Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Merida

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $814 a month against $2,626 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $21,700 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index

Jump to prices

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Merida

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Merida

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

A single person spends $2,626 per month in Vancouver vs $814 in Merida, rent included.

Vancouver $2,626
Merida $814

A couple spends around $3,841 per month in Vancouver vs $1,418 in Merida, rent included.

Vancouver $3,841
Merida $1,418

A family of three spends $5,056 per month in Vancouver vs $2,021 in Merida, rent included.

Vancouver $5,056
Merida $2,021

Vancouver costs about 223% more than Merida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Vancouver sits 95% above the global median, while Merida is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.19 CA$24.30

$11.90 VES 10.4K

44.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.6

$60.9 VES 53.4K

13.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 CA$15.00

$10.82 VES 9,500

-1.94%

Cappuccino

$3.83 CA$5.42

$2.54 VES 2,226

50.79%

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

$2.04 CA$2.88

$2.13 VES 1,867

-4.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 CA$2.34

$1.36 VES 1,195

21.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.83

$1.97 VES 1,727

181.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 CA$8.77

$3.01 VES 2,644

105.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CA$3.02

$2.04 VES 1,788

4.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 CA$3.54

$3.32 VES 2,913

-24.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.49 CA$6.35

$2.00 VES 1,759

124.50%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.78

$2.51 VES 2,201

62.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 CA$16.58

$6.79 VES 5,965

72.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 CA$18.54

$7.87 VES 6,912

66.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.50 CA$27.57

$7.31 VES 6,421

166.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$5.11 VES 4,488

-21.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.94

$1.44 VES 1,267

-4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.48

$2.76 VES 2,426

40.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.58

$2.36 VES 2,070

67.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$1.98 VES 1,735

37.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.05

$1.36 VES 1,194

110.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$1.49 VES 1,307

65.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$2.53 VES 2,217

-38.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.48 CA$21.88

$3.71 VES 3,258

317.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.75 CA$19.44

$11.18 VES 9,812

22.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$1.40 VES 1,233

87.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 CA$4.09

$2.21 VES 1,944

30.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$0.29 VES 253

755.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.0 CA$117

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$3.95 VES 3,469

-31.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.24

$1.48 VES 1,300

6.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.05 CA$43.89

$5.86 VES 5,144

429.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$0.72 VES 629

90.28%

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

$27.7K CA$39.1K

$45.7K VES 40.1M

-39.52%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$50.5K VES 44.3M

-61.10%

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

$82.5 CA$117

$12.37 VES 10.9K

566.77%

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

$37.26 CA$52.7

$10.13 VES 8,894

267.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$73.1

$29.49 VES 25.9K

75.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.87 CA$60.6

$29.41 VES 25.8K

45.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.40 CA$17.53

$14.79 VES 13.0K

-16.16%

Cinema Ticket

$12.13 CA$17.15

$4.93 VES 4,325

146.04%

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

$1,102 CA$1,557

$88.5 VES 77.7K

1144.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K CA$28.0K

$2,399 VES 2.1M

726.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$79.7

$72.6 VES 63.7K

-22.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 CA$47.26

$42.37 VES 37.2K

-21.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 CA$133

$97.4 VES 85.5K

-3.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 CA$133

$98.3 VES 86.3K

-4.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 CA$2,509

$132 VES 116.2K

1240.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 CA$2,116

$93.6 VES 82.1K

1499.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,082 CA$4,357

$224 VES 196.9K

1274.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,416 CA$3,416

$193 VES 169.8K

1149.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,069 CA$11.4K

$1,184 VES 1.0M

581.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,449 CA$9,118

$1,211 VES 1.1M

432.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,776 CA$5,339

$290 VES 254.9K

1200.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

-82.88%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Last update for Merida: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Merida

$94 11.5% 93.7% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$392 14.9%

Merida

$289 35.5% 26.4% $103

Eating Out

Vancouver

$270 10.3%

Merida

$188 23.1% 30.5% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$171 6.5%

Merida

$52 6.4% 69.7% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$125 4.8%

Merida

$140 17.2% 11.9% $15

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 3.9%

Merida

$13 * 1.5% 87.9% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$67 2.6%

Merida

$39 4.8% 41.5% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,775 in Vancouver versus $132 in Merida. 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 1201% 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 $61.0 in Merida. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $289 – making Merida the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇻🇪 Merida

🕒 Local time

18:27 6:27 PM

21:27 9:27 PM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

250,303

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vancouver Merida 6,590 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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Merida

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 Merida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver costs about 223% more than Merida, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,939 per month in Vancouver and $1,221 in Merida. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Merida, 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 $2,626 in Vancouver and $814 in Merida. That's a gap of about 223%.

Kindergarten costs $1,102 per month in Vancouver and $88.5 in Merida. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Merida, where all-in costs run around $814, than in Vancouver at $2,626. In Merida it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vancouver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Merida. 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.