Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Edmonton

For one person, living is cheaper in Edmonton: $2,188 a month against $2,725 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Edmonton
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Edmonton Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,725

/mo nomad

Edmonton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,188

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Edmonton

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

A single person spends $2,725 per month in Vancouver vs $2,188 in Edmonton, rent included.

Vancouver $2,725
Edmonton $2,188

A couple spends around $4,039 per month in Vancouver vs $3,196 in Edmonton, rent included.

Vancouver $4,039
Edmonton $3,196

A family of three spends $5,352 per month in Vancouver vs $4,203 in Edmonton, rent included.

Vancouver $5,352
Edmonton $4,203

Vancouver costs about 25% more than Edmonton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Vancouver and Edmonton sit above the global median – Vancouver by 100%, Edmonton by 61%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 CA$24.74

$19.92 CA$27.93

-11.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.4 CA$102

$78.2 CA$110

-7.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 CA$15.20

$10.14 CA$14.22

6.90%

Cappuccino

$3.91 CA$5.48

$3.96 CA$5.56

-1.26%

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

$2.10 CA$2.95

$2.34 CA$3.28

-10.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.30

$2.03 CA$2.84

-19.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 CA$8.05

$5.76 CA$8.07

-0.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.36 CA$8.92

$6.34 CA$8.89

0.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 CA$3.10

$1.62 CA$2.27

36.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 CA$3.71

$2.15 CA$3.02

22.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.68 CA$6.56

$3.03 CA$4.25

54.46%

Eggs

$4.24 CA$5.94

$3.58 CA$5.03

18.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.92 CA$16.72

$10.77 CA$15.10

10.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.12 CA$18.40

$11.31 CA$15.86

16.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.40 CA$28.60

$18.80 CA$26.37

8.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 CA$5.75

$4.13 CA$5.79

-0.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.93

$1.40 CA$1.96

-1.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 CA$5.37

$4.24 CA$5.94

-9.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.49

$3.95 CA$5.54

-0.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 CA$3.89

$2.13 CA$2.98

30.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 CA$3.98

$1.79 CA$2.51

58.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 CA$3.65

$2.48 CA$3.48

4.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.23

$1.79 CA$2.51

-11.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.87 CA$22.25

$14.32 CA$20.08

10.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 CA$19.62

$11.58 CA$16.24

20.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 CA$3.60

$3.45 CA$4.84

-25.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CA$4.23

$2.98 CA$4.18

1.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.58

$2.64 CA$3.70

-3.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 CA$118

$72.9 CA$102

15.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 CA$3.74

$2.87 CA$4.02

-6.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.42 CA$1.99

11.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.19 CA$45.13

$20.99 CA$29.42

53.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 CA$2.03

$1.18 CA$1.66

22.88%

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

$27.5K CA$38.5K

0.06%

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

$21.3K CA$29.9K

$20.7K CA$29.1K

2.87%

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

$82.5 CA$116

$231 CA$324

-64.26%

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

$37.46 CA$52.5

$43.33 CA$60.8

-13.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$72.5

$54.8 CA$76.9

-5.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.52 CA$56.8

$43.95 CA$61.6

-7.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.69 CA$17.79

$18.43 CA$25.83

-31.14%

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 CA$17.76

$12.60 CA$17.67

0.48%

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

$1,080 CA$1,514

$626 CA$878

72.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K CA$28.2K

$9,741 CA$13.7K

106.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$82.0

$44.27 CA$62.1

32.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.10 CA$47.81

$47.59 CA$66.7

-28.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 CA$136

$87.9 CA$123

10.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.4 CA$137

$97.1 CA$136

0.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,813 CA$2,542

$1,088 CA$1,526

66.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 CA$2,209

$913 CA$1,280

72.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,217 CA$4,510

$1,720 CA$2,411

87.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,651 CA$3,718

$1,382 CA$1,937

91.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,590 CA$12.0K

$2,243 CA$3,145

282.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,649 CA$9,323

$1,946 CA$2,729

241.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,733 CA$5,234

$3,428 CA$4,807

8.89%

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 Edmonton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.6K 57.8%

Edmonton

$913 41.7% 42.1% $663

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$401 14.7%

Edmonton

$363 16.6% 9.5% $38

Eating Out

Vancouver

$277 10.2%

Edmonton

$296 13.5% 6.9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$172 6.3%

Edmonton

$329 15% 91.6% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$129 4.7%

Edmonton

$125 5.7% 3.5% $4.5

Getting Around

Vancouver

$105 3.9%

Edmonton

$93 4.3% 10.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$66 2.4%

Edmonton

$69 3.2% 5% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,813 in Vancouver versus $1,088 in Edmonton. 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 9% 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 $78 in Edmonton. Groceries tell a different story – $401 in Vancouver vs $363 in Edmonton – so Edmonton wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇨🇦 Edmonton

🕒 Local time

20:39 8:39 PM

21:39 9:39 PM

1 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

1,010,899

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Vancouver vs Edmonton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,725 in Vancouver, $2,188 in Edmonton – roughly 25% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,087 per month in Vancouver and $3,282 in Edmonton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Edmonton, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,088 there versus $1,813 in Vancouver.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,725 in Vancouver and $2,188 in Edmonton. That’s a gap of about 25%.

Public transport costs about 13% less in Edmonton. 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 $2,188 in Edmonton, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Edmonton – 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 Edmonton. 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.