Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Durham, NC

For one person, living costs are similar in Vancouver and in Durham, NC: $2,626 and $2,554 a month, rent and utilities included.

129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Durham, NC
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Durham, NC Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Durham, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Durham, NC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,626 in Vancouver versus $2,554 in Durham, NC.

Vancouver $2,626
Durham, NC $2,554

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,841 in Vancouver versus $3,914 in Durham, NC.

Vancouver $3,841
Durham, NC $3,914

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,056 in Vancouver versus $5,274 in Durham, NC.

Vancouver $5,056
Durham, NC $5,274

Living in Vancouver is roughly 3% more expensive than in Durham, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 95% above, Durham, NC 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.19 CA$24.30

$15.60 $15.60

10.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.6

$103 $103

-33.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 CA$15.00

$10.06 $10.06

5.47%

Cappuccino

$3.83 CA$5.42

$4.61 $4.61

-16.92%

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

$2.04 CA$2.88

$3.15 $3.15

-35.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 CA$2.34

$2.06 $2.06

-19.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.83

$5.85 $5.85

-5.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 CA$8.77

$6.96 $6.96

-10.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CA$3.02

$1.18 $1.18

81.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 CA$3.54

$4.96 $4.96

-49.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.49 CA$6.35

$4.45 $4.45

0.90%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.78

$3.48 $3.48

17.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 CA$16.58

$19.27 $19.27

-39.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 CA$18.54

$16.78 $16.78

-21.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.50 CA$27.57

$17.16 $17.16

13.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$5.73 $5.73

-30.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.94

$1.85 $1.85

-25.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.48

$3.76 $3.76

3.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.58

$4.60 $4.60

-14.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.29 $2.29

18.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.05

$3.89 $3.89

-26.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$2.71 $2.71

-9.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$1.97 $1.97

-20.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.48 CA$21.88

$7.98 $7.98

93.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.75 CA$19.44

$15.09 $15.09

-8.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$1.48 $1.48

77.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 CA$4.09

$4.00 $4.00

-27.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$1.52 $1.52

63.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.0 CA$117

$25.28 $25.28

228.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$1.96 $1.96

38.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.24

$0.60 $0.60

163.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.05 CA$43.89

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$0.96 $0.96

42.71%

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

$27.7K CA$39.1K

$35.0K $35.0K

-21.09%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$24.8K $24.8K

-20.72%

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

$82.5 CA$117

$224 $224

-63.17%

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

$37.26 CA$52.7

$56.2 $56.2

-33.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$73.1

$70.9 $70.9

-27.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.87 CA$60.6

$49.70 $49.70

-13.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.40 CA$17.53

Cinema Ticket

$12.13 CA$17.15

$13.19 $13.19

-8.04%

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

$1,102 CA$1,557

$1,542 $1,542

-28.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K CA$28.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$79.7

$44.17 $44.17

27.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 CA$47.26

$34.03 $34.03

-1.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 CA$133

$92.3 $92.3

1.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 CA$133

$135 $135

-30.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 CA$2,509

$1,710 $1,710

3.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 CA$2,116

$1,220 $1,220

22.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,082 CA$4,357

$2,543 $2,543

21.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,416 CA$3,416

$2,210 $2,210

9.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,069 CA$11.4K

$2,757 $2,757

192.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,449 CA$9,118

$2,680 $2,680

140.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,776 CA$5,339

$4,585 $4,585

-17.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

6.81

-37.15%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Last update for Durham, NC: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Durham, NC

$1.2K 47.8% 18.5% $276

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$392 14.9%

Durham, NC

$459 18% 16.9% $66

Eating Out

Vancouver

$270 10.3%

Durham, NC

$274 10.7% 1.6% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$171 6.5%

Durham, NC

$351 13.7% 105% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$125 4.8%

Durham, NC

$137 5.4% 10.1% $13

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 3.9%

Durham, NC

$36 1.4% 64.9% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$67 2.6%

Durham, NC

$76 3% 13.3% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,775 in Vancouver and $1,710 in Durham, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durham, NC pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69.0 in Vancouver vs $103 in Durham, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $459 per month, with Vancouver cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇺🇸 Durham, NC

🕒 Local time

04:16 4:16 AM

07:16 7:16 AM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

283,506

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Vancouver Durham, NC 3,840 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Durham, NC

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 Durham, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Durham, NC wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Vancouver. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Durham, NC the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Durham, NC. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,775 in Vancouver versus $1,710 in Durham, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Durham, NC runs roughly 228% less than in Vancouver. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,102 in Vancouver versus $1,542 in Durham, NC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Durham, NC is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Durham, NC delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,554 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Durham, NC hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Vancouver and Durham, NC are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Durham, NC gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.