Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thompson and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Thompson: $1,773 a month against $2,626 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Thompson
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Thompson Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Thompson

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,773

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,773 per month in Thompson vs $2,626 in Vancouver, rent included.

Thompson $1,773
Vancouver $2,626

A couple spends around $2,709 per month in Thompson vs $3,841 in Vancouver, rent included.

Thompson $2,709
Vancouver $3,841

A family of three spends $3,645 per month in Thompson vs $5,056 in Vancouver, rent included.

Thompson $3,645
Vancouver $5,056

Thompson is about 32% cheaper than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Thompson and Vancouver sit above the global median – Thompson by 31%, Vancouver by 95%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 CA$25.32

$17.19 CA$24.55

3.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.1 CA$94.5

$69.1 CA$98.6

-4.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 CA$15.06

$10.61 CA$15.16

-0.57%

Cappuccino

$3.67 CA$5.24

$3.83 CA$5.47

-4.18%

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

$2.02 CA$2.88

$2.04 CA$2.91

-0.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.29

$1.65 CA$2.36

-3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.28 CA$7.54

$5.54 CA$7.91

-4.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 CA$8.13

$6.20 CA$8.86

-8.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 CA$2.88

$2.14 CA$3.05

-5.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 CA$3.58

$2.51 CA$3.58

-0.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 CA$4.71

$4.49 CA$6.41

-26.50%

Eggs

$3.34 CA$4.77

$4.09 CA$5.84

-18.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.66 CA$13.80

$11.73 CA$16.75

-17.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.31 CA$16.15

$13.11 CA$18.73

-13.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 CA$20.74

$19.50 CA$27.85

-25.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 CA$5.27

$4.00 CA$5.71

-7.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$2.02

$1.38 CA$1.96

2.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.69 CA$5.27

$3.88 CA$5.54

-4.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.30

$3.95 CA$5.64

-6.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 CA$3.60

$2.72 CA$3.89

-7.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 CA$3.02

$2.86 CA$4.09

-25.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 CA$3.38

$2.46 CA$3.52

-3.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.22

$1.56 CA$2.23

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.92 CA$19.88

$15.48 CA$22.11

-10.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.72 CA$18.17

$13.75 CA$19.64

-7.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 CA$3.67

$2.63 CA$3.75

-2.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 CA$4.23

$2.89 CA$4.13

2.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 CA$3.16

$2.48 CA$3.54

-10.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.4 CA$101

$83.0 CA$119

-15.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 CA$4.01

$2.72 CA$3.89

3.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.12

$1.58 CA$2.26

-6.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.84 CA$32.61

$31.05 CA$44.34

-26.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 CA$1.54

$1.37 CA$1.96

-21.17%

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

$27.2K CA$38.8K

$27.7K CA$39.5K

-1.70%

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

$19.2K CA$27.4K

$19.6K CA$28.0K

-2.14%

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

$136 CA$195

$82.5 CA$118

65.16%

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

$37.54 CA$53.6

$37.26 CA$53.2

0.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 CA$76.2

$51.7 CA$73.9

3.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.58 CA$58.0

$42.87 CA$61.2

-5.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.91 CA$24.15

$12.40 CA$17.71

36.37%

Cinema Ticket

$11.10 CA$15.85

$12.13 CA$17.33

-8.49%

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

$855 CA$1,221

$1,102 CA$1,573

-22.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K CA$20.8K

$19.8K CA$28.3K

-26.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 CA$76.8

$56.4 CA$80.6

-4.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.29 CA$54.7

$33.43 CA$47.74

14.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 CA$121

$93.9 CA$134

-9.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 CA$146

$93.8 CA$134

9.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$658 CA$940

$1,775 CA$2,534

-62.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$653 CA$932

$1,497 CA$2,137

-56.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 CA$1,550

$3,082 CA$4,401

-64.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 CA$1,583

$2,416 CA$3,451

-54.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 CA$5,726

$8,069 CA$11.5K

-50.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,759 CA$5,368

$6,449 CA$9,210

-41.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,547 CA$2,209

$3,776 CA$5,393

-59.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.66

4.28

8.88%

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

Last update for Thompson: October 12, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thompson

$653 36.8%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57% 129% $844

Groceries & Markets

Thompson

$345 19.5%

Vancouver

$392 14.9% 13.7% $47

Eating Out

Thompson

$270 15.2%

Vancouver

$270 10.3% 0.1% $0.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thompson

$227 12.8%

Vancouver

$171 6.5% 24.5% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Thompson

$126 7.1%

Vancouver

$125 4.8% 0.7% $0.9

Getting Around

Thompson

$90 5.1%

Vancouver

$104 3.9% 15.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Thompson

$63 3.5%

Vancouver

$67 2.6% 6.9% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $658 in Thompson 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 144% 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 $66.0 in Thompson versus $69.0 in Vancouver. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $392 – making Thompson the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Thompson

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

06:05 6:05 AM

2 h behind Thompson

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,829

631,486

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.7 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

1 CAD = 0.7 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Thompson Vancouver 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Thompson
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

Thompson vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver costs about 48% more than Thompson, 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 $2,660 per month in Thompson 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 Thompson, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Thompson 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 $1,773 in Thompson and $2,626 in Vancouver. That's a gap of about 48%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Thompson, where all-in costs run around $1,773, than in Vancouver at $2,626. In Thompson it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vancouver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Thompson – 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 Thompson. 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.