Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Laurel, MD

For one person, living costs are similar in Vancouver and in Laurel, MD: $2,684 and $2,596 a month, rent and utilities included.

128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
Learn more

Vancouver Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Laurel, MD
Learn more

Laurel, MD Living Index

Jump to prices

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

Laurel, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,596

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Laurel, MD

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,684 in Vancouver versus $2,596 in Laurel, MD.

Vancouver $2,684
Laurel, MD $2,596

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,878 in Vancouver versus $4,345 in Laurel, MD.

Vancouver $3,878
Laurel, MD $4,345

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,072 in Vancouver versus $6,095 in Laurel, MD.

Vancouver $5,072
Laurel, MD $6,095

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 100% above, Laurel, MD 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 CA$24.66

$17.81 $17.81

-2.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 CA$98.3

$94.7 $94.7

-27.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.05

$10.92 $10.92

-3.30%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.54

$5.43 $5.43

-28.36%

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

$2.05 CA$2.93

$2.95 $2.95

-30.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$2.66 $2.66

-39.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.90

$6.88 $6.88

-19.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 CA$9.02

$8.18 $8.18

-22.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.30

$1.10 $1.10

110.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 CA$3.56

$4.10 $4.10

-39.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 CA$6.33

$3.79 $3.79

17.15%

Eggs

$4.07 CA$5.80

$4.65 $4.65

-12.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 CA$16.08

$12.67 $12.67

-10.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.42 CA$19.13

$12.95 $12.95

3.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.10 CA$28.65

$18.42 $18.42

9.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.78

$6.19 $6.19

-34.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.90

$1.58 $1.58

-15.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.57

$4.19 $4.19

-6.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.78

$4.16 $4.16

-2.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.88

$2.12 $2.12

28.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 CA$4.12

$2.77 $2.77

4.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 CA$3.61

$2.39 $2.39

5.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$2.51 $2.51

-35.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.57 CA$22.19

$14.12 $14.12

10.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 CA$20.03

$15.88 $15.88

-11.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CA$3.83

$1.68 $1.68

60.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 CA$4.26

$3.15 $3.15

-5.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.48

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 CA$119

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 CA$3.87

$1.85 $1.85

46.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 CA$2.24

$1.40 $1.40

12.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.39 CA$44.75

$23.76 $23.76

32.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CA$1.96

$1.04 $1.04

32.69%

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

$28.1K CA$40.0K

$22.7K $22.7K

23.80%

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

$19.8K CA$28.2K

$24.0K $24.0K

-17.42%

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

$81.2 CA$116

$206 $206

-60.57%

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

$37.45 CA$53.4

$67.7 $67.7

-44.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 CA$73.2

$89.5 $89.5

-42.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.47 CA$62.0

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 CA$17.86

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 CA$17.88

$15.22 $15.22

-17.61%

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

$1,094 CA$1,560

$1,972 $1,972

-44.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K CA$28.4K

$34.5K $34.5K

-42.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 CA$81.3

$51.9 $51.9

9.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 CA$46.66

$56.8 $56.8

-42.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 CA$132

$91.2 $91.2

1.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 CA$134

$110 $110

-14.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 CA$2,488

$1,337 $1,337

30.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 CA$2,115

$1,296 $1,296

14.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,998 CA$4,273

$2,402 $2,402

24.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,422 CA$3,453

$3,043 $3,043

-20.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,002 CA$11.4K

$2,274 $2,274

251.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,457 CA$9,204

$2,508 $2,508

157.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,799 CA$5,416

$5,508 $5,508

-31.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

6.72

-36.31%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 3, 2026

Last update for Laurel, MD: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6%

Laurel, MD

$1.3K 50.4% 12.6% $187

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$399 15.2%

Laurel, MD

$420 16.3% 5.3% $21

Eating Out

Vancouver

$272 10.4%

Laurel, MD

$314 12.2% 15.4% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$170 6.5%

Laurel, MD

$363 14.1% 114% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.8%

Laurel, MD

$140 5.4% 12.2% $15

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 4%

Laurel, MD

$8.9 * 0.3% 91.5% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$69 2.6%

Laurel, MD

$30 * 1.2% 55.6% $38

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 $1,745 in Vancouver and $1,337 in Laurel, MD. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Laurel, MD pays 45% 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 $95.0 in Laurel, MD for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $420 per month, with Vancouver cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇺🇸 Laurel, MD

🕒 Local time

02:42 2:42 AM

05:42 5:42 AM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

18,540

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 11, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Vancouver Laurel, MD 3,790 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Laurel, MD

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 Laurel, MD: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver and Laurel, MD differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,684 vs $2,596 including rent). Laurel, MD is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Laurel, MD. 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: $1,745 in Vancouver versus $1,337 in Laurel, MD. 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 $2,684 per month in Vancouver versus $2,596 in Laurel, MD – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,596 in Laurel, MD versus $2,684 in Vancouver, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Laurel, MD but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Laurel, MD 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 Laurel, MD 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.