Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Burlington, NC

For one person, living costs are similar in Vancouver and in Burlington, NC: $2,662 and $2,604 a month, rent and utilities included.

129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, NC
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Burlington, NC Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,662

/mo nomad

Burlington, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,604

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Burlington, NC

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 Burlington, NC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,662 per month in Vancouver vs $2,604 in Burlington, NC, rent included.

Vancouver $2,662
Burlington, NC $2,604

A couple spends around $3,916 per month in Vancouver vs $3,784 in Burlington, NC, rent included.

Vancouver $3,916
Burlington, NC $3,784

A family of three spends $5,170 per month in Vancouver vs $4,963 in Burlington, NC, rent included.

Vancouver $5,170
Burlington, NC $4,963

Vancouver costs about 2% more than Burlington, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Vancouver and Burlington, NC sit above the global median – Vancouver by 96%, Burlington, NC by 92%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.01 CA$25.46

$18.93 $18.93

-4.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 CA$100

$74.7 $74.7

-4.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 CA$15.31

$10.89 $10.89

-0.55%

Cappuccino

$3.94 CA$5.56

$5.23 $5.23

-24.67%

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

$2.13 CA$3.01

$2.51 $2.51

-15.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 CA$2.34

$2.06 $2.06

-19.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.73 CA$8.10

$6.14 $6.14

-6.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.40 CA$9.04

$6.80 $6.80

-5.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 CA$3.04

$1.04 $1.04

106.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 CA$3.61

$3.57 $3.57

-28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.56 CA$6.45

$4.35 $4.35

4.83%

Eggs

$4.06 CA$5.74

$4.22 $4.22

-3.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 CA$17.17

$12.47 $12.47

-2.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.23 CA$18.71

$11.29 $11.29

17.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.24 CA$28.62

$15.63 $15.63

29.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.73

$5.02 $5.02

-19.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$2.00

$1.56 $1.56

-8.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.97 CA$5.62

$4.20 $4.20

-5.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.53

$4.81 $4.81

-18.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.74

$2.91 $2.91

-9.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 CA$3.98

$2.76 $2.76

2.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$2.11 $2.11

17.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.24

$2.08 $2.08

-23.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.30 CA$21.64

$9.37 $9.37

63.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.32 CA$20.24

$14.08 $14.08

1.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 CA$3.63

$1.85 $1.85

38.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$3.33 $3.33

-12.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.60

$2.02 $2.02

26.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.6 CA$120

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$3.40 $3.40

-22.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 CA$2.31

$1.65 $1.65

-1.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.77 CA$44.91

$28.99 $28.99

9.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 CA$2.01

$0.89 $0.89

59.55%

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

$27.1K CA$38.3K

$29.9K $29.9K

-9.25%

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

$21.6K CA$30.5K

$25.5K $25.5K

-15.12%

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

$81.3 CA$115

$191 $191

-57.33%

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

$37.20 CA$52.6

$52.9 $52.9

-29.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 CA$74.4

$67.0 $67.0

-21.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.34 CA$62.7

$42.35 $42.35

4.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.37 CA$17.49

Cinema Ticket

$12.62 CA$17.85

$13.34 $13.34

-5.40%

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

$1,093 CA$1,544

$1,282 $1,282

-14.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K CA$28.2K

$23.7K $23.7K

-15.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$82.7

$51.0 $51.0

14.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.35 CA$47.14

$39.90 $39.90

-16.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 CA$136

$85.3 $85.3

12.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.6 CA$135

$112 $112

-14.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,765 CA$2,495

$1,632 $1,632

8.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 CA$2,132

$1,378 $1,378

9.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,122 CA$4,414

$2,653 $2,653

17.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,469 CA$3,490

$2,241 $2,241

10.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,173 CA$11.6K

$2,740 $2,740

198.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,354 CA$8,982

$2,417 $2,417

162.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,592 CA$5,078

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

6.51

-34.25%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 17, 2026

Last update for Burlington, NC: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.7%

Burlington, NC

$1.4K 52.9% 8.6% $130

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$399 15%

Burlington, NC

$388 14.9% 2.7% $11

Eating Out

Vancouver

$280 10.5%

Burlington, NC

$309 11.9% 10.4% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$171 6.4%

Burlington, NC

$310 11.9% 81.4% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$128 4.8%

Burlington, NC

$130 5% 1.6% $2.1

Getting Around

Vancouver

$106 4%

Burlington, NC

$20 * 0.8% 81.3% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$70 2.6%

Burlington, NC

$69 2.7% 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 $1,765 in Vancouver versus $1,632 in Burlington, NC. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Vancouver versus $75.0 in Burlington, NC. Groceries tell a different story – $399 in Vancouver vs $388 in Burlington, NC – so Burlington, NC wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇺🇸 Burlington, NC

🕒 Local time

13:08 1:08 PM

16:08 4:08 PM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

44,743

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Burlington, NC 3,790 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Burlington, NC

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 Burlington, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,662 in Vancouver, $2,604 in Burlington, NC – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,992 per month in Vancouver and $3,907 in Burlington, NC. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Burlington, NC, 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 $2,662 in Vancouver and $2,604 in Burlington, NC. That's a gap of about 2%.

Kindergarten costs $1,093 per month in Vancouver and $1,282 in Burlington, NC. 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 $2,662 in Vancouver and $2,604 in Burlington, NC. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Burlington, NC – 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 Burlington, NC. 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.