Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Amherst, NY

For one person, living costs are similar in Vancouver and in Amherst, NY: $2,626 and $2,595 a month, rent and utilities included.

129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Amherst, NY
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Amherst, NY Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Amherst, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,595

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Amherst, NY

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 Amherst, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,626 per month in Vancouver vs $2,595 in Amherst, NY, rent included.

Vancouver $2,626
Amherst, NY $2,595

A couple spends around $3,841 per month in Vancouver vs $3,768 in Amherst, NY, rent included.

Vancouver $3,841
Amherst, NY $3,768

A family of three spends $5,056 per month in Vancouver vs $4,940 in Amherst, NY, rent included.

Vancouver $5,056
Amherst, NY $4,940

Vancouver costs about 1% more than Amherst, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Vancouver and Amherst, NY sit above the global median – Vancouver by 95%, Amherst, NY by 92%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.19 CA$24.30

$18.34 $18.34

-6.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.6

$75.8 $75.8

-8.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 CA$15.00

$12.21 $12.21

-13.10%

Cappuccino

$3.83 CA$5.42

$5.97 $5.97

-35.85%

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

$2.04 CA$2.88

$2.64 $2.64

-22.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 CA$2.34

$2.07 $2.07

-20.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.83

$7.05 $7.05

-21.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 CA$8.77

$7.67 $7.67

-19.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CA$3.02

$0.96 $0.96

122.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 CA$3.54

$3.31 $3.31

-24.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.49 CA$6.35

$4.35 $4.35

3.22%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.78

$4.09 $4.09

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 CA$16.58

$11.17 $11.17

5.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 CA$18.54

$10.08 $10.08

30.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.50 CA$27.57

$16.07 $16.07

21.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$4.91 $4.91

-18.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.94

$1.37 $1.37

0.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.48

$4.62 $4.62

-16.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.58

$5.20 $5.20

-24.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.69 $2.69

1.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.05

$3.02 $3.02

-5.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$2.41 $2.41

2.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$2.41 $2.41

-35.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.48 CA$21.88

$14.28 $14.28

8.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.75 CA$19.44

$15.07 $15.07

-8.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$2.05 $2.05

28.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 CA$4.09

$4.11 $4.11

-29.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$2.04 $2.04

21.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.0 CA$117

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$3.77 $3.77

-27.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.24

$2.18 $2.18

-27.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.05 CA$43.89

$30.49 $30.49

1.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$1.11 $1.11

23.42%

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

$27.7K CA$39.1K

$34.8K $34.8K

-20.58%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$25.3K $25.3K

-22.48%

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

$82.5 CA$117

$230 $230

-64.19%

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

$37.26 CA$52.7

$51.5 $51.5

-27.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$73.1

$67.4 $67.4

-23.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.87 CA$60.6

$40.68 $40.68

5.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.40 CA$17.53

$19.95 $19.95

-37.84%

Cinema Ticket

$12.13 CA$17.15

$12.96 $12.96

-6.40%

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

$1,102 CA$1,557

$1,491 $1,491

-26.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K CA$28.0K

$17.8K $17.8K

11.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$79.7

$52.9 $52.9

6.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 CA$47.26

$44.32 $44.32

-24.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 CA$133

$97.2 $97.2

-3.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 CA$133

$114 $114

-18.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 CA$2,509

$1,601 $1,601

10.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 CA$2,116

$1,306 $1,306

14.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,082 CA$4,357

$2,483 $2,483

24.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,416 CA$3,416

$2,117 $2,117

14.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,069 CA$11.4K

$2,696 $2,696

199.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,449 CA$9,118

$2,376 $2,376

171.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,776 CA$5,339

$4,054 $4,054

-6.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

6.52

-34.36%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Last update for Amherst, NY: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Amherst, NY

$1.3K 50.3% 12.7% $190

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$392 14.9%

Amherst, NY

$387 14.9% 1.4% $5.4

Eating Out

Vancouver

$270 10.3%

Amherst, NY

$324 12.5% 20.1% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$171 6.5%

Amherst, NY

$349 13.5% 104% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$125 4.8%

Amherst, NY

$139 5.4% 11.3% $14

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 3.9%

Amherst, NY

$23 * 0.9% 78% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$67 2.6%

Amherst, NY

$67 2.6% 0.8% $0.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,775 in Vancouver versus $1,601 in Amherst, NY. 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 7% higher in Amherst, NY, 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 $69.0 in Vancouver versus $76.0 in Amherst, NY. Groceries tell a different story – $392 in Vancouver vs $387 in Amherst, NY – so Amherst, NY wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇺🇸 Amherst, NY

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

04:46 4:46 AM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

37,819

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vancouver Amherst, NY 3,430 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Amherst, NY

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 Amherst, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver costs about 1% more than Amherst, NY, 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 $3,939 per month in Vancouver and $3,893 in Amherst, NY. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Amherst, NY, 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 $69.0 in Vancouver and $76.0 in Amherst, NY. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Vancouver, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,626 in Vancouver and $2,595 in Amherst, NY. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Amherst, NY – 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 Amherst, NY. 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.