Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Cold Lake

For one person, living is cheaper in Cold Lake: $1,912 a month against $2,626 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Cold Lake
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Cold Lake Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Cold Lake

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Cold Lake

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

A single person spends $2,626 per month in Vancouver vs $1,912 in Cold Lake, rent included.

Vancouver $2,626
Cold Lake $1,912

A couple spends around $3,841 per month in Vancouver vs $2,791 in Cold Lake, rent included.

Vancouver $3,841
Cold Lake $2,791

A family of three spends $5,056 per month in Vancouver vs $3,670 in Cold Lake, rent included.

Vancouver $5,056
Cold Lake $3,670

Vancouver costs about 37% more than Cold Lake, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Vancouver and Cold Lake sit above the global median – Vancouver by 95%, Cold Lake by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.19 CA$24.30

$19.96 CA$28.21

-13.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.6

$57.5 CA$81.2

20.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 CA$15.00

$9.67 CA$13.68

9.72%

Cappuccino

$3.83 CA$5.42

$3.82 CA$5.40

0.26%

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

$2.04 CA$2.88

$2.26 CA$3.19

-9.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 CA$2.34

$1.42 CA$2.01

16.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.83

$5.57 CA$7.87

-0.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 CA$8.77

$6.14 CA$8.68

0.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CA$3.02

$1.16 CA$1.64

84.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 CA$3.54

$2.18 CA$3.09

15.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.49 CA$6.35

$2.87 CA$4.06

56.45%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.78

$3.07 CA$4.35

33.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 CA$16.58

$10.61 CA$14.99

10.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 CA$18.54

$11.16 CA$15.77

17.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.50 CA$27.57

$18.77 CA$26.53

3.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$3.50 CA$4.94

14.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.94

$1.16 CA$1.64

18.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.48

$2.81 CA$3.97

38.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.58

$2.48 CA$3.50

59.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.15 CA$3.04

26.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.05

$1.06 CA$1.50

169.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$2.33 CA$3.30

5.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$1.75 CA$2.48

-10.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.48 CA$21.88

$11.94 CA$16.88

29.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.75 CA$19.44

$11.41 CA$16.14

20.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$3.57 CA$5.05

-26.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 CA$4.09

$2.85 CA$4.03

1.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 CA$3.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.0 CA$117

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.92 CA$4.13

-6.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.24

$1.38 CA$1.95

14.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.05 CA$43.89

$20.67 CA$29.22

50.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$1.03 CA$1.45

33.01%

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

$27.7K CA$39.1K

$28.3K CA$40.0K

-2.15%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$19.4K CA$27.4K

1.33%

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

$82.5 CA$117

$225 CA$318

-63.34%

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

$37.26 CA$52.7

$43.04 CA$60.8

-13.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$73.1

$54.3 CA$76.7

-4.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.87 CA$60.6

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.40 CA$17.53

Cinema Ticket

$12.13 CA$17.15

$12.61 CA$17.82

-3.81%

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

$1,102 CA$1,557

$761 CA$1,075

44.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K CA$28.0K

$9,434 CA$13.3K

110.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$79.7

$28.35 CA$40.08

98.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 CA$47.26

$35.05 CA$49.55

-4.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 CA$133

$51.5 CA$72.8

82.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 CA$133

$85.9 CA$121

9.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 CA$2,509

$860 CA$1,216

106.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 CA$2,116

$840 CA$1,188

78.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,082 CA$4,357

$1,544 CA$2,183

99.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,416 CA$3,416

$1,397 CA$1,975

72.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,069 CA$11.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,449 CA$9,118

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,776 CA$5,339

$3,084 CA$4,359

22.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

4.32

-0.93%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cold Lake: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Cold Lake

$840 44% 43.8% $656

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$392 14.9%

Cold Lake

$335 17.5% 14.8% $58

Eating Out

Vancouver

$270 10.3%

Cold Lake

$289 15.1% 7.1% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$171 6.5%

Cold Lake

$322 16.9% 88% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$125 4.8%

Cold Lake

$90 4.7% 27.7% $35

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 3.9%

Cold Lake

$9.8 * 0.5% 90.5% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$67 2.6%

Cold Lake

$25 * 1.3% 62.4% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,775 in Vancouver versus $860 in Cold Lake. 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 22% higher in Vancouver, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Vancouver versus $57.0 in Cold Lake. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $335 – making Cold Lake the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇨🇦 Cold Lake

🕒 Local time

13:30 1:30 PM

14:30 2:30 PM

1 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

11,595

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Vancouver Cold Lake 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Cold Lake

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 Cold Lake: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Vancouver is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,939 per month in Vancouver and $2,868 in Cold Lake. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cold Lake, 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 $2,626 in Vancouver and $1,912 in Cold Lake. That's a gap of about 37%.

Kindergarten costs $1,102 per month in Vancouver and $761 in Cold Lake. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Cold Lake, where all-in costs run around $1,912, than in Vancouver at $2,626. In Cold Lake it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vancouver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cold Lake – 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 Cold Lake. 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.