Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Dawson City

For one person, living is cheaper in Dawson City: $1,906 a month against $2,725 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Vancouver outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

130

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Dawson City
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Dawson City Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,725

/mo nomad

Dawson City

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Dawson City

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

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

Vancouver $2,725
Dawson City $1,906

A couple spends around $4,039 per month in Vancouver vs $3,291 in Dawson City, rent included.

Vancouver $4,039
Dawson City $3,291

A family of three spends $5,352 per month in Vancouver vs $4,677 in Dawson City, rent included.

Vancouver $5,352
Dawson City $4,677

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 CA$24.68

$25.11 CA$35.12

-29.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.4 CA$101

$102 CA$143

-29.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 CA$15.16

$10.59 CA$14.82

2.36%

Cappuccino

$3.91 CA$5.47

$3.84 CA$5.37

1.82%

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

$2.10 CA$2.94

$1.74 CA$2.43

20.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.29

$1.69 CA$2.37

-2.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 CA$8.03

$5.07 CA$7.10

13.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.36 CA$8.90

$5.68 CA$7.95

11.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 CA$3.09

$2.63 CA$3.68

-15.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 CA$3.70

$4.12 CA$5.76

-35.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.68 CA$6.54

$4.92 CA$6.87

-4.88%

Eggs

$4.24 CA$5.93

$5.10 CA$7.13

-16.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.92 CA$16.68

$10.27 CA$14.36

16.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.12 CA$18.35

$14.47 CA$20.24

-9.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.40 CA$28.53

$14.45 CA$20.21

41.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 CA$5.74

$4.08 CA$5.71

0.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.93

$1.43 CA$2.00

-3.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 CA$5.36

$4.16 CA$5.82

-7.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.48

$4.13 CA$5.77

-5.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 CA$3.88

$2.34 CA$3.27

18.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 CA$3.97

$2.20 CA$3.08

29.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 CA$3.64

$2.50 CA$3.50

4.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.23

$1.65 CA$2.31

-3.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.87 CA$22.19

$14.02 CA$19.61

13.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 CA$19.58

$12.81 CA$17.92

9.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 CA$3.60

$2.35 CA$3.28

9.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CA$4.22

$3.28 CA$4.59

-8.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.57

$2.17 CA$3.04

17.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 CA$118

$57.6 CA$80.6

46.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 CA$3.73

$2.90 CA$4.06

-7.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.43 CA$2.00

10.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.19 CA$45.02

$21.86 CA$30.57

47.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 CA$2.03

$1.22 CA$1.70

18.85%

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

$27.5K CA$38.4K

$27.1K CA$37.9K

1.38%

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

$21.3K CA$29.8K

$18.7K CA$26.2K

13.90%

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

$82.5 CA$115

$137 CA$192

-39.93%

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

$37.46 CA$52.4

$39.51 CA$55.3

-5.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$72.3

$55.1 CA$77.1

-6.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.52 CA$56.7

$38.34 CA$53.6

5.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.69 CA$17.75

$20.44 CA$28.59

-37.92%

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 CA$17.71

$11.14 CA$15.58

13.64%

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

$1,080 CA$1,510

$639 CA$894

68.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K CA$28.2K

$14.2K CA$19.8K

42.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$81.8

$64.2 CA$89.8

-8.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.10 CA$47.69

$38.97 CA$54.5

-12.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 CA$136

$66.9 CA$93.5

44.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.4 CA$136

$105 CA$146

-7.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,813 CA$2,536

$1,281 CA$1,791

41.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 CA$2,204

$679 CA$950

132.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,217 CA$4,499

$2,030 CA$2,839

58.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,651 CA$3,708

$1,709 CA$2,390

55.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,590 CA$12.0K

$4,203 CA$5,878

104.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,649 CA$9,300

$3,257 CA$4,555

104.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,733 CA$5,221

$2,937 CA$4,108

27.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

4.68

-8.55%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 27, 2026

Last update for Dawson City: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.6K 57.8%

Dawson City

$679 35.6% 56.9% $896

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$401 14.7%

Dawson City

$406 21.3% 1.2% $4.7

Eating Out

Vancouver

$277 10.2%

Dawson City

$329 17.3% 18.8% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$172 6.3%

Dawson City

$232 12.2% 35.1% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$129 4.7%

Dawson City

$124 6.5% 4.2% $5.5

Getting Around

Vancouver

$105 3.9%

Dawson City

$76 4% 27.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$66 2.4%

Dawson City

$61 3.2% 7.9% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,813 in Vancouver versus $1,281 in Dawson City. 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 27% 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 $72 in Vancouver versus $102 in Dawson City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $406 – making Vancouver the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇨🇦 Dawson City

🕒 Local time

19:52 7:52 PM

Same time as Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

1,375

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Vancouver Dawson City 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Dawson City

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 Dawson City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Vancouver is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,087 per month in Vancouver and $2,859 in Dawson City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dawson City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,281 there versus $1,813 in Vancouver.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,080 per month in Vancouver and $639 in Dawson City. 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 Dawson City, where all-in costs run around $1,906, than in Vancouver at $2,725. In Dawson City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vancouver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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