Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough, Canada and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Scarborough: $2,561 a month against $2,725 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,561 per month in Scarborough vs $2,725 in Vancouver, rent included.

Scarborough $2,561
Vancouver $2,725

A couple spends around $3,474 per month in Scarborough vs $4,039 in Vancouver, rent included.

Scarborough $3,474
Vancouver $4,039

A family of three spends $4,388 per month in Scarborough vs $5,352 in Vancouver, rent included.

Scarborough $4,388
Vancouver $5,352

Scarborough is about 6% cheaper than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Scarborough and Vancouver sit above the global median – Scarborough by 88%, Vancouver by 100%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.32 CA$24.20

$17.65 CA$24.66

-1.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$98.3

$72.4 CA$101

-2.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.89 CA$15.21

$10.84 CA$15.14

0.46%

Cappuccino

$3.99 CA$5.57

$3.91 CA$5.47

2.05%

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

$2.03 CA$2.84

$2.10 CA$2.94

-3.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.05

$1.64 CA$2.29

-10.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.55 CA$9.15

$5.74 CA$8.02

14.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 CA$10.18

$6.36 CA$8.89

14.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.51 CA$3.51

$2.21 CA$3.09

13.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 CA$3.68

$2.64 CA$3.69

-0.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 CA$3.18

$4.68 CA$6.53

-51.28%

Eggs

$3.64 CA$5.09

$4.24 CA$5.92

-14.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.14 CA$12.77

$11.92 CA$16.66

-23.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 CA$15.98

$13.12 CA$18.33

-12.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 CA$18.11

$20.40 CA$28.50

-36.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 CA$4.79

$4.10 CA$5.73

-16.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.69

$1.38 CA$1.92

-12.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 CA$4.67

$3.83 CA$5.35

-12.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 CA$5.82

$3.92 CA$5.47

6.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.37

$2.77 CA$3.88

-38.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 CA$2.35

$2.84 CA$3.96

-40.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CA$3.08

$2.60 CA$3.63

-15.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.76

$1.59 CA$2.22

-20.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.56

$15.87 CA$22.17

-11.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.58 CA$17.58

$14.00 CA$19.55

-10.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 CA$3.06

$2.57 CA$3.59

-14.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 CA$3.57

$3.01 CA$4.21

-15.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 CA$3.35

$2.55 CA$3.57

-5.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CA$147

$84.1 CA$118

24.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.28

$2.67 CA$3.73

14.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 CA$1.79

$1.58 CA$2.21

-18.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.52 CA$31.46

$32.19 CA$44.97

-30.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.75

$1.45 CA$2.03

-13.79%

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

$26.1K CA$36.5K

$27.5K CA$38.4K

-4.89%

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

$21.7K CA$30.4K

$21.3K CA$29.8K

1.87%

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

$137 CA$192

$82.5 CA$115

66.55%

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

$35.21 CA$49.20

$37.46 CA$52.3

-6.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.56 CA$67.8

$51.7 CA$72.2

-6.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 CA$50.1

$40.52 CA$56.6

-11.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.96 CA$50.2

$12.69 CA$17.73

183.37%

Cinema Ticket

$12.95 CA$18.10

$12.66 CA$17.69

2.29%

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

$749 CA$1,047

$1,080 CA$1,508

-30.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CA$15.1K

$20.1K CA$28.1K

-46.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 CA$74.6

$58.5 CA$81.7

-8.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.94 CA$57.2

$34.10 CA$47.64

20.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 CA$119

$96.9 CA$135

-12.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$147

$97.4 CA$136

7.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,744 CA$2,437

$1,813 CA$2,533

-3.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,415 CA$1,977

$1,576 CA$2,201

-10.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,122 CA$2,965

$3,217 CA$4,494

-34.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,758 CA$2,456

$2,651 CA$3,704

-33.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,770 CA$10.9K

$8,590 CA$12.0K

-9.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,085 CA$8,501

$6,649 CA$9,289

-8.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,980 CA$4,163

$3,733 CA$5,215

-20.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

4.28

6.31%

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

Last update for Scarborough: October 26, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scarborough

$1.4K 55.3%

Vancouver

$1.6K 57.8% 11.4% $161

Groceries & Markets

Scarborough

$331 12.9%

Vancouver

$401 14.7% 21.2% $70

Eating Out

Scarborough

$280 11%

Vancouver

$277 10.2% 1.2% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scarborough

$221 8.6%

Vancouver

$172 6.3% 22.4% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Scarborough

$128 5%

Vancouver

$129 4.7% 0.9% $1.1

Getting Around

Scarborough

$124 4.8%

Vancouver

$105 3.9% 15.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Scarborough

$62 2.4%

Vancouver

$66 2.4% 6.6% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,744 in Scarborough versus $1,813 in Vancouver. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 25% higher in Vancouver. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Scarborough versus $72 in Vancouver. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $331 vs $401 – making Scarborough the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

06:40 6:40 AM

04:40 4:40 AM

2 h behind Scarborough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,960

631,486

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Scarborough Vancouver 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Scarborough
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

Scarborough vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Vancouver is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,841 per month in Scarborough and $4,087 in Vancouver. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,744 in Scarborough and $1,813 in Vancouver. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 20% less in Vancouver. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $749 per month in Scarborough and $1,080 in Vancouver. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,561 in Scarborough and $2,725 in Vancouver. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Scarborough – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Scarborough. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vancouver makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.