Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Mayaguez

For one person, living is cheaper in Mayaguez: $1,288 a month against $2,626 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Vancouver
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,626
/mo nomad
Mayaguez
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
$1,288
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Mayaguez

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,626 in Vancouver versus $1,288 in Mayaguez.

  • Vancouver $2,626
  • Mayaguez $1,288

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,841 in Vancouver versus $1,991 in Mayaguez.

  • Vancouver $3,841
  • Mayaguez $1,991

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,056 in Vancouver versus $2,694 in Mayaguez.

  • Vancouver $5,056
  • Mayaguez $2,694

Living in Vancouver is roughly 104% more expensive than in Mayaguez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Vancouver is 95% above, Mayaguez is 5% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Vancouver
Mayaguez
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.19 CA$24.30
$12.78 $12.78
34.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$69.1 CA$97.6
$67.1 $67.1
2.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.61 CA$15.00
$9.01 $9.01
17.76%
Cappuccino
$3.83 CA$5.42
$3.60 $3.60
6.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 CA$2.88
$1.25 $1.25
63.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 CA$2.34
$1.11 $1.11
48.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.54 CA$7.83
$2.98 $2.98
85.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.20 CA$8.77
$4.38 $4.38
41.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Vancouver
Mayaguez
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.14 CA$3.02
$2.14 $2.14
-
White Bread (500g)
$2.51 CA$3.54
$3.68 $3.68
-31.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.49 CA$6.35
$2.32 $2.32
93.53%
Eggs
$4.09 CA$5.78
$7.34 $7.34
-44.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.73 CA$16.58
$12.75 $12.75
-8.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.11 CA$18.54
$9.68 $9.68
35.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.50 CA$27.57
$13.06 $13.06
49.31%
Apples (1kg)
$4.00 CA$5.65
$5.04 $5.04
-20.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 CA$1.94
$2.54 $2.54
-45.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.88 CA$5.48
$4.83 $4.83
-19.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.95 CA$5.58
$4.94 $4.94
-20.04%
Potato (1kg)
$2.72 CA$3.85
$3.74 $3.74
-27.27%
Onion (1kg)
$2.86 CA$4.05
$3.93 $3.93
-27.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.46 CA$3.48
$3.42 $3.42
-28.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.56 CA$2.21
$1.61 $1.61
-3.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$15.48 CA$21.88
$11.92 $11.92
29.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.75 CA$19.44
$15.54 $15.54
-11.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.63 CA$3.72
$2.96 $2.96
-11.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.89 CA$4.09
$4.06 $4.06
-28.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Vancouver
Mayaguez
Difference
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
$2.47 $2.47
10.12%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.58 CA$2.24
$1.48 $1.48
6.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$31.05 CA$43.89
$41.76 $41.76
-25.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.37 CA$1.94
$1.01 $1.01
35.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.7K CA$39.1K
$39.3K $39.3K
-29.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.6K CA$27.8K
$27.4K $27.4K
-28.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vancouver
Mayaguez
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 CA$117
$318 $318
-74.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.26 CA$52.7
$69.1 $69.1
-46.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.7 CA$73.1
$69.9 $69.9
-26.04%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Vancouver
Mayaguez
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.87 CA$60.6
$27.89 $27.89
53.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.40 CA$17.53
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.13 CA$17.15
$10.66 $10.66
13.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Vancouver
Mayaguez
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,102 CA$1,557
$814 $814
35.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.8K CA$28.0K
$12.5K $12.5K
58.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Vancouver
Mayaguez
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.4 CA$79.7
$56.5 $56.5
-0.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.43 CA$47.26
$61.4 $61.4
-45.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.9 CA$133
$111 $111
-15.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.8 CA$133
$113 $113
-17.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Vancouver
Mayaguez
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,775 CA$2,509
-
-
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
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Vancouver
Mayaguez
Difference
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 Mayaguez: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Vancouver
$1.5K
Mayaguez
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Vancouver
$392
Mayaguez
$413 5.3% $21
Eating Out
Vancouver
$270
Mayaguez
$206 23.9% $65
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vancouver
$171
Mayaguez
$457 166% $285
Clothing & Footwear
Vancouver
$125
Mayaguez
$154 23.3% $29
Getting Around
Vancouver
$104
Mayaguez
$9.9 * 90.4% $94
Sport & Entertainment
Vancouver
$67
Mayaguez
$49 26.7% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $69.0 in Vancouver vs $67.0 in Mayaguez. Groceries flip the comparison at $392 vs $413, with Vancouver cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Vancouver
🇵🇷 Mayaguez
🕒 Local time
11:42 11:42 AM
14:42 2:42 PM
3 h ahead of Vancouver
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
631,486
57,566
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Vancouver Mayaguez 6,040 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Vancouver
  • Mayaguez

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 Mayaguez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mayaguez cheaper than Vancouver?
Mayaguez is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 104% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $3,939 in Vancouver and $1,932 in Mayaguez 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.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $1,102 in Vancouver versus $814 in Mayaguez. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Vancouver or in Mayaguez?
Dining out is cheaper in Mayaguez – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $69.0 in Vancouver. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Vancouver or in Mayaguez?
At $1,288 in Mayaguez versus $2,626 in Vancouver, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mayaguez but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Mayaguez the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Vancouver or in Mayaguez?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Mayaguez gentler on the wallet – expenses run 104% less than in Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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