Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Columbus, OH

For one person, living is cheaper in Columbus, OH: $2,476 a month against $2,684 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Vancouver outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Columbus, OH
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Columbus, OH Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

Columbus, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,476

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Columbus, OH

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

A single person spends $2,684 per month in Vancouver vs $2,476 in Columbus, OH, rent included.

Vancouver $2,684
Columbus, OH $2,476

A couple spends around $3,878 per month in Vancouver vs $3,676 in Columbus, OH, rent included.

Vancouver $3,878
Columbus, OH $3,676

A family of three spends $5,072 per month in Vancouver vs $4,875 in Columbus, OH, rent included.

Vancouver $5,072
Columbus, OH $4,875

Vancouver costs about 8% more than Columbus, OH, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Vancouver and Columbus, OH sit above the global median – Vancouver by 100%, Columbus, OH by 85%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 CA$24.66

$21.76 $21.76

-20.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 CA$98.3

$76.3 $76.3

-9.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.05

$11.77 $11.77

-10.28%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.54

$5.33 $5.33

-27.02%

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

$2.05 CA$2.93

$2.54 $2.54

-19.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$2.00 $2.00

-19.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.90

$5.96 $5.96

-7.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 CA$9.02

$7.07 $7.07

-10.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.30

$0.93 $0.93

148.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 CA$3.56

$3.20 $3.20

-21.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 CA$6.33

$5.15 $5.15

-13.79%

Eggs

$4.07 CA$5.80

$3.76 $3.76

8.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 CA$16.08

$13.96 $13.96

-19.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.42 CA$19.13

$14.91 $14.91

-9.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.10 CA$28.65

$15.63 $15.63

28.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.78

$6.34 $6.34

-35.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.90

$1.64 $1.64

-18.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.57

$5.95 $5.95

-34.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.78

$4.79 $4.79

-15.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.88

$2.96 $2.96

-8.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 CA$4.12

$3.44 $3.44

-15.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 CA$3.61

$2.16 $2.16

17.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$2.35 $2.35

-31.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.57 CA$22.19

$9.86 $9.86

57.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 CA$20.03

$16.20 $16.20

-13.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CA$3.83

$2.11 $2.11

27.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 CA$4.26

$2.98 $2.98

0.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.48

$2.05 $2.05

19.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 CA$119

$62.9 $62.9

32.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 CA$3.87

$2.97 $2.97

-8.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 CA$2.24

$1.30 $1.30

20.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.39 CA$44.75

$27.43 $27.43

14.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CA$1.96

$1.00 $1.00

38.00%

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

$28.1K CA$40.0K

$36.4K $36.4K

-22.93%

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

$19.8K CA$28.2K

$25.2K $25.2K

-21.51%

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

$81.2 CA$116

$224 $224

-63.77%

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

$37.45 CA$53.4

$66.9 $66.9

-44.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 CA$73.2

$67.9 $67.9

-24.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.47 CA$62.0

$34.98 $34.98

24.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 CA$17.86

$41.10 $41.10

-69.51%

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 CA$17.88

$13.24 $13.24

-5.29%

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

$1,094 CA$1,560

$1,623 $1,623

-32.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K CA$28.4K

$34.7K $34.7K

-42.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 CA$81.3

$48.87 $48.87

16.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 CA$46.66

$41.84 $41.84

-21.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 CA$132

$80.2 $80.2

15.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 CA$134

$111 $111

-15.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 CA$2,488

$1,529 $1,529

14.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 CA$2,115

$1,114 $1,114

33.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,998 CA$4,273

$2,366 $2,366

26.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,422 CA$3,453

$1,832 $1,832

32.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,002 CA$11.4K

$3,442 $3,442

132.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,457 CA$9,204

$1,809 $1,809

257.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,799 CA$5,416

$3,772 $3,772

0.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

6.64

-35.54%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 3, 2026

Last update for Columbus, OH: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6%

Columbus, OH

$1.1K 44.4% 25% $370

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$399 15.2%

Columbus, OH

$431 17.2% 8.2% $33

Eating Out

Vancouver

$272 10.4%

Columbus, OH

$335 13.4% 23.4% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$170 6.5%

Columbus, OH

$359 14.3% 111% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.8%

Columbus, OH

$127 5.1% 2% $2.5

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 4%

Columbus, OH

$81 3.2% 22.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$69 2.6%

Columbus, OH

$61 2.5% 10.3% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,745 in Vancouver versus $1,529 in Columbus, OH. 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 1% 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 $76.0 in Columbus, OH. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $431 – making Vancouver the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇺🇸 Columbus, OH

🕒 Local time

01:28 1:28 AM

04:28 4:28 AM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

905,748

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Vancouver Columbus, OH 3,300 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Columbus, OH

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 Columbus, OH: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver costs about 8% more than Columbus, OH, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,026 per month in Vancouver and $3,715 in Columbus, OH. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Columbus, OH, 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 $2,684 in Vancouver and $2,476 in Columbus, OH. That's a gap of about 8%.

Public transport costs about 33% less in Columbus, OH. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,684 in Vancouver and $2,476 in Columbus, OH. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Columbus, OH costs $2,476 versus $2,684 in Vancouver. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Columbus, OH. 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.