Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Albert, AB and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Albert, AB: $1,167 a month against $2,626 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in St. Albert, AB
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St. Albert, AB Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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St. Albert, AB

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,167

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,167 per month in St. Albert, AB vs $2,626 in Vancouver, rent included.

St. Albert, AB $1,167
Vancouver $2,626

A couple spends around $2,457 per month in St. Albert, AB vs $3,841 in Vancouver, rent included.

St. Albert, AB $2,457
Vancouver $3,841

A family of three spends $3,747 per month in St. Albert, AB vs $5,056 in Vancouver, rent included.

St. Albert, AB $3,747
Vancouver $5,056

St. Albert, AB is about 56% cheaper than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

St. Albert, AB sits 14% below the global median, while Vancouver is 95% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.29 CA$27.27

$17.19 CA$24.30

12.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 CA$97.9

$69.1 CA$97.6

0.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 CA$14.00

$10.61 CA$15.00

-6.69%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.38

$3.83 CA$5.42

-0.52%

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

$2.05 CA$2.90

$2.04 CA$2.88

0.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 CA$2.82

$1.65 CA$2.34

21.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 CA$7.11

$5.54 CA$7.83

-9.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 CA$7.97

$6.20 CA$8.77

-9.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 CA$2.37

$2.14 CA$3.02

-21.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 CA$3.07

$2.51 CA$3.54

-13.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 CA$4.30

$4.49 CA$6.35

-32.29%

Eggs

$3.46 CA$4.89

$4.09 CA$5.78

-15.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.42 CA$16.14

$11.73 CA$16.58

-2.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.34 CA$16.03

$13.11 CA$18.54

-13.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.19 CA$25.71

$19.50 CA$27.57

-6.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 CA$5.96

$4.00 CA$5.65

5.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 CA$1.96

$1.38 CA$1.94

0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.29 CA$6.06

$3.88 CA$5.48

10.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 CA$5.59

$3.95 CA$5.58

0.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$2.72 CA$3.85

-3.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$2.86 CA$4.05

-7.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 CA$3.64

$2.46 CA$3.48

4.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.20

$1.56 CA$2.21

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.93 CA$19.70

$15.48 CA$21.88

-10.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 CA$16.57

$13.75 CA$19.44

-14.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.43

$2.63 CA$3.72

-7.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.89 CA$4.09

-2.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 CA$2.88

$2.48 CA$3.51

-18.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.6 CA$85.6

$83.0 CA$117

-27.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 CA$4.14

$2.72 CA$3.85

7.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 CA$1.93

$1.58 CA$2.24

-13.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.90 CA$29.54

$31.05 CA$43.89

-32.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 CA$1.56

$1.37 CA$1.94

-19.71%

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

$27.3K CA$38.6K

$27.7K CA$39.1K

-1.38%

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

$19.5K CA$27.5K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

-0.90%

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

$160 CA$227

$82.5 CA$117

94.31%

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

$38.86 CA$54.9

$37.26 CA$52.7

4.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 CA$74.4

$51.7 CA$73.1

1.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.02 CA$56.6

$42.87 CA$60.6

-6.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.40 CA$17.53

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 CA$17.90

$12.13 CA$17.15

4.37%

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

$748 CA$1,057

$1,102 CA$1,557

-32.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,306 CA$13.2K

$19.8K CA$28.0K

-53.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 CA$78.8

$56.4 CA$79.7

-1.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.02 CA$55.2

$33.43 CA$47.26

16.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.3 CA$118

$93.9 CA$133

-11.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$156

$93.8 CA$133

17.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 CA$2,509

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 CA$2,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,334 CA$1,886

$3,082 CA$4,357

-56.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,124 CA$1,589

$2,416 CA$3,416

-53.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,488 CA$3,517

$8,069 CA$11.4K

-69.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,492 CA$3,523

$6,449 CA$9,118

-61.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,157 CA$4,462

$3,776 CA$5,339

-16.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.28

5.37%

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

Last update for St. Albert, AB: October 12, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

St. Albert, AB

$360 30.8%

Vancouver

$392 14.9% 9.1% $33

Eating Out

St. Albert, AB

$282 24.2%

Vancouver

$270 10.3% 4.3% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Albert, AB

$252 21.6%

Vancouver

$171 6.5% 31.9% $80

Clothing & Footwear

St. Albert, AB

$130 11.1%

Vancouver

$125 4.8% 3.8% $4.9

Getting Around

St. Albert, AB

$78 6.7%

Vancouver

$104 3.9% 32% $25

Sport & Entertainment

St. Albert, AB

$65 5.6%

Vancouver

$67 2.6% 2.7% $1.8

Accommodation & Living

St. Albert, AB

- * 0%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 20% higher in Vancouver, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in St. Albert, AB versus $69.0 in Vancouver. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $392 – making St. Albert, AB the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St. Albert, AB

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

11:05 11:05 AM

1 h behind St. Albert, AB

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

68,232

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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St. Albert, AB Vancouver 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

St. Albert, AB
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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

St. Albert, AB vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver costs about 125% more than St. Albert, AB, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,751 per month in St. Albert, AB and $3,939 in Vancouver. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in St. Albert, AB and $69.0 in Vancouver. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,167 in St. Albert, AB and $2,626 in Vancouver. That's a gap of about 125%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in St. Albert, AB, where all-in costs run around $1,167, than in Vancouver at $2,626. In St. Albert, AB it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vancouver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward St. Albert, AB – 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 St. Albert, AB. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vancouver makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.