33 CA$7.53

$5.54 CA$7.83

-3.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.21 CA$7.37

$6.20 CA$8.77

-15.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 CA$2.98

$2.14 CA$3.02

-1.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$2.51 CA$3.54

11.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.07 CA$5.75

$4.49 CA$6.35

-9.35%

Eggs

$2.74 CA$3.88

$4.09 CA$5.78

-33.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.71 CA$12.32

$11.73 CA$16.58

-25.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.11 CA$10.06

$13.11 CA$18.54

-45.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.34 CA$14.61

$19.50 CA$27.57

-46.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.23 CA$5.98

$4.00 CA$5.65

5.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.95

$1.38 CA$1.94

Oranges (1kg)

$3.73 CA$5.27

$3.88 CA$5.48

-3.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 CA$5.64

$3.95 CA$5.58

1.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 CA$4.11

$2.72 CA$3.85

6.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 CA$3.91

$2.86 CA$4.05

-3.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 CA$3.55

$2.46 CA$3.48

2.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 CA$1.11

$1.56 CA$2.21

-49.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.10 CA$17.11

$15.48 CA$21.88

-21.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.01 CA$15.56

$13.75 CA$19.44

-19.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 CA$4.38

$2.63 CA$3.72

17.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$2.89 CA$4.09

11.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 CA$3.64

$2.48 CA$3.51

3.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.7 CA$78.8

$83.0 CA$117

-32.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 CA$3.94

$2.72 CA$3.85

2.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$1.58 CA$2.24

-6.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.85 CA$37.96

$31.05 CA$43.89

-13.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.67

$1.37 CA$1.94

-13.87%

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

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$27.7K CA$39.1K

-0.17%

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

$19.2K CA$27.2K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

-2.09%

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

$62.2 CA$87.9

$82.5 CA$117

-24.60%

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

$31.75 CA$44.88

$37.26 CA$52.7

-14.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.05 CA$63.7

$51.7 CA$73.1

-12.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.65 CA$34.85

$42.87 CA$60.6

-42.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.94 CA$26.77

$12.40 CA$17.53

52.74%

Cinema Ticket

$9.03 CA$12.77

$12.13 CA$17.15

-25.56%

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

$688 CA$973

$1,102 CA$1,557

-37.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,989 CA$12.7K

$19.8K CA$28.0K

-54.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 CA$78.5

$56.4 CA$79.7

-1.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.41 CA$48.65

$33.43 CA$47.26

2.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 CA$118

$93.9 CA$133

-11.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$93.8 CA$133

13.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 CA$866

$1,775 CA$2,509

-65.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 CA$632

$1,497 CA$2,116

-70.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 CA$1,677

$3,082 CA$4,357

-61.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$962 CA$1,360

$2,416 CA$3,416

-60.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,677 CA$8,026

$8,069 CA$11.4K

-29.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,370 CA$4,764

$6,449 CA$9,118

-47.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,555 CA$3,612

$3,776 CA$5,339

-32.35%

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 Saguenay: October 12, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saguenay

$447 32.3%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57% 235% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Saguenay

$311 22.5%

Vancouver

$392 14.9% 26.2% $81

Eating Out

Saguenay

$244 17.6%

Vancouver

$270 10.3% 10.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saguenay

$139 10%

Vancouver

$171 6.5% 23.4% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Saguenay

$126 9.1%

Vancouver

$125 4.8% 0.8% $1

Getting Around

Saguenay

$76 5.5%

Vancouver

$104 3.9% 36% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Saguenay

$43 3.1%

Vancouver

$67 2.6% 57.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $612 in Saguenay and $1,775 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 48% 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: $41.00 in Saguenay vs $69.0 in Vancouver for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $311 vs $392 per month, with Saguenay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Saguenay

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

13:12 1:12 PM

10:12 10:12 AM

3 h behind Saguenay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

144,723

631,486

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Saguenay Vancouver 3,730 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Saguenay
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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

Saguenay vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saguenay and Vancouver differ by about 90% in total monthly costs ($1,386 vs $2,626 including rent). Saguenay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Vancouver. 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: $612 in Saguenay versus $1,775 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $688 in Saguenay versus $1,102 in Vancouver. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Vancouver. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,386 in Saguenay versus $2,626 in Vancouver, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Saguenay but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Saguenay the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Saguenay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 90% less than in Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.