Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Northampton, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,725 a month against $2,841 in Northampton, MA, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Northampton, MA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

130

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Northampton, MA
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Northampton, MA Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,725

/mo nomad

Northampton, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Northampton, MA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,725 in Vancouver versus $2,841 in Northampton, MA.

Vancouver $2,725
Northampton, MA $2,841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,039 in Vancouver versus $4,134 in Northampton, MA.

Vancouver $4,039
Northampton, MA $4,134

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,352 in Vancouver versus $5,427 in Northampton, MA.

Vancouver $5,352
Northampton, MA $5,427

Living in Vancouver costs roughly 4% less than in Northampton, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 100% above, Northampton, MA 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 CA$24.77

$17.78 $17.78

-0.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.4 CA$102

$79.1 $79.1

-8.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 CA$15.21

$10.69 $10.69

1.40%

Cappuccino

$3.91 CA$5.49

$4.60 $4.60

-15.00%

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

$2.10 CA$2.95

$2.80 $2.80

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.30

$2.27 $2.27

-27.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 CA$8.06

$5.10 $5.10

12.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.36 CA$8.93

$7.83 $7.83

-18.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 CA$3.10

$1.08 $1.08

104.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 CA$3.71

$4.05 $4.05

-34.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.68 CA$6.56

$5.44 $5.44

-13.97%

Eggs

$4.24 CA$5.95

$4.77 $4.77

-11.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.92 CA$16.73

$11.23 $11.23

6.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.12 CA$18.42

$6.73 $6.73

94.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.40 CA$28.63

$17.52 $17.52

16.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 CA$5.76

$5.88 $5.88

-30.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.93

$1.60 $1.60

-13.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 CA$5.37

$4.43 $4.43

-13.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.50

$5.41 $5.41

-27.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 CA$3.89

$3.22 $3.22

-13.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 CA$3.98

$3.79 $3.79

-25.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 CA$3.65

$3.06 $3.06

-15.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.24

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.87 CA$22.27

$13.80 $13.80

15.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 CA$19.64

$13.27 $13.27

5.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 CA$3.61

$1.83 $1.83

40.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CA$4.23

$2.01 $2.01

49.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.59

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 CA$118

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 CA$3.74

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.22

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.19 CA$45.17

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 CA$2.04

$0.86 $0.86

68.60%

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

$27.5K CA$38.6K

$27.5K $27.5K

-0.13%

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

$21.3K CA$29.9K

$25.4K $25.4K

-15.94%

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

$82.5 CA$116

$131 $131

-37.09%

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

$37.46 CA$52.6

$62.0 $62.0

-39.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$72.5

$72.5 $72.5

-28.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.52 CA$56.9

$51.6 $51.6

-21.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.69 CA$17.81

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 CA$17.77

$14.45 $14.45

-12.39%

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

$1,080 CA$1,515

$1,815 $1,815

-40.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K CA$28.3K

$29.5K $29.5K

-31.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$82.0

$23.49 $23.49

148.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.10 CA$47.85

$38.76 $38.76

-12.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 CA$136

$79.2 $79.2

22.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.4 CA$137

$101 $101

-3.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,813 CA$2,545

$2,048 $2,048

-11.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 CA$2,211

$1,730 $1,730

-8.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,217 CA$4,514

$2,608 $2,608

23.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,651 CA$3,721

$2,862 $2,862

-7.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,590 CA$12.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,649 CA$9,331

$2,821 $2,821

135.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,733 CA$5,239

$3,930 $3,930

-5.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

6.64

-35.54%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 27, 2026

Last update for Northampton, MA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.6K 57.8%

Northampton, MA

$1.7K 60.9% 9.8% $154

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$401 14.7%

Northampton, MA

$365 * 12.8% 9% $36

Eating Out

Vancouver

$277 10.2%

Northampton, MA

$291 10.2% 5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$172 6.3%

Northampton, MA

$266 9.4% 54.8% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$129 4.7%

Northampton, MA

$109 3.8% 15.4% $20

Getting Around

Vancouver

$105 3.9%

Northampton, MA

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$66 2.4%

Northampton, MA

$81 2.8% 22.3% $15

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 $1,813 in Vancouver and $2,048 in Northampton, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Northampton, MA pays 5% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $72 in Vancouver vs $79 in Northampton, MA. Groceries flip the comparison at $401 vs $365, with Northampton, MA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇺🇸 Northampton, MA

🕒 Local time

18:19 6:19 PM

21:19 9:19 PM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

28,549

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vancouver Northampton, MA 3,910 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Northampton, MA

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 Northampton, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver is about 4% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Vancouver. 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: $1,813 in Vancouver versus $2,048 in Northampton, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,080 in Vancouver versus $1,815 in Northampton, MA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Vancouver – a meal for two runs $72 versus $79 in Northampton, MA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Vancouver wins on affordability, Northampton, MA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.