Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Cambridge, Canada

Name: Cambridge
Address: Cambridge, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Cambridge: $2,527 a month against $2,725 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index

Jump to prices

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,725

/mo nomad

Cambridge

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Cambridge

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,725 in Vancouver versus $2,527 in Cambridge.

Vancouver $2,725
Cambridge $2,527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,039 in Vancouver versus $3,443 in Cambridge.

Vancouver $4,039
Cambridge $3,443

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,352 in Vancouver versus $4,359 in Cambridge.

Vancouver $5,352
Cambridge $4,359

Living in Vancouver is roughly 8% more expensive than in Cambridge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 100% above, Cambridge 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 CA$24.67

$17.69 CA$24.72

-0.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.4 CA$101

$56.7 CA$79.2

27.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 CA$15.15

$10.55 CA$14.74

2.75%

Cappuccino

$3.91 CA$5.47

$3.56 CA$4.97

9.83%

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

$2.10 CA$2.94

$1.99 CA$2.78

5.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.29

$1.22 CA$1.71

34.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 CA$8.02

$5.19 CA$7.26

10.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.36 CA$8.89

$6.26 CA$8.75

1.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 CA$3.09

$1.99 CA$2.79

11.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 CA$3.69

$2.41 CA$3.37

9.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.68 CA$6.54

$3.19 CA$4.47

46.71%

Eggs

$4.24 CA$5.92

$3.32 CA$4.64

27.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.92 CA$16.67

$11.24 CA$15.71

6.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.12 CA$18.34

$11.38 CA$15.90

15.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.40 CA$28.51

$14.43 CA$20.17

41.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 CA$5.73

$4.07 CA$5.68

0.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.93

$1.33 CA$1.86

3.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 CA$5.35

$4.05 CA$5.65

-5.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.48

$3.74 CA$5.22

4.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 CA$3.88

$2.76 CA$3.85

0.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 CA$3.96

$1.94 CA$2.71

46.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 CA$3.64

$2.00 CA$2.80

30.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.23

$1.29 CA$1.81

23.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.87 CA$22.17

$12.93 CA$18.08

22.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 CA$19.56

$12.40 CA$17.34

12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 CA$3.59

$2.63 CA$3.67

-2.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CA$4.21

$4.04 CA$5.64

-25.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.57

$2.80 CA$3.92

-8.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 CA$118

$69.4 CA$97.1

21.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 CA$3.73

$2.56 CA$3.58

4.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.80 CA$2.51

-12.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.19 CA$44.99

$23.32 CA$32.60

38.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 CA$2.03

$1.22 CA$1.71

18.85%

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

$27.5K CA$38.4K

$26.5K CA$37.0K

3.73%

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

$21.3K CA$29.8K

$20.7K CA$28.9K

3.11%

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

$82.5 CA$115

$152 CA$213

-45.87%

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

$37.46 CA$52.4

$42.51 CA$59.4

-11.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$72.2

$50.5 CA$70.6

2.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.52 CA$56.6

$28.64 CA$40.03

41.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.69 CA$17.73

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 CA$17.70

$10.74 CA$15.01

17.88%

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

$1,080 CA$1,509

$497 CA$695

117.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K CA$28.2K

$15.8K CA$22.1K

27.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$81.7

$63.5 CA$88.7

-7.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.10 CA$47.66

$33.07 CA$46.22

3.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 CA$135

$82.3 CA$115

17.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.4 CA$136

$106 CA$148

-7.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,813 CA$2,534

$1,529 CA$2,137

18.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 CA$2,202

$1,395 CA$1,949

12.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,217 CA$4,496

$2,057 CA$2,876

56.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,651 CA$3,706

$1,870 CA$2,614

41.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,590 CA$12.0K

$4,450 CA$6,220

93.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,649 CA$9,293

$3,682 CA$5,147

80.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,733 CA$5,217

$3,028 CA$4,232

23.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

5.22

-18.01%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cambridge: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.6K 57.8%

Cambridge

$1.4K 55.2% 11.5% $181

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$401 14.7%

Cambridge

$349 13.8% 13% $52

Eating Out

Vancouver

$277 10.2%

Cambridge

$267 10.6% 3.6% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$172 6.3%

Cambridge

$245 9.7% 43% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$129 4.7%

Cambridge

$128 5.1% 0.9% $1.1

Getting Around

Vancouver

$105 3.9%

Cambridge

$92 3.7% 12.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$66 2.4%

Cambridge

$50 2% 23.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,813 in Vancouver and $1,529 in Cambridge. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 23% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $72 in Vancouver vs $57 in Cambridge for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $401 vs $349 per month, with Cambridge cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇨🇦 Cambridge

🕒 Local time

13:36 1:36 PM

15:36 3:36 PM

2 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

138,479

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Vancouver Cambridge 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Cambridge

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 Cambridge: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cambridge is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 23% higher in Vancouver, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,813 in Vancouver versus $1,529 in Cambridge. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Vancouver. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cambridge – a meal for two runs $57 versus $72 in Vancouver. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Cambridge is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

Expats usually find Cambridge gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.