Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Thomas and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Thomas: $2,432 a month against $2,626 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in St. Thomas
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St. Thomas Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,432

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,432 in St. Thomas versus $2,626 in Vancouver.

St. Thomas $2,432
Vancouver $2,626

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in St. Thomas versus $3,841 in Vancouver.

St. Thomas $3,274
Vancouver $3,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,117 in St. Thomas versus $5,056 in Vancouver.

St. Thomas $4,117
Vancouver $5,056

Living in St. Thomas costs roughly 7% less than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: St. Thomas 80% above, Vancouver 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.05 CA$29.92

$17.19 CA$24.43

22.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 CA$89.0

$69.1 CA$98.1

-9.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.38 CA$16.18

$10.61 CA$15.08

7.26%

Cappuccino

$3.32 CA$4.71

$3.83 CA$5.45

-13.32%

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

$2.19 CA$3.12

$2.04 CA$2.90

7.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$1.65 CA$2.35

-3.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 CA$7.14

$5.54 CA$7.87

-9.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 CA$8.37

$6.20 CA$8.82

-5.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 CA$2.96

$2.14 CA$3.04

-2.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 CA$3.70

$2.51 CA$3.56

3.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.73 CA$5.30

$4.49 CA$6.38

-16.93%

Eggs

$3.09 CA$4.39

$4.09 CA$5.81

-24.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 CA$14.13

$11.73 CA$16.67

-15.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.43 CA$21.92

$13.11 CA$18.64

17.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.20 CA$27.29

$19.50 CA$27.72

-1.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.49

$4.00 CA$5.68

-3.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 CA$1.76

$1.38 CA$1.96

-10.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 CA$4.97

$3.88 CA$5.51

-10.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 CA$5.64

$3.95 CA$5.61

0.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 CA$4.78

$2.72 CA$3.87

23.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.36

$2.86 CA$4.07

7.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 CA$4.06

$2.46 CA$3.50

15.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 CA$2.07

$1.56 CA$2.22

-6.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 CA$15.61

$15.48 CA$22.00

-29.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 CA$18.10

$13.75 CA$19.55

-7.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 CA$3.41

$2.63 CA$3.74

-8.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 CA$3.95

$2.89 CA$4.11

-3.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 CA$3.20

$2.48 CA$3.52

-9.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.7 CA$83.4

$83.0 CA$118

-29.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 CA$3.27

$2.72 CA$3.87

-15.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 CA$2.30

$1.58 CA$2.25

2.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.70 CA$30.85

$31.05 CA$44.13

-30.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.60

$1.37 CA$1.95

-17.52%

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

$28.0K CA$39.8K

$27.7K CA$39.3K

1.36%

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

$19.7K CA$28.0K

$19.6K CA$27.9K

0.35%

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

$123 CA$175

$82.5 CA$117

49.59%

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

$42.76 CA$60.8

$37.26 CA$53.0

14.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 CA$78.8

$51.7 CA$73.5

7.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.43 CA$63.1

$42.87 CA$60.9

3.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.32 CA$28.87

$12.40 CA$17.62

63.87%

Cinema Ticket

$10.33 CA$14.69

$12.13 CA$17.24

-14.84%

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

$399 CA$567

$1,102 CA$1,566

-63.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K CA$23.7K

$19.8K CA$28.2K

-16.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$76.1

$56.4 CA$80.2

-5.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.84 CA$50.9

$33.43 CA$47.51

7.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 CA$117

$93.9 CA$133

-12.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 CA$129

$93.8 CA$133

-3.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 CA$1,631

$1,775 CA$2,522

-35.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 CA$1,801

$1,497 CA$2,127

-15.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 CA$2,550

$3,082 CA$4,380

-41.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 CA$2,089

$2,416 CA$3,434

-39.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,187 CA$5,951

$8,069 CA$11.5K

-48.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,561 CA$5,061

$6,449 CA$9,167

-44.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,970 CA$4,221

$3,776 CA$5,367

-21.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

4.28

16.59%

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

Last update for St. Thomas: October 11, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Thomas

$1.3K 52.1%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57% 18.1% $229

Groceries & Markets

St. Thomas

$387 15.9%

Vancouver

$392 14.9% 1.3% $5

Eating Out

St. Thomas

$294 12.1%

Vancouver

$270 10.3% 8.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Thomas

$222 9.1%

Vancouver

$171 6.5% 22.6% $50

Clothing & Footwear

St. Thomas

$118 4.9%

Vancouver

$125 4.8% 5.8% $6.9

Getting Around

St. Thomas

$78 3.2%

Vancouver

$104 3.9% 32.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

St. Thomas

$65 2.7%

Vancouver

$67 2.6% 3.1% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,148 in St. Thomas and $1,775 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 27% 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: $63.0 in St. Thomas vs $69.0 in Vancouver for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $387 vs $392 per month, with St. Thomas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

21:30 9:30 PM

18:30 6:30 PM

3 h behind St. Thomas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,909

631,486

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

St. Thomas Vancouver 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

St. Thomas
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

St. Thomas vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. Thomas and Vancouver differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,432 vs $2,626 including rent). St. Thomas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% 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: $1,148 in St. Thomas versus $1,775 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $399 in St. Thomas 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 1% higher in Vancouver. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,432 in St. Thomas versus $2,626 in Vancouver, a $3,000 budget is realistic in St. Thomas but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes St. Thomas 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 St. Thomas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.