Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Drumheller

For one person, living is cheaper in Drumheller: $2,343 a month against $2,725 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
113

Cost of Living Index in Drumheller
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Drumheller Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,725

/mo nomad

Drumheller

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,343

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Drumheller

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

A single person spends $2,725 per month in Vancouver vs $2,343 in Drumheller, rent included.

Vancouver $2,725
Drumheller $2,343

A couple spends around $4,039 per month in Vancouver vs $3,253 in Drumheller, rent included.

Vancouver $4,039
Drumheller $3,253

A family of three spends $5,352 per month in Vancouver vs $4,164 in Drumheller, rent included.

Vancouver $5,352
Drumheller $4,164

Vancouver costs about 16% more than Drumheller, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Vancouver and Drumheller sit above the global median – Vancouver by 100%, Drumheller by 72%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 CA$24.66

$19.57 CA$27.34

-9.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.4 CA$101

$42.95 CA$60.0

68.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 CA$15.14

$10.12 CA$14.14

7.11%

Cappuccino

$3.91 CA$5.47

$2.92 CA$4.07

33.90%

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

$2.10 CA$2.94

$1.48 CA$2.07

41.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.29

$1.54 CA$2.15

6.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 CA$8.02

$3.51 CA$4.91

63.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.36 CA$8.89

$4.26 CA$5.95

49.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 CA$3.09

$0.96 CA$1.34

130.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 CA$3.69

$2.12 CA$2.97

24.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.68 CA$6.53

$2.99 CA$4.17

56.52%

Eggs

$4.24 CA$5.92

$3.62 CA$5.06

17.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.92 CA$16.66

$11.01 CA$15.38

8.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.12 CA$18.33

$11.33 CA$15.82

15.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.40 CA$28.50

$19.08 CA$26.66

6.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 CA$5.73

$4.27 CA$5.97

-3.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.92

$1.41 CA$1.97

-2.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 CA$5.35

$4.22 CA$5.89

-9.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.47

$4.02 CA$5.61

-2.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 CA$3.88

$1.50 CA$2.10

84.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 CA$3.96

$1.83 CA$2.56

55.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 CA$3.63

$2.36 CA$3.30

10.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.22

$1.89 CA$2.65

-15.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.87 CA$22.17

$14.15 CA$19.77

12.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 CA$19.55

$11.29 CA$15.77

24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 CA$3.59

$3.49 CA$4.88

-26.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CA$4.21

$2.94 CA$4.11

2.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.57

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 CA$118

$69.6 CA$97.2

20.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 CA$3.73

$2.98 CA$4.16

-10.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.41 CA$1.97

12.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.19 CA$44.97

$21.40 CA$29.89

50.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 CA$2.03

$1.11 CA$1.54

30.63%

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

$27.5K CA$38.4K

$27.9K CA$38.9K

-1.31%

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

$21.3K CA$29.8K

$20.3K CA$28.4K

4.95%

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

$82.5 CA$115

$232 CA$324

-64.43%

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

$37.46 CA$52.3

$43.84 CA$61.3

-14.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$72.2

$54.4 CA$76.0

-5.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.52 CA$56.6

$40.05 CA$56.0

1.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.69 CA$17.73

$15.49 CA$21.63

-18.08%

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 CA$17.69

$12.70 CA$17.74

-0.31%

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

$1,080 CA$1,508

$652 CA$911

65.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K CA$28.1K

$9,503 CA$13.3K

111.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$81.7

$44.89 CA$62.7

30.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.10 CA$47.64

$47.42 CA$66.3

-28.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 CA$135

$87.0 CA$122

11.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.4 CA$136

$95.4 CA$133

2.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,813 CA$2,533

$1,287 CA$1,798

40.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 CA$2,201

$1,117 CA$1,560

41.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,217 CA$4,494

$1,701 CA$2,377

89.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,651 CA$3,704

$1,616 CA$2,258

64.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,590 CA$12.0K

$4,235 CA$5,917

102.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,649 CA$9,289

$4,082 CA$5,703

62.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,733 CA$5,215

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 27, 2026

Last update for Drumheller: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.6K 57.8%

Drumheller

$1.1K 47.7% 29.1% $459

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$401 14.7%

Drumheller

$357 15.3% 10.9% $44

Eating Out

Vancouver

$277 10.2%

Drumheller

$260 11.1% 6.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$172 6.3%

Drumheller

$330 14.1% 92.4% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$129 4.7%

Drumheller

$124 5.3% 4.2% $5.5

Getting Around

Vancouver

$105 3.9%

Drumheller

$90 3.8% 14.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$66 2.4%

Drumheller

$65 2.8% 0.6% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,813 in Vancouver versus $1,287 in Drumheller. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in Vancouver versus $43 in Drumheller. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $357 – making Drumheller the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇨🇦 Drumheller

🕒 Local time

03:08 3:08 AM

04:08 4:08 AM

1 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

8,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Vancouver Drumheller 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Drumheller

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 Drumheller: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,725 in Vancouver, $2,343 in Drumheller – Drumheller comes out roughly 14% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,087 per month in Vancouver and $3,514 in Drumheller. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Drumheller, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,287 there versus $1,813 in Vancouver.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,725 in Vancouver and $2,343 in Drumheller. That makes Drumheller about 14% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 17% less in Drumheller. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,725 in Vancouver and $2,343 in Drumheller, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Drumheller – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Drumheller is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 14% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.