Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Charlottetown

For one person, living is cheaper in Charlottetown: $1,906 a month against $2,725 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Charlottetown
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Charlottetown Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,725

/mo nomad

Charlottetown

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Charlottetown

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

A single person spends $2,725 per month in Vancouver vs $1,906 in Charlottetown, rent included.

Vancouver $2,725
Charlottetown $1,906

A couple spends around $4,039 per month in Vancouver vs $2,844 in Charlottetown, rent included.

Vancouver $4,039
Charlottetown $2,844

A family of three spends $5,352 per month in Vancouver vs $3,782 in Charlottetown, rent included.

Vancouver $5,352
Charlottetown $3,782

Vancouver costs about 43% more than Charlottetown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Vancouver and Charlottetown sit above the global median – Vancouver by 100%, Charlottetown by 40%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 CA$24.67

$14.36 CA$20.08

22.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.4 CA$101

$60.9 CA$85.2

18.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 CA$15.15

$9.53 CA$13.32

13.75%

Cappuccino

$3.91 CA$5.47

$3.63 CA$5.07

7.71%

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

$2.10 CA$2.94

$1.69 CA$2.36

24.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.29

$1.29 CA$1.80

27.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 CA$8.02

$5.80 CA$8.11

-1.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.36 CA$8.89

$5.74 CA$8.03

10.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 CA$3.09

$2.24 CA$3.13

-1.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 CA$3.69

$3.09 CA$4.32

-14.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.68 CA$6.54

$5.08 CA$7.11

-7.87%

Eggs

$4.24 CA$5.92

$4.13 CA$5.78

2.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.92 CA$16.67

$11.55 CA$16.14

3.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.12 CA$18.34

$15.48 CA$21.63

-15.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.40 CA$28.51

$17.53 CA$24.50

16.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 CA$5.73

$3.42 CA$4.78

19.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.93

$1.46 CA$2.04

-5.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 CA$5.35

$4.04 CA$5.65

-5.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.48

$5.01 CA$7.00

-21.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 CA$3.88

$1.69 CA$2.36

63.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 CA$3.96

$3.05 CA$4.27

-6.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 CA$3.64

$2.73 CA$3.82

-4.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.23

$2.05 CA$2.87

-22.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.87 CA$22.17

$17.79 CA$24.86

-10.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 CA$19.56

$14.03 CA$19.61

-0.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 CA$3.59

$3.31 CA$4.62

-22.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CA$4.21

$3.17 CA$4.43

-5.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.57

$1.40 CA$1.96

82.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 CA$118

$14.31 CA$20.00

487.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 CA$3.73

$7.53 CA$10.52

-64.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$2.08 CA$2.91

-24.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.19 CA$44.99

$28.10 CA$39.28

14.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 CA$2.03

$1.34 CA$1.87

8.21%

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

$27.5K CA$38.4K

$27.8K CA$38.9K

-1.27%

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

$21.3K CA$29.8K

$21.5K CA$30.1K

-1.03%

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

$82.5 CA$115

$129 CA$181

-36.19%

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

$37.46 CA$52.4

$33.37 CA$46.64

12.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$72.2

$76.1 CA$106

-32.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.52 CA$56.6

$58.5 CA$81.7

-30.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.69 CA$17.73

$3.47 CA$4.85

265.71%

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 CA$17.70

$10.50 CA$14.67

20.57%

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

$1,080 CA$1,509

$161 CA$225

570.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K CA$28.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$81.7

$40.13 CA$56.1

45.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.10 CA$47.66

$34.41 CA$48.09

-0.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 CA$135

$83.9 CA$117

15.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.4 CA$136

$131 CA$183

-25.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,813 CA$2,534

$967 CA$1,351

87.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 CA$2,202

$760 CA$1,063

107.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,217 CA$4,496

$1,660 CA$2,320

93.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,651 CA$3,706

$1,237 CA$1,730

114.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,590 CA$12.0K

$2,914 CA$4,073

194.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,649 CA$9,293

$1,966 CA$2,748

238.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,733 CA$5,217

$2,435 CA$3,404

53.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

4.58

-6.55%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 27, 2026

Last update for Charlottetown: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.6K 57.8%

Charlottetown

$760 39.9% 51.7% $815

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$401 14.7%

Charlottetown

$419 22% 4.6% $19

Eating Out

Vancouver

$277 10.2%

Charlottetown

$239 12.6% 13.6% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$172 6.3%

Charlottetown

$239 12.5% 39.1% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$129 4.7%

Charlottetown

$130 6.8% 1% $1.2

Getting Around

Vancouver

$105 3.9%

Charlottetown

$38 2% 63.9% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$66 2.4%

Charlottetown

$79 4.2% 20.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,813 in Vancouver versus $967 in Charlottetown. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 53% higher in Vancouver. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in Vancouver versus $61 in Charlottetown. Groceries tell a different story – $401 in Vancouver vs $419 in Charlottetown – so Vancouver wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇨🇦 Charlottetown

🕒 Local time

06:55 6:55 AM

09:55 9:55 AM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

38,809

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Vancouver Charlottetown 4,380 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
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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 Charlottetown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver costs about 43% more than Charlottetown, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,087 per month in Vancouver and $2,858 in Charlottetown. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Charlottetown, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $967 there versus $1,813 in Vancouver.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,725 in Vancouver and $1,906 in Charlottetown. That makes Charlottetown about 30% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 83% less in Charlottetown. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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