Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Nelson BC Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Nelson BC

🙂 Solo nomad: Vancouver is 1.7% cheaper than Nelson BC without rent, and 20.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Vancouver is 22.5% more expensive than Nelson BC without rent, and 36.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Vancouver
Nelson BC
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.3 CA$24.9
$14.57 CA$19.84
25.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.5 CA$110
$67 CA$91.2
20.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.12 CA$15.14
$9.35 CA$12.73
18.93%
Cappuccino
$4.07 CA$5.54
$4 CA$5.44
1.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 CA$2.92
$2.21 CA$3.01
-2.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 CA$2.46
$1.73 CA$2.35
4.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.93 CA$8.07
$5.1 CA$6.95
16.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.16 CA$9.74
$5.84 CA$7.94
22.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Vancouver
Nelson BC
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.32 CA$3.15
$1.97 CA$2.68
17.77%
White Bread (500g)
$3.2 CA$4.35
$3.22 CA$4.38
-0.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.73 CA$5.08
$3.1 CA$4.23
20.32%
Eggs
$4.33 CA$5.89
$3.79 CA$5.16
14.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.92 CA$17.58
$10.99 CA$14.96
17.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.87 CA$18.89
$15.27 CA$20.79
-9.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.62 CA$21.26
$20.45 CA$27.83
-23.62%
Apples (1kg)
$4.17 CA$5.68
$3.78 CA$5.15
10.32%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 CA$2.07
$0.64 CA$0.87
137.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.04 CA$5.5
$1.64 CA$2.24
146.34%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.08 CA$6.92
$4.06 CA$5.53
25.12%
Potato (1kg)
$3.15 CA$4.28
$2.47 CA$3.36
27.53%
Onion (1kg)
$3.09 CA$4.21
$2.86 CA$3.89
8.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.68 CA$3.65
$2.62 CA$3.57
2.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.89 CA$2.57
$1.86 CA$2.53
1.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$15.4 CA$20.96
$15 CA$20.42
2.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$16 CA$21.78
$13.41 CA$18.26
19.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.2 CA$4.35
$2.46 CA$3.34
30.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 CA$5.16
$3.11 CA$4.24
21.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Vancouver
Nelson BC
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.43 CA$3.3
$1.48 CA$2.02
64.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$82.8 CA$113
$62.1 CA$84.5
33.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.65 CA$4.96
$2.89 CA$3.93
26.30%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.42 CA$1.94
$1.71 CA$2.33
-16.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.8 CA$36.48
$35.69 CA$48.58
-24.91%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 CA$1.8
$1.27 CA$1.73
3.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.4K CA$34.5K
$25.4K CA$34.6K
-0.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.5K CA$27.9K
$19.7K CA$26.8K
4.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vancouver
Nelson BC
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.7 CA$121
$141 CA$193
-37.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.14 CA$54.6
$51.3 CA$69.8
-21.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$60.2 CA$82
$58.1 CA$79.1
3.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Vancouver
Nelson BC
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.18 CA$61.5
$41.19 CA$56.1
9.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.77 CA$21.46
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.37 CA$16.84
$11.52 CA$15.68
7.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Vancouver
Nelson BC
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,160 CA$1,579
$1,064 CA$1,449
9.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.5K CA$25.2K
$17K CA$23.2K
8.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Vancouver
Nelson BC
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.4 CA$86.3
$52.4 CA$71.4
20.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.97 CA$57.1
$39.71 CA$54.1
5.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.8 CA$129
$86 CA$117
10.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 CA$157
$128 CA$174
-9.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Vancouver
Nelson BC
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,009 CA$2,735
$1,378 CA$1,876
45.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,618 CA$2,202
$1,163 CA$1,584
39.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,495 CA$4,758
$2,231 CA$3,036
56.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,772 CA$3,773
$1,563 CA$2,127
77.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$9,600 CA$13.1K
$4,706 CA$6,406
103.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,166 CA$9,755
$3,731 CA$5,079
92.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Vancouver
Nelson BC
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,337 CA$4,543
$3,491 CA$4,752
-4.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.61
6.53
-14.09%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 26, 2025

Last update for Nelson BC: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.