Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Ashburn, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,626 a month against $3,327 in Ashburn, VA, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
163

Cost of Living Index in Ashburn, VA
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Ashburn, VA Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Ashburn, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,327

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Ashburn, VA

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 Ashburn, VA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,626 in Vancouver versus $3,327 in Ashburn, VA.

Vancouver $2,626
Ashburn, VA $3,327

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,841 in Vancouver versus $4,551 in Ashburn, VA.

Vancouver $3,841
Ashburn, VA $4,551

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,056 in Vancouver versus $5,776 in Ashburn, VA.

Vancouver $5,056
Ashburn, VA $5,776

Living in Vancouver costs roughly 21% less than in Ashburn, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 95% above, Ashburn, VA 146% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.19 CA$24.30

$28.37 $28.37

-39.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.6

$89.4 $89.4

-22.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 CA$15.00

$13.16 $13.16

-19.38%

Cappuccino

$3.83 CA$5.42

$6.11 $6.11

-37.32%

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

$2.04 CA$2.88

$2.98 $2.98

-31.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 CA$2.34

$2.68 $2.68

-38.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.83

$8.06 $8.06

-31.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 CA$8.77

$9.95 $9.95

-37.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CA$3.02

$1.13 $1.13

89.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 CA$3.54

$4.10 $4.10

-38.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.49 CA$6.35

$5.25 $5.25

-14.48%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.78

$5.60 $5.60

-26.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 CA$16.58

$16.93 $16.93

-30.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 CA$18.54

$15.24 $15.24

-13.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.50 CA$27.57

$18.88 $18.88

3.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$5.59 $5.59

-28.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.94

$2.24 $2.24

-38.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.48

$6.49 $6.49

-40.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.58

$5.92 $5.92

-33.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.88 $2.88

-5.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.05

$3.96 $3.96

-27.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$2.27 $2.27

8.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$2.76 $2.76

-43.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.48 CA$21.88

$9.81 $9.81

57.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.75 CA$19.44

$16.11 $16.11

-14.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$2.26 $2.26

16.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 CA$4.09

$4.54 $4.54

-36.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$2.21 $2.21

12.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.0 CA$117

$73.0 $73.0

13.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.96 $2.96

-8.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.24

$1.47 $1.47

7.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.05 CA$43.89

$22.68 $22.68

36.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$0.99 $0.99

38.38%

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

$27.7K CA$39.1K

$35.7K $35.7K

-22.49%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$25.3K $25.3K

-22.44%

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

$82.5 CA$117

$161 $161

-48.68%

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

$37.26 CA$52.7

$68.0 $68.0

-45.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$73.1

$77.6 $77.6

-33.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.87 CA$60.6

$62.2 $62.2

-31.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.40 CA$17.53

$11.99 $11.99

3.42%

Cinema Ticket

$12.13 CA$17.15

$17.98 $17.98

-32.54%

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

$1,102 CA$1,557

$1,641 $1,641

-32.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K CA$28.0K

$31.8K $31.8K

-37.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$79.7

$53.7 $53.7

5.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 CA$47.26

$44.74 $44.74

-25.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 CA$133

$100 $100

-6.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 CA$133

$127 $127

-26.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 CA$2,509

$1,980 $1,980

-10.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 CA$2,116

$1,773 $1,773

-15.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,082 CA$4,357

$4,102 $4,102

-24.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,416 CA$3,416

$2,246 $2,246

7.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,069 CA$11.4K

$3,006 $3,006

168.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,449 CA$9,118

$3,079 $3,079

109.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,776 CA$5,339

$7,570 $7,570

-50.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

6.82

-37.24%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ashburn, VA: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Ashburn, VA

$1.8K 53.3% 18.5% $277

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$392 14.9%

Ashburn, VA

$488 14.7% 24.3% $95

Eating Out

Vancouver

$270 10.3%

Ashburn, VA

$423 12.7% 56.4% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$171 6.5%

Ashburn, VA

$306 9.2% 78.6% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$125 4.8%

Ashburn, VA

$147 4.4% 17.5% $22

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 3.9%

Ashburn, VA

$92 2.8% 11% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$67 2.6%

Ashburn, VA

$98 3% 46.2% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,775 in Vancouver and $1,980 in Ashburn, VA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashburn, VA pays 100% 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: $69.0 in Vancouver vs $89.0 in Ashburn, VA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $488 per month, with Vancouver cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇺🇸 Ashburn, VA

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

10:09 10:09 AM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

43,511

💱 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 Ashburn, VA 3,750 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Ashburn, VA

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 Ashburn, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver and Ashburn, VA differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($2,626 vs $3,327 including rent). Vancouver is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 100% lower in Ashburn, VA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,775 in Vancouver versus $1,980 in Ashburn, VA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,102 in Vancouver versus $1,641 in Ashburn, VA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Ashburn, VA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Expats usually find Vancouver gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Ashburn, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.