Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sault Ste. Marie and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Sault Ste. Marie: $2,059 a month against $2,662 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Sault Ste. Marie
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Sault Ste. Marie Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Sault Ste. Marie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,662

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,059 in Sault Ste. Marie versus $2,662 in Vancouver.

Sault Ste. Marie $2,059
Vancouver $2,662

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,008 in Sault Ste. Marie versus $3,916 in Vancouver.

Sault Ste. Marie $3,008
Vancouver $3,916

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,956 in Sault Ste. Marie versus $5,170 in Vancouver.

Sault Ste. Marie $3,956
Vancouver $5,170

Living in Sault Ste. Marie costs roughly 23% less than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sault Ste. Marie 52% above, Vancouver 96% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.17 CA$24.28

$18.01 CA$25.46

-4.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 CA$99.8

$71.0 CA$100

-0.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.23 CA$14.46

$10.83 CA$15.31

-5.54%

Cappuccino

$3.47 CA$4.90

$3.94 CA$5.56

-11.93%

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

$1.64 CA$2.32

$2.13 CA$3.01

-23.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$1.66 CA$2.34

-18.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.68 CA$6.62

$5.73 CA$8.10

-18.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 CA$7.07

$6.40 CA$9.04

-21.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 CA$3.43

$2.15 CA$3.04

12.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 CA$3.02

$2.55 CA$3.61

-16.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CA$4.63

$4.56 CA$6.45

-28.29%

Eggs

$2.98 CA$4.22

$4.06 CA$5.74

-26.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.32 CA$11.76

$12.14 CA$17.17

-31.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.97 CA$14.10

$13.23 CA$18.71

-24.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.51 CA$14.86

$20.24 CA$28.62

-48.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$4.05 CA$5.73

-22.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 CA$1.40

$1.42 CA$2.00

-30.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$3.97 CA$5.62

-22.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 CA$5.01

$3.91 CA$5.53

-9.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 CA$2.79

$2.64 CA$3.74

-25.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.39

$2.82 CA$3.98

-40.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 CA$3.92

$2.48 CA$3.51

11.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 CA$1.79

$1.59 CA$2.24

-20.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.75 CA$22.26

$15.30 CA$21.64

2.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.67 CA$15.08

$14.32 CA$20.24

-25.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 CA$2.60

$2.57 CA$3.63

-28.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 CA$3.23

$2.91 CA$4.12

-21.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 CA$3.16

$2.55 CA$3.60

-12.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.5 CA$81.2

$84.6 CA$120

-32.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$2.64 CA$3.73

31.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 CA$3.26

$1.63 CA$2.31

41.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.97 CA$32.47

$31.77 CA$44.91

-27.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 CA$1.52

$1.42 CA$2.01

-23.94%

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

$26.5K CA$37.5K

$27.1K CA$38.3K

-2.27%

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

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$21.6K CA$30.5K

-6.21%

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

$174 CA$246

$81.3 CA$115

114.21%

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

$44.36 CA$62.7

$37.20 CA$52.6

19.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.7 CA$108

$52.6 CA$74.4

45.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 CA$71.0

$44.34 CA$62.7

13.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.62 CA$24.90

$12.37 CA$17.49

42.44%

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 CA$15.80

$12.62 CA$17.85

-11.41%

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

$1,093 CA$1,544

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,984 CA$7,046

$20.0K CA$28.2K

-75.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.63 CA$64.5

$58.5 CA$82.7

-21.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.58 CA$50.3

$33.35 CA$47.14

6.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.8 CA$106

$96.3 CA$136

-22.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 CA$170

$95.6 CA$135

25.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$893 CA$1,262

$1,765 CA$2,495

-49.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 CA$1,316

$1,508 CA$2,132

-38.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 CA$1,873

$3,122 CA$4,414

-57.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,455 CA$2,057

$2,469 CA$3,490

-41.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,868 CA$2,640

$8,173 CA$11.6K

-77.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,432 CA$7,679

$6,354 CA$8,982

-14.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,049 CA$4,310

$3,592 CA$5,078

-15.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.53

4.28

29.21%

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

Last update for Sault Ste. Marie: October 20, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sault Ste. Marie

$931 45.2%

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.7% 62% $577

Groceries & Markets

Sault Ste. Marie

$299 14.5%

Vancouver

$399 15% 33.3% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sault Ste. Marie

$295 14.3%

Vancouver

$171 6.4% 42% $124

Eating Out

Sault Ste. Marie

$255 12.4%

Vancouver

$280 10.5% 9.9% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Sault Ste. Marie

$124 6%

Vancouver

$128 4.8% 2.7% $3.4

Getting Around

Sault Ste. Marie

$81 4%

Vancouver

$106 4% 29.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Sault Ste. Marie

$73 3.5%

Vancouver

$70 2.6% 4.2% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $893 in Sault Ste. Marie and $1,765 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 18% 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: $71.0 in Sault Ste. Marie vs $71.0 in Vancouver for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $399 per month, with Sault Ste. Marie cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Sault Ste. Marie

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

09:12 9:12 AM

06:12 6:12 AM

3 h behind Sault Ste. Marie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,368

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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Sault Ste. Marie Vancouver 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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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

Sault Ste. Marie vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sault Ste. Marie is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 29% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 18% 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: $893 in Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $71.0 in Vancouver. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Sault Ste. Marie runs roughly 47% less than in Vancouver. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,059 in Sault Ste. Marie versus $2,662 in Vancouver, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Sault Ste. Marie but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie 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.