Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John Island and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,684 a month against $6,201 in Saint John Island, rent and utilities included – about $42,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

297

Cost of Living Index in Saint John Island
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Saint John Island Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Saint John Island

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$6,201

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $6,201 in Saint John Island versus $2,684 in Vancouver.

Saint John Island $6,201
Vancouver $2,684

Estimated couple costs with rent: $8,382 in Saint John Island versus $3,878 in Vancouver.

Saint John Island $8,382
Vancouver $3,878

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $10.6K in Saint John Island versus $5,072 in Vancouver.

Saint John Island $10.6K
Vancouver $5,072

Living in Saint John Island is roughly 131% more expensive than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Saint John Island 363% above, Vancouver 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$69.9 $69.9

$17.30 CA$24.66

303.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$150 $150

$69.0 CA$98.3

117.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.14 $15.14

$10.56 CA$15.05

43.37%

Cappuccino

$9.16 $9.16

$3.89 CA$5.54

135.48%

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

$3.41 $3.41

$2.05 CA$2.93

66.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.62 CA$2.31

114.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.13 $5.13

$5.54 CA$7.90

-7.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.87 $6.87

$6.33 CA$9.02

8.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.31 CA$3.30

36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$7.96 $7.96

$2.50 CA$3.56

218.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$12.02 $12.02

$4.44 CA$6.33

170.72%

Eggs

$12.07 $12.07

$4.07 CA$5.80

196.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$32.43 $32.43

$11.28 CA$16.08

187.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$33.00 $33.00

$13.42 CA$19.13

145.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.11 $24.11

$20.10 CA$28.65

19.95%

Apples (1kg)

$21.82 $21.82

$4.06 CA$5.78

437.44%

Banana (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$1.33 CA$1.90

193.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$17.29 $17.29

$3.91 CA$5.57

342.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$11.89 $11.89

$4.05 CA$5.78

193.58%

Potato (1kg)

$7.74 $7.74

$2.72 CA$3.88

184.56%

Onion (1kg)

$7.86 $7.86

$2.89 CA$4.12

171.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.53 CA$3.61

95.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.62 CA$2.31

119.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.86 $8.86

$15.57 CA$22.19

-43.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.36 $23.36

$14.05 CA$20.03

66.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.69 CA$3.83

70.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.99 CA$4.26

106.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$7.15 $7.15

$2.44 CA$3.48

193.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$149 $149

$83.4 CA$119

78.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$30.31 $30.31

$2.71 CA$3.87

1018.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 CA$2.24

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.2 $50.2

$31.39 CA$44.75

60.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.38 CA$1.96

13.04%

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

$47.1K $47.1K

$28.1K CA$40.0K

67.92%

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

$52.2K $52.2K

$19.8K CA$28.2K

163.55%

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

$297 $297

$81.2 CA$116

265.51%

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

$98.4 $98.4

$37.45 CA$53.4

162.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$101 $101

$51.4 CA$73.2

97.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.47 CA$62.0

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 CA$17.86

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 CA$17.88

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

$1,094 CA$1,560

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K CA$28.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 $80.4

$57.0 CA$81.3

40.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.69 $49.69

$32.73 CA$46.66

51.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 $84.9

$92.6 CA$132

-8.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 $100

$94.2 CA$134

6.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,020 $4,020

$1,745 CA$2,488

130.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,511 $3,511

$1,484 CA$2,115

136.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,081 $5,081

$2,998 CA$4,273

69.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,566 $4,566

$2,422 CA$3,453

88.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,002 CA$11.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,457 CA$9,204

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,412 $4,412

$3,799 CA$5,416

16.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

63.55%

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

Last update for Saint John Island: 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

Saint John Island

$3.5K 57.3%

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6% 57.7% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Saint John Island

$987 16.1%

Vancouver

$399 15.2% 59.6% $588

Eating Out

Saint John Island

$781 12.8%

Vancouver

$272 10.4% 65.2% $509

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint John Island

$496 8.1%

Vancouver

$170 6.5% 65.8% $326

Getting Around

Saint John Island

$208 * 3.4%

Vancouver

$104 4% 50% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Saint John Island

$142 2.3%

Vancouver

$124 4.8% 12.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Saint John Island

- * 0%

Vancouver

$69 2.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $4,020 in Saint John Island and $1,745 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint John Island pays 16% 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: $150 in Saint John Island vs $69.0 in Vancouver for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $987 vs $399 per month, with Vancouver cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇮 Saint John Island

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

08:28 8:28 AM

05:28 5:28 AM

3 h behind Saint John Island

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,170

631,486

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Saint John Island Vancouver 6,200 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint John Island
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

Saint John Island vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver wins on cost – living expenses run 131% lower than in Saint John Island. 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 16% higher in Saint John Island, 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: $4,020 in Saint John Island versus $1,745 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 147% higher in Saint John Island. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $6,201 per month in Saint John Island versus $2,684 in Vancouver – a 131% 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.

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.

Safety-wise, Saint John Island and Vancouver are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Vancouver gentler on the wallet – expenses run 131% less than in Saint John Island. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.