Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Burlington, VT

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,626 a month against $3,063 in Burlington, VT, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
150

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, VT
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Burlington, VT Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Burlington, VT

🇺🇸 United States

$3,063

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,626 in Vancouver versus $3,063 in Burlington, VT.

Vancouver $2,626
Burlington, VT $3,063

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,841 in Vancouver versus $4,818 in Burlington, VT.

Vancouver $3,841
Burlington, VT $4,818

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,056 in Vancouver versus $6,572 in Burlington, VT.

Vancouver $5,056
Burlington, VT $6,572

Living in Vancouver costs roughly 14% less than in Burlington, VT, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 95% above, Burlington, VT 127% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.19 CA$24.30

$22.24 $22.24

-22.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.6

$79.3 $79.3

-12.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 CA$15.00

$11.89 $11.89

-10.77%

Cappuccino

$3.83 CA$5.42

$5.21 $5.21

-26.49%

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

$2.04 CA$2.88

$3.00 $3.00

-32.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 CA$2.34

$2.33 $2.33

-29.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.83

$7.80 $7.80

-28.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 CA$8.77

$8.46 $8.46

-26.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CA$3.02

$1.20 $1.20

78.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 CA$3.54

$4.62 $4.62

-45.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.49 CA$6.35

$5.27 $5.27

-14.80%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.78

$4.50 $4.50

-9.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 CA$16.58

$14.06 $14.06

-16.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 CA$18.54

$12.26 $12.26

6.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.50 CA$27.57

$13.07 $13.07

49.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$4.34 $4.34

-7.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.94

$1.84 $1.84

-25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.48

$2.22 $2.22

74.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.58

$6.44 $6.44

-38.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$4.46 $4.46

-39.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.05

$4.12 $4.12

-30.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$3.03 $3.03

-18.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$0.98 $0.98

59.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.48 CA$21.88

$11.95 $11.95

29.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.75 CA$19.44

$12.60 $12.60

9.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$1.71 $1.71

53.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 CA$4.09

$1.95 $1.95

48.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$2.47 $2.47

0.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.0 CA$117

$49.11 $49.11

68.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.58 $2.58

5.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.24

$1.78 $1.78

-11.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.05 CA$43.89

$27.71 $27.71

12.05%

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

$35.6K $35.6K

-22.26%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$26.4K $26.4K

-25.56%

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

$82.5 CA$117

$192 $192

-57.14%

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

$37.26 CA$52.7

$55.7 $55.7

-33.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$73.1

$63.2 $63.2

-18.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.87 CA$60.6

$70.2 $70.2

-38.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.40 CA$17.53

$27.88 $27.88

-55.52%

Cinema Ticket

$12.13 CA$17.15

$11.79 $11.79

2.88%

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

$1,102 CA$1,557

$1,250 $1,250

-11.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K CA$28.0K

$11.9K $11.9K

65.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$79.7

$52.7 $52.7

7.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 CA$47.26

$29.60 $29.60

12.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 CA$133

$54.4 $54.4

72.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 CA$133

$89.9 $89.9

4.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 CA$2,509

$1,954 $1,954

-9.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 CA$2,116

$1,735 $1,735

-13.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,082 CA$4,357

$4,414 $4,414

-30.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,416 CA$3,416

$3,591 $3,591

-32.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,069 CA$11.4K

$3,931 $3,931

105.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,449 CA$9,118

$3,321 $3,321

94.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,776 CA$5,339

$4,573 $4,573

-17.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

6.66

-35.74%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Last update for Burlington, VT: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Burlington, VT

$1.7K 56.7% 16% $239

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$392 14.9%

Burlington, VT

$397 13% 1.1% $4.4

Eating Out

Vancouver

$270 10.3%

Burlington, VT

$353 11.5% 30.8% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$171 6.5%

Burlington, VT

$311 10.2% 81.5% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$125 4.8%

Burlington, VT

$102 3.3% 18.3% $23

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 3.9%

Burlington, VT

$70 2.3% 31.9% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$67 2.6%

Burlington, VT

$94 3.1% 39.6% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,775 in Vancouver and $1,954 in Burlington, VT. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington, VT pays 21% 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 $79.0 in Burlington, VT for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $397 per month, with Vancouver cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇺🇸 Burlington, VT

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

12:40 12:40 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 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 Burlington, VT 3,760 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Burlington, VT

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, VT: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Burlington, VT. 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 $1,954 in Burlington, VT. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Vancouver runs roughly 69% less than in Burlington, VT. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,102 in Vancouver versus $1,250 in Burlington, VT. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

For families, Vancouver is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Burlington, VT, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Vancouver gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Burlington, VT. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.