Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Kingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Kingston: $2,224 a month against $2,684 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Kingston

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

A single person spends $2,684 per month in Vancouver vs $2,224 in Kingston, rent included.

Vancouver $2,684
Kingston $2,224

A couple spends around $3,878 per month in Vancouver vs $3,051 in Kingston, rent included.

Vancouver $3,878
Kingston $3,051

A family of three spends $5,072 per month in Vancouver vs $3,879 in Kingston, rent included.

Vancouver $5,072
Kingston $3,879

Vancouver costs about 21% more than Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Vancouver and Kingston sit above the global median – Vancouver by 100%, Kingston by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 CA$24.66

$14.71 CA$20.97

17.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 CA$98.3

$62.7 CA$89.3

10.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.05

$11.17 CA$15.92

-5.46%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.54

$3.51 CA$5.00

10.83%

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

$2.05 CA$2.93

$2.01 CA$2.87

1.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$1.31 CA$1.86

23.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.90

$5.87 CA$8.37

-5.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 CA$9.02

$6.27 CA$8.93

0.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.30

$2.04 CA$2.90

13.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 CA$3.56

$2.44 CA$3.48

2.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 CA$6.33

$3.29 CA$4.69

34.95%

Eggs

$4.07 CA$5.80

$2.90 CA$4.14

40.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 CA$16.08

$10.27 CA$14.64

9.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.42 CA$19.13

$11.31 CA$16.12

18.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.10 CA$28.65

$9.99 CA$14.24

101.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.78

$2.89 CA$4.12

40.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.90

$1.14 CA$1.63

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.57

$3.51 CA$5.00

11.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.78

$3.55 CA$5.06

14.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.88

$3.30 CA$4.71

-17.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 CA$4.12

$2.24 CA$3.19

29.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 CA$3.61

$2.61 CA$3.72

-3.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$1.58 CA$2.26

2.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.57 CA$22.19

$13.40 CA$19.10

16.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 CA$20.03

$12.16 CA$17.33

15.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CA$3.83

$2.17 CA$3.09

23.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 CA$4.26

$3.28 CA$4.68

-8.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.48

$2.48 CA$3.54

-1.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 CA$119

$56.2 CA$80.0

48.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 CA$3.87

$3.07 CA$4.37

-11.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 CA$2.24

$1.50 CA$2.14

4.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.39 CA$44.75

$31.06 CA$44.27

1.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CA$1.96

$1.14 CA$1.63

21.05%

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

$28.1K CA$40.0K

$27.6K CA$39.3K

1.84%

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

$19.8K CA$28.2K

$18.7K CA$26.7K

5.91%

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

$81.2 CA$116

$120 CA$171

-32.41%

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

$37.45 CA$53.4

$38.49 CA$54.9

-2.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 CA$73.2

$63.2 CA$90.1

-18.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.47 CA$62.0

$28.06 CA$40.00

54.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 CA$17.86

$8.84 CA$12.60

41.74%

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 CA$17.88

$10.41 CA$14.84

20.46%

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

$1,094 CA$1,560

$514 CA$733

112.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K CA$28.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 CA$81.3

$51.7 CA$73.7

10.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 CA$46.66

$32.55 CA$46.39

0.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 CA$132

$79.7 CA$114

16.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 CA$134

$85.3 CA$122

10.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 CA$2,488

$1,535 CA$2,188

13.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 CA$2,115

$1,181 CA$1,684

25.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,998 CA$4,273

$2,287 CA$3,260

31.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,422 CA$3,453

$1,544 CA$2,201

56.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,002 CA$11.4K

$3,384 CA$4,824

136.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,457 CA$9,204

$2,449 CA$3,491

163.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,799 CA$5,416

$2,979 CA$4,246

27.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

4.61

-7.16%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 3, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6%

Kingston

$1.2K 53.3% 20.4% $303

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$399 15.2%

Kingston

$326 14.7% 18.3% $73

Eating Out

Vancouver

$272 10.4%

Kingston

$248 11.2% 8.6% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$170 6.5%

Kingston

$222 10% 30.5% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.8%

Kingston

$112 5.1% 9.9% $12

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 4%

Kingston

$77 3.5% 26.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$69 2.6%

Kingston

$49 2.2% 28.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,745 in Vancouver versus $1,535 in Kingston. 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 28% 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 $69.0 in Vancouver versus $63.0 in Kingston. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $326 – making Kingston the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇨🇦 Kingston

🕒 Local time

01:17 1:17 AM

04:17 4:17 AM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

123,363

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Vancouver Kingston 3,540 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,684 in Vancouver, $2,224 in Kingston – roughly 21% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,026 per month in Vancouver and $3,336 in Kingston. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kingston, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,684 in Vancouver and $2,224 in Kingston. That's a gap of about 21%.

Public transport costs about 48% less in Kingston. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Kingston, where all-in costs run around $2,224, than in Vancouver at $2,684. In Kingston it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vancouver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Kingston. 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.