Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Cancun

For one person, living is cheaper in Cancun: $1,616 a month against $2,683 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
Learn more

Cancun Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,683

/mo nomad

Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,616

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Cancun

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

A single person spends $2,683 per month in Vancouver vs $1,616 in Cancun, rent included.

Vancouver $2,683
Cancun $1,616

A couple spends around $3,963 per month in Vancouver vs $2,436 in Cancun, rent included.

Vancouver $3,963
Cancun $2,436

A family of three spends $5,244 per month in Vancouver vs $3,256 in Cancun, rent included.

Vancouver $5,244
Cancun $3,256

Vancouver costs about 66% more than Cancun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Vancouver and Cancun sit above the global median – Vancouver by 98%, Cancun by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.10 CA$25.37

$10.70 MX$201

69.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 CA$99.5

$54.8 MX$1,029

29.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 CA$14.81

$11.45 MX$215

-7.69%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.56

$3.65 MX$68.6

8.77%

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

$2.07 CA$2.90

$1.30 MX$24.38

59.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 CA$2.59

$0.81 MX$15.26

128.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 CA$7.95

$3.05 MX$57.3

85.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.61 CA$9.27

$4.26 MX$80.1

55.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CA$3.02

$1.68 MX$31.58

28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 CA$3.62

$2.52 MX$47.24

2.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 CA$6.02

$1.66 MX$31.13

159.04%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.74

$2.66 MX$50.0

53.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.12 CA$16.98

$9.63 MX$181

25.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 CA$18.62

$8.95 MX$168

48.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.11 CA$28.19

$13.90 MX$261

44.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 CA$5.56

$2.80 MX$52.5

41.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 CA$2.00

$1.62 MX$30.45

-11.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.20

$3.08 MX$57.9

20.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.50

$2.24 MX$42.09

75.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 CA$4.02

$1.92 MX$36.08

49.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.17

$1.89 MX$35.57

57.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$1.17 MX$22.06

123.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.29

$1.24 MX$23.35

31.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.94 CA$22.35

$4.21 MX$79.1

278.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$19.97

$9.90 MX$186

43.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.54

$1.51 MX$28.35

66.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 CA$4.03

$2.78 MX$52.1

3.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 CA$3.60

$0.68 MX$12.79

277.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.4 CA$118

$38.96 MX$732

116.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 CA$3.85

$4.27 MX$80.3

-35.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 CA$2.28

$2.90 MX$54.5

-43.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.90 CA$44.71

$13.42 MX$252

137.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.53 MX$28.71

-4.58%

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

$26.7K CA$37.4K

$24.5K MX$460.2K

8.99%

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

$21.0K CA$29.5K

$23.4K MX$439.1K

-10.07%

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

$88.2 CA$124

$162 MX$3,041

-45.51%

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

$36.72 CA$51.5

$23.15 MX$435

58.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.81 CA$69.8

$36.98 MX$694

34.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.34 CA$63.6

$26.72 MX$502

69.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.13 CA$17.00

$12.93 MX$243

-6.19%

Cinema Ticket

$12.55 CA$17.59

$7.29 MX$137

72.15%

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

$1,055 CA$1,479

$206 MX$3,865

412.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.5K CA$39.9K

$5,429 MX$102.0K

424.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$79.1

$54.1 MX$1,016

4.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.37 CA$48.18

$54.5 MX$1,024

-36.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$126

$72.6 MX$1,364

23.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 CA$132

$91.9 MX$1,726

2.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 CA$2,436

$948 MX$17.8K

83.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 CA$2,143

$690 MX$13.0K

121.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,107 CA$4,355

$1,718 MX$32.3K

80.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 CA$3,570

$1,195 MX$22.4K

113.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,540 CA$12.0K

$1,243 MX$23.3K

587.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,328 CA$8,870

$1,879 MX$35.3K

236.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,770 CA$5,284

$871 MX$16.4K

332.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.24

11.45

-62.97%

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

Last update for Vancouver: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cancun: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Cancun

$690 42.7% 54.9% $839

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$398 14.9%

Cancun

$284 17.6% 28.7% $114

Eating Out

Vancouver

$281 10.5%

Cancun

$196 12.1% 30.3% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$175 6.5%

Cancun

$222 13.7% 27.1% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.6%

Cancun

$123 7.6% 0.6% $0.8

Getting Around

Vancouver

$106 3.9%

Cancun

$60 3.7% 42.7% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$70 2.6%

Cancun

$41 2.6% 41.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,738 in Vancouver versus $948 in Cancun. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Vancouver are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Vancouver versus $55 in Cancun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $398 vs $284 – making Cancun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇲🇽 Cancun

🕒 Local time

19:47 7:47 PM

21:47 9:47 PM

2 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

888,797

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vancouver Cancun 4,470 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Cancun

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 Cancun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,683 in Vancouver, $1,616 in Cancun – Cancun comes out roughly 40% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,024 per month in Vancouver and $2,425 in Cancun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cancun, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $948 there versus $1,738 in Vancouver.

Kindergarten costs $1,055 per month in Vancouver and $206 in Cancun. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Vancouver, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,683 in Vancouver and $1,616 in Cancun, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Cancun – 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 Cancun. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vancouver makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.