Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valdez, AK and Vancouver

For one person, living costs are similar in Valdez, AK and in Vancouver: $2,724 and $2,684 a month, rent and utilities included.

133

Cost of Living Index in Valdez, AK
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Valdez, AK Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Valdez, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$2,724

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,724 in Valdez, AK versus $2,684 in Vancouver.

Valdez, AK $2,724
Vancouver $2,684

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,067 in Valdez, AK versus $3,878 in Vancouver.

Valdez, AK $4,067
Vancouver $3,878

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,410 in Valdez, AK versus $5,072 in Vancouver.

Valdez, AK $5,410
Vancouver $5,072

Living in Valdez, AK is roughly 1% more expensive than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Valdez, AK 103% above, Vancouver 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.01 $24.01

$17.30 CA$24.66

38.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$69.0 CA$98.3

47.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.75 $19.75

$10.56 CA$15.05

87.03%

Cappuccino

$4.16 $4.16

$3.89 CA$5.54

6.94%

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

$2.49 $2.49

$2.05 CA$2.93

21.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.62 CA$2.31

37.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.93 $6.93

$5.54 CA$7.90

25.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.13 $9.13

$6.33 CA$9.02

44.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.31 CA$3.30

-55.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.50 CA$3.56

42.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$4.44 CA$6.33

-1.58%

Eggs

$4.27 $4.27

$4.07 CA$5.80

4.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 $12.61

$11.28 CA$16.08

11.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.38 $11.38

$13.42 CA$19.13

-15.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.77 $16.77

$20.10 CA$28.65

-16.57%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$4.06 CA$5.78

23.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.33 CA$1.90

22.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$3.91 CA$5.57

7.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$4.05 CA$5.78

16.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.72 CA$3.88

5.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.89 CA$4.12

1.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.53 CA$3.61

-13.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.62 CA$2.31

40.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.11 $10.11

$15.57 CA$22.19

-35.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.95 $14.95

$14.05 CA$20.03

6.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.69 CA$3.83

-24.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.99 CA$4.26

13.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.44 CA$3.48

-16.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 CA$119

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.71 CA$3.87

34.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.57 CA$2.24

2.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.73 $27.73

$31.39 CA$44.75

-11.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.38 CA$1.96

-2.90%

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

$34.6K $34.6K

$28.1K CA$40.0K

23.31%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$19.8K CA$28.2K

27.22%

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

$309 $309

$81.2 CA$116

280.22%

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

$57.8 $57.8

$37.45 CA$53.4

54.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$97.8 $97.8

$51.4 CA$73.2

90.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.96 $41.96

$43.47 CA$62.0

-3.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 CA$17.86

Cinema Ticket

$14.07 $14.07

$12.54 CA$17.88

12.20%

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

$1,567 $1,567

$1,094 CA$1,560

43.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K $23.1K

$19.9K CA$28.4K

15.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 $57.6

$57.0 CA$81.3

0.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.87 $35.87

$32.73 CA$46.66

9.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 $92.0

$92.6 CA$132

-0.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$94.2 CA$134

35.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 $1,580

$1,745 CA$2,488

-9.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,307 $1,307

$1,484 CA$2,115

-11.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,688 $2,688

$2,998 CA$4,273

-10.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,432 $2,432

$2,422 CA$3,453

0.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,351 $2,351

$8,002 CA$11.4K

-70.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,178 $2,178

$6,457 CA$9,204

-66.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,523 $7,523

$3,799 CA$5,416

98.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

4.28

53.50%

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

Last update for Valdez, AK: October 5, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Valdez, AK

$1.3K 47.1%

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6% 13.6% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valdez, AK

$464 16.7%

Vancouver

$170 6.5% 63.4% $294

Groceries & Markets

Valdez, AK

$398 14.4%

Vancouver

$399 15.2% 0.2% $0.8

Eating Out

Valdez, AK

$373 13.5%

Vancouver

$272 10.4% 27.1% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Valdez, AK

$141 5.1%

Vancouver

$124 4.8% 11.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Valdez, AK

$70 2.5%

Vancouver

$69 2.6% 2.2% $1.5

Getting Around

Valdez, AK

$20 * 0.7%

Vancouver

$104 4% 422% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,580 in Valdez, AK and $1,745 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Valdez, AK pays 98% 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: $102 in Valdez, AK vs $69.0 in Vancouver. Groceries flip the comparison at $398 vs $399, with Valdez, AK cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Valdez, AK

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

00:45 12:45 AM

01:45 1:45 AM

1 h ahead of Valdez, AK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,000

631,486

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Valdez, AK Vancouver 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Valdez, AK
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

Valdez, AK vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and clothing. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 98% higher in Valdez, AK, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,580 in Valdez, AK versus $1,745 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Valdez, AK pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,724 per month in Valdez, AK versus $2,684 in Vancouver – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Vancouver is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Valdez, AK and Vancouver are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Vancouver gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Valdez, AK. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.