Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,684 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $29,500 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
245

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in New York, NY

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 New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,684 per month in Vancouver vs $5,142 in New York, NY, rent included.

Vancouver $2,684
New York, NY $5,142

A couple spends around $3,878 per month in Vancouver vs $7,455 in New York, NY, rent included.

Vancouver $3,878
New York, NY $7,455

A family of three spends $5,072 per month in Vancouver vs $9,767 in New York, NY, rent included.

Vancouver $5,072
New York, NY $9,767

Vancouver is about 48% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Vancouver and New York, NY sit above the global median – Vancouver by 100%, New York, NY by 284%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 CA$24.66

$26.46 $26.46

-34.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 CA$98.3

$119 $119

-41.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.05

$14.43 $14.43

-26.82%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.54

$6.55 $6.55

-40.61%

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

$2.05 CA$2.93

$3.84 $3.84

-46.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$3.00 $3.00

-46.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.90

$8.27 $8.27

-33.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 CA$9.02

$10.05 $10.05

-37.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.30

$1.31 $1.31

76.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 CA$3.56

$4.90 $4.90

-48.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 CA$6.33

$7.16 $7.16

-37.99%

Eggs

$4.07 CA$5.80

$5.92 $5.92

-31.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 CA$16.08

$19.06 $19.06

-40.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.42 CA$19.13

$17.38 $17.38

-22.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.10 CA$28.65

$18.94 $18.94

6.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.78

$6.96 $6.96

-41.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.90

$2.08 $2.08

-36.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.57

$6.10 $6.10

-35.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.78

$6.95 $6.95

-41.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.88

$3.98 $3.98

-31.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 CA$4.12

$4.44 $4.44

-34.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 CA$3.61

$2.81 $2.81

-9.96%

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

$19.27 $19.27

-19.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 CA$20.03

$19.67 $19.67

-28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CA$3.83

$3.08 $3.08

-12.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 CA$4.26

$3.68 $3.68

-18.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.48

$3.02 $3.02

-19.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 CA$119

$140 $140

-40.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 CA$3.87

$3.07 $3.07

-11.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 CA$2.24

$2.13 $2.13

-26.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.39 CA$44.75

$41.21 $41.21

-23.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CA$1.96

$1.11 $1.11

24.32%

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

$28.1K CA$40.0K

$35.0K $35.0K

-19.79%

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

$19.8K CA$28.2K

$25.4K $25.4K

-21.98%

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

$81.2 CA$116

$217 $217

-62.68%

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

$37.45 CA$53.4

$74.0 $74.0

-49.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 CA$73.2

$72.5 $72.5

-29.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.47 CA$62.0

$120 $120

-63.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 CA$17.86

$66.9 $66.9

-81.27%

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 CA$17.88

$22.32 $22.32

-43.82%

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

$1,094 CA$1,560

$3,425 $3,425

-68.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K CA$28.4K

$61.2K $61.2K

-67.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 CA$81.3

$76.3 $76.3

-25.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 CA$46.66

$55.5 $55.5

-40.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 CA$132

$119 $119

-22.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 CA$134

$131 $131

-27.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 CA$2,488

$4,506 $4,506

-61.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 CA$2,115

$3,155 $3,155

-52.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,998 CA$4,273

$8,817 $8,817

-66.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,422 CA$3,453

$5,532 $5,532

-56.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,002 CA$11.4K

$19.4K $19.4K

-58.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,457 CA$9,204

$6,754 $6,754

-4.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,799 CA$5,416

$5,290 $5,290

-28.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

6.82

-37.24%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 3, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6%

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2% 113% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$399 15.2%

New York, NY

$546 11% 37% $147

Eating Out

Vancouver

$272 10.4%

New York, NY

$422 8.5% 55.4% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$170 6.5%

New York, NY

$364 7.3% 114% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.8%

New York, NY

$172 3.4% 38% $47

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 4%

New York, NY

$165 3.3% 59.5% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$69 2.6%

New York, NY

$165 3.3% 141% $97

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,745 in Vancouver versus $4,506 in New York, NY. 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 39% higher in New York, NY, 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 $119 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $546 – making Vancouver the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

03:51 3:51 AM

06:51 6:51 AM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

8,804,190

💱 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 10, 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vancouver New York, NY 3,900 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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New York, NY

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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 New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 92% more than Vancouver, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,026 per month in Vancouver and $7,714 in New York, NY. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,094 per month in Vancouver and $3,425 in New York, NY. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in New York, NY, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,684 in Vancouver and $5,142 in New York, NY. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Vancouver costs $2,684 versus $5,142 in New York, NY. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Vancouver. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, New York, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.