Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St Thomas and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,626 a month against $4,408 in St Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $21,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

213

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

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$4,408

/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.

A single person spends $4,408 per month in St Thomas vs $2,626 in Vancouver, rent included.

St Thomas $4,408
Vancouver $2,626

A couple spends around $7,220 per month in St Thomas vs $3,841 in Vancouver, rent included.

St Thomas $7,220
Vancouver $3,841

A family of three spends $10.0K per month in St Thomas vs $5,056 in Vancouver, rent included.

St Thomas $10.0K
Vancouver $5,056

St Thomas costs about 68% more than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both St Thomas and Vancouver sit above the global median – St Thomas by 227%, Vancouver by 95%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.30 $22.30

$17.19 CA$24.30

29.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$170 $170

$69.1 CA$97.6

146.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.55 $13.55

$10.61 CA$15.00

27.71%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$3.83 CA$5.42

54.05%

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

$3.95 $3.95

$2.04 CA$2.88

93.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.65 CA$2.34

105.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 $5.12

$5.54 CA$7.83

-7.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$6.20 CA$8.77

9.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.14 CA$3.02

34.58%

White Bread (500g)

$6.67 $6.67

$2.51 CA$3.54

165.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$18.54 $18.54

$4.49 CA$6.35

312.92%

Eggs

$8.87 $8.87

$4.09 CA$5.78

116.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.12 $11.12

$11.73 CA$16.58

-5.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.44 $28.44

$13.11 CA$18.54

116.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.72 $39.72

$19.50 CA$27.57

103.69%

Apples (1kg)

$11.91 $11.91

$4.00 CA$5.65

197.75%

Banana (1kg)

$10.89 $10.89

$1.38 CA$1.94

689.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$12.30 $12.30

$3.88 CA$5.48

217.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$19.99 $19.99

$3.95 CA$5.58

406.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.72 CA$3.85

-28.31%

Onion (1kg)

$8.76 $8.76

$2.86 CA$4.05

206.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$8.18 $8.18

$2.46 CA$3.48

232.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$5.39 $5.39

$1.56 CA$2.21

245.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.48 CA$21.88

Wine (Bottle)

$24.57 $24.57

$13.75 CA$19.44

78.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.72

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.18 $6.18

$2.89 CA$4.09

113.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.48 CA$3.51

-20.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 $60.7

$83.0 CA$117

-26.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.61 $19.61

$2.72 CA$3.85

620.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.58 CA$2.24

94.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.05 CA$43.89

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.37 CA$1.94

1.46%

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

$55.2K $55.2K

$27.7K CA$39.1K

99.54%

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

$49.0K $49.0K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

149.41%

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

$451 $451

$82.5 CA$117

446.50%

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

$100 $100

$37.26 CA$52.7

169.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$151 $151

$51.7 CA$73.1

192.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$164 $164

$42.87 CA$60.6

282.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.40 CA$17.53

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 $10.04

$12.13 CA$17.15

-17.23%

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

$1,487 $1,487

$1,102 CA$1,557

34.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K $21.9K

$19.8K CA$28.0K

10.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 $113

$56.4 CA$79.7

100.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$148 $148

$33.43 CA$47.26

341.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$202 $202

$93.9 CA$133

115.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 $151

$93.8 CA$133

61.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 $1,586

$1,775 CA$2,509

-10.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,827 $1,827

$1,497 CA$2,116

22.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,187 $3,187

$3,082 CA$4,357

3.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,229 $4,229

$2,416 CA$3,416

75.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,896 $4,896

$8,069 CA$11.4K

-39.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.9K $10.9K

$6,449 CA$9,118

68.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,726 $2,726

$3,776 CA$5,339

-27.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

4.28

120.79%

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

$1.8K 41.5%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57% 18.1% $330

Groceries & Markets

St Thomas

$956 * 21.7%

Vancouver

$392 14.9% 59% $564

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St Thomas

$702 15.9%

Vancouver

$171 6.5% 75.6% $531

Eating Out

St Thomas

$358 8.1%

Vancouver

$270 10.3% 24.6% $88

Clothing & Footwear

St Thomas

$276 6.3%

Vancouver

$125 4.8% 54.8% $152

Sport & Entertainment

St Thomas

$184 4.2%

Vancouver

$67 2.6% 63.5% $117

Getting Around

St Thomas

$104 2.4%

Vancouver

$104 3.9% 0.1% $0.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,586 in St Thomas versus $1,775 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 39% higher in Vancouver, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $170 in St Thomas versus $69.0 in Vancouver. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $956 vs $392 – making Vancouver the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇮 St Thomas

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

12:37 12:37 PM

09:37 9:37 AM

3 h behind St Thomas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,000

631,486

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

St Thomas Vancouver 6,180 km ≈ 8 h 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

Monthly costs with rent: $4,408 in St Thomas, $2,626 in Vancouver – roughly 68% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,612 per month in St Thomas and $3,939 in Vancouver. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vancouver, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Vancouver. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,487 per month in St Thomas and $1,102 in Vancouver. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,408 in St Thomas and $2,626 in Vancouver. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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