Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Estevan

For one person, living is cheaper in Estevan: $2,230 a month against $2,662 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Vancouver
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,662
/mo nomad
Estevan
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,230
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Estevan

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

A single person spends $2,662 per month in Vancouver vs $2,230 in Estevan, rent included.

  • Vancouver $2,662
  • Estevan $2,230

A couple spends around $3,916 per month in Vancouver vs $3,133 in Estevan, rent included.

  • Vancouver $3,916
  • Estevan $3,133

A family of three spends $5,170 per month in Vancouver vs $4,037 in Estevan, rent included.

  • Vancouver $5,170
  • Estevan $4,037

Vancouver costs about 19% more than Estevan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Vancouver and Estevan sit above the global median – Vancouver by 96%, Estevan by 65%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Vancouver
Estevan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.01 CA$25.46
$21.21 CA$29.99
-15.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.0 CA$100
$66.3 CA$93.8
7.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.83 CA$15.31
$5.54 CA$7.83
95.49%
Cappuccino
$3.94 CA$5.56
$2.16 CA$3.06
82.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 CA$3.01
$2.25 CA$3.18
-5.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 CA$2.34
$1.78 CA$2.52
-6.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.73 CA$8.10
$6.76 CA$9.55
-15.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.40 CA$9.04
$5.88 CA$8.31
8.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Vancouver
Estevan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.15 CA$3.04
$0.97 CA$1.37
121.65%
White Bread (500g)
$2.55 CA$3.61
$1.16 CA$1.64
119.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.56 CA$6.45
$3.10 CA$4.38
47.10%
Eggs
$4.06 CA$5.74
$1.94 CA$2.75
109.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.14 CA$17.17
$13.71 CA$19.38
-11.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.23 CA$18.71
$6.36 CA$8.99
108.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.24 CA$28.62
$16.11 CA$22.77
25.64%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 CA$5.73
$4.18 CA$5.90
-3.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 CA$2.00
$1.19 CA$1.68
19.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.97 CA$5.62
$3.93 CA$5.56
1.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.91 CA$5.53
$3.57 CA$5.05
9.52%
Potato (1kg)
$2.64 CA$3.74
$2.29 CA$3.23
15.28%
Onion (1kg)
$2.82 CA$3.98
$2.37 CA$3.35
18.99%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.48 CA$3.51
$1.40 CA$1.98
77.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 CA$2.24
$0.41 CA$0.57
287.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$15.30 CA$21.64
$14.50 CA$20.50
5.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.32 CA$20.24
$13.39 CA$18.93
6.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.57 CA$3.63
$3.46 CA$4.90
-25.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 CA$4.12
$3.30 CA$4.67
-11.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Vancouver
Estevan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.55 CA$3.60
$2.00 CA$2.83
27.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$84.6 CA$120
$61.5 CA$87.0
37.43%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.64 CA$3.73
$3.70 CA$5.22
-28.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.63 CA$2.31
$0.80 CA$1.13
103.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$31.77 CA$44.91
$21.13 CA$29.87
50.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 CA$2.01
$1.14 CA$1.61
24.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.1K CA$38.3K
$28.0K CA$39.5K
-3.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.6K CA$30.5K
$21.6K CA$30.5K
0.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vancouver
Estevan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$81.3 CA$115
$127 CA$179
-35.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.20 CA$52.6
$51.7 CA$73.0
-27.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.6 CA$74.4
$56.3 CA$79.6
-6.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Vancouver
Estevan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.34 CA$62.7
$40.96 CA$57.9
8.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.37 CA$17.49
$19.95 CA$28.21
-37.99%
Cinema Ticket
$12.62 CA$17.85
$10.44 CA$14.76
20.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Vancouver
Estevan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,093 CA$1,544
$466 CA$659
134.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.0K CA$28.2K
$10.7K CA$15.1K
86.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Vancouver
Estevan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.5 CA$82.7
$52.0 CA$73.5
12.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.35 CA$47.14
$37.50 CA$53.0
-11.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.3 CA$136
$94.2 CA$133
2.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$95.6 CA$135
$108 CA$153
-11.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Vancouver
Estevan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,765 CA$2,495
$1,242 CA$1,756
42.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,508 CA$2,132
$1,154 CA$1,631
30.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,122 CA$4,414
$1,881 CA$2,659
66.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,469 CA$3,490
$1,584 CA$2,240
55.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,173 CA$11.6K
$4,391 CA$6,208
86.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,354 CA$8,982
$3,310 CA$4,680
91.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Vancouver
Estevan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,592 CA$5,078
$4,314 CA$6,099
-16.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.28
4.58
-6.55%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 17, 2026

Last update for Estevan: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Vancouver
$1.5K
Estevan
$1.2K 23.5% $355
Groceries & Markets
Vancouver
$399
Estevan
$297 25.5% $102
Eating Out
Vancouver
$280
Estevan
$274 2.3% $6.4
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vancouver
$171
Estevan
$235 37.1% $63
Clothing & Footwear
Vancouver
$128
Estevan
$131 3% $3.8
Getting Around
Vancouver
$106
Estevan
$77 26.8% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Vancouver
$70
Estevan
$62 11.1% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,765 in Vancouver versus $1,242 in Estevan. 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 20% higher in Estevan, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Vancouver versus $66.0 in Estevan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $297 – making Estevan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Vancouver
🇨🇦 Estevan
🕒 Local time
06:21 6:21 AM
07:21 7:21 AM
1 h ahead of Vancouver
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
631,486
11,054
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Vancouver Estevan 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Vancouver
  • Estevan

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 Estevan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Vancouver and in Estevan compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,662 in Vancouver, $2,230 in Estevan – roughly 19% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Vancouver compared to Estevan?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,992 per month in Vancouver and $3,344 in Estevan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Vancouver and Estevan?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Estevan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Vancouver and Estevan?
Kindergarten costs $1,093 per month in Vancouver and $466 in Estevan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 34% more in Vancouver, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Estevan, where all-in costs run around $2,230, than in Vancouver at $2,662. In Estevan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vancouver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Vancouver or Estevan?
Families tend to lean toward Estevan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How do I decide between Vancouver and Estevan?
If budget matters most, go with Estevan. 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.

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