Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Acton, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,684 a month against $3,160 in Acton, MA, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Acton, MA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
154

Cost of Living Index in Acton, MA
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Acton, MA Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

Acton, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,160

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Acton, MA

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Vancouver and in Acton, MA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,684 per month in Vancouver vs $3,160 in Acton, MA, rent included.

Vancouver $2,684
Acton, MA $3,160

A couple spends around $3,878 per month in Vancouver vs $4,763 in Acton, MA, rent included.

Vancouver $3,878
Acton, MA $4,763

A family of three spends $5,072 per month in Vancouver vs $6,366 in Acton, MA, rent included.

Vancouver $5,072
Acton, MA $6,366

Vancouver is about 15% cheaper than Acton, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Vancouver and Acton, MA sit above the global median – Vancouver by 100%, Acton, MA by 136%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 CA$24.66

$17.95 $17.95

-3.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 CA$98.3

$97.4 $97.4

-29.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.05

$13.55 $13.55

-22.07%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.54

$5.51 $5.51

-29.40%

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

$2.05 CA$2.93

$2.83 $2.83

-27.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$2.68 $2.68

-39.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.90

$5.07 $5.07

9.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 CA$9.02

$7.87 $7.87

-19.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.30

$0.96 $0.96

140.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 CA$3.56

$2.40 $2.40

4.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 CA$6.33

$5.34 $5.34

-16.85%

Eggs

$4.07 CA$5.80

$4.75 $4.75

-14.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 CA$16.08

$11.39 $11.39

-0.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.42 CA$19.13

$14.17 $14.17

-5.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.10 CA$28.65

$17.70 $17.70

13.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.78

$4.25 $4.25

-4.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.90

$1.73 $1.73

-23.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.57

$2.94 $2.94

32.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.78

$3.93 $3.93

3.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.88

$1.93 $1.93

40.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 CA$4.12

$2.83 $2.83

2.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 CA$3.61

$1.94 $1.94

30.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.57 CA$22.19

$13.19 $13.19

18.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 CA$20.03

$9.10 $9.10

54.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CA$3.83

$2.06 $2.06

30.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 CA$4.26

$4.15 $4.15

-27.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.48

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 CA$119

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 CA$3.87

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 CA$2.24

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.39 CA$44.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CA$1.96

$0.90 $0.90

53.33%

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

$28.1K CA$40.0K

$37.4K $37.4K

-24.99%

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

$19.8K CA$28.2K

$26.4K $26.4K

-24.97%

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

$81.2 CA$116

$317 $317

-74.37%

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

$37.45 CA$53.4

$61.6 $61.6

-39.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 CA$73.2

$73.7 $73.7

-30.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.47 CA$62.0

$25.04 $25.04

73.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 CA$17.86

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 CA$17.88

$13.14 $13.14

-4.57%

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

$1,094 CA$1,560

$1,836 $1,836

-40.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K CA$28.4K

$30.1K $30.1K

-33.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 CA$81.3

$56.2 $56.2

1.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 CA$46.66

$38.84 $38.84

-15.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 CA$132

$79.7 $79.7

16.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 CA$134

$99.2 $99.2

-5.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 CA$2,488

$2,657 $2,657

-34.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 CA$2,115

$1,890 $1,890

-21.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,998 CA$4,273

$2,852 $2,852

5.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,422 CA$3,453

$3,608 $3,608

-32.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,002 CA$11.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,457 CA$9,204

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,799 CA$5,416

$8,839 $8,839

-57.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

6.64

-35.54%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 3, 2026

Last update for Acton, MA: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6%

Acton, MA

$1.9K 59.4% 27.4% $407

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$399 15.2%

Acton, MA

$351 * 11% 11.9% $48

Eating Out

Vancouver

$272 10.4%

Acton, MA

$313 9.9% 15.3% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$170 6.5%

Acton, MA

$452 14.2% 166% $282

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.8%

Acton, MA

$123 3.9% 0.9% $1.2

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 4%

Acton, MA

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$69 2.6%

Acton, MA

$51 1.6% 25.1% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,745 in Vancouver versus $2,657 in Acton, MA. 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 133% higher in Acton, MA, 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 Vancouver versus $97.0 in Acton, MA. Groceries tell a different story – $399 in Vancouver vs $351 in Acton, MA – so Acton, MA wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇺🇸 Acton, MA

🕒 Local time

19:50 7:50 PM

22:50 10:50 PM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

7,596

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vancouver Acton, MA 3,990 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Acton, MA

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

Vancouver vs Acton, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Acton, MA costs about 18% more than Vancouver, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,026 per month in Vancouver and $4,741 in Acton, MA. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,684 in Vancouver and $3,160 in Acton, MA. That's a gap of about 18%.

Kindergarten costs $1,094 per month in Vancouver and $1,836 in Acton, MA. 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 $2,684 in Vancouver and $3,160 in Acton, MA. 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Vancouver. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Acton, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.