Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Fajardo

For one person, living is cheaper in Fajardo: $1,251 a month against $2,626 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Fajardo
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Fajardo Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Fajardo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,251

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Fajardo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,626 in Vancouver versus $1,251 in Fajardo.

Vancouver $2,626
Fajardo $1,251

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,841 in Vancouver versus $1,962 in Fajardo.

Vancouver $3,841
Fajardo $1,962

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,056 in Vancouver versus $2,674 in Fajardo.

Vancouver $5,056
Fajardo $2,674

Living in Vancouver is roughly 110% more expensive than in Fajardo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Vancouver is 95% above, Fajardo is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.19 CA$24.30

$9.97 $9.97

72.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.6

$80.7 $80.7

-14.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 CA$15.00

$9.09 $9.09

16.72%

Cappuccino

$3.83 CA$5.42

$3.69 $3.69

3.79%

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

$2.04 CA$2.88

$1.84 $1.84

10.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 CA$2.34

$1.45 $1.45

13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.83

$3.02 $3.02

83.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 CA$8.77

$5.13 $5.13

20.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CA$3.02

$2.14 $2.14

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 CA$3.54

$3.72 $3.72

-32.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.49 CA$6.35

$2.34 $2.34

91.88%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.78

$7.62 $7.62

-46.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 CA$16.58

$12.30 $12.30

-4.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 CA$18.54

$9.37 $9.37

39.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.50 CA$27.57

$13.16 $13.16

48.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$4.97 $4.97

-19.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.94

$2.67 $2.67

-48.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.48

$4.97 $4.97

-21.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.58

$4.91 $4.91

-19.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$3.72 $3.72

-26.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.05

$3.87 $3.87

-26.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$3.36 $3.36

-26.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$1.66 $1.66

-6.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.48 CA$21.88

$11.26 $11.26

37.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.75 CA$19.44

$15.57 $15.57

-11.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$3.02 $3.02

-12.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 CA$4.09

$4.06 $4.06

-28.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 CA$3.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.0 CA$117

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.43 $2.43

11.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.24

$1.46 $1.46

8.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.05 CA$43.89

$41.97 $41.97

-26.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$1.23 $1.23

11.38%

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

$27.7K CA$39.1K

$40.3K $40.3K

-31.39%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$27.5K $27.5K

-28.54%

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

$82.5 CA$117

$325 $325

-74.59%

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

$37.26 CA$52.7

$70.1 $70.1

-46.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$73.1

$69.4 $69.4

-25.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.87 CA$60.6

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.40 CA$17.53

Cinema Ticket

$12.13 CA$17.15

$10.38 $10.38

16.86%

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

$1,102 CA$1,557

$809 $809

36.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K CA$28.0K

$12.4K $12.4K

59.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$79.7

$56.0 $56.0

0.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 CA$47.26

$61.1 $61.1

-45.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 CA$133

$109 $109

-13.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 CA$133

$114 $114

-17.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 CA$2,509

$982 $982

80.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 CA$2,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,082 CA$4,357

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,416 CA$3,416

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,069 CA$11.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,449 CA$9,118

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,776 CA$5,339

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

6.55

-34.66%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Last update for Fajardo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Fajardo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$392 14.9%

Fajardo

$414 33.1% 5.4% $21

Eating Out

Vancouver

$270 10.3%

Fajardo

$190 15.2% 29.7% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$171 6.5%

Fajardo

$464 37.1% 171% $293

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$125 4.8%

Fajardo

$153 12.2% 22.4% $28

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 3.9%

Fajardo

$9.7 * 0.8% 90.6% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$67 2.6%

Fajardo

$21 * 1.7% 69.1% $46

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,775 in Vancouver and $982 in Fajardo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69.0 in Vancouver vs $81.0 in Fajardo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $414 per month, with Vancouver cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇵🇷 Fajardo

🕒 Local time

12:27 12:27 PM

15:27 3:27 PM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

11,647

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vancouver Fajardo 6,130 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Fajardo

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 Fajardo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fajardo wins on cost – living expenses run 110% lower than in Vancouver. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fajardo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,939 in Vancouver and $1,876 in Fajardo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,775 in Vancouver versus $982 in Fajardo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Vancouver pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,626 per month in Vancouver versus $1,251 in Fajardo – a 110% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,251 in Fajardo versus $2,626 in Vancouver, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fajardo but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Fajardo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Fajardo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 110% less than in Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.