Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Owen Sound

For one person, living is cheaper in Owen Sound: $2,042 a month against $2,725 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Owen Sound
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Owen Sound Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,725

/mo nomad

Owen Sound

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Owen Sound

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,725 in Vancouver versus $2,042 in Owen Sound.

Vancouver $2,725
Owen Sound $2,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,039 in Vancouver versus $3,127 in Owen Sound.

Vancouver $4,039
Owen Sound $3,127

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,352 in Vancouver versus $4,212 in Owen Sound.

Vancouver $5,352
Owen Sound $4,212

Living in Vancouver is roughly 33% more expensive than in Owen Sound, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 100% above, Owen Sound 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 CA$24.68

$14.32 CA$20.02

23.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.4 CA$101

$47.61 CA$66.6

52.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 CA$15.16

$9.19 CA$12.86

17.95%

Cappuccino

$3.91 CA$5.47

$3.58 CA$5.01

9.22%

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

$2.10 CA$2.94

$2.12 CA$2.97

-0.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.29

$1.75 CA$2.45

-6.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 CA$8.03

$4.33 CA$6.05

32.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.36 CA$8.90

$5.76 CA$8.06

10.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 CA$3.09

$2.43 CA$3.40

-9.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 CA$3.70

$2.75 CA$3.85

-4.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.68 CA$6.54

$3.51 CA$4.92

33.33%

Eggs

$4.24 CA$5.93

$4.36 CA$6.10

-2.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.92 CA$16.68

$9.87 CA$13.80

20.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.12 CA$18.35

$16.08 CA$22.49

-18.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.40 CA$28.53

$23.97 CA$33.52

-14.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 CA$5.74

$3.36 CA$4.70

22.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.93

$1.85 CA$2.59

-25.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 CA$5.36

$3.25 CA$4.54

17.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.48

$2.84 CA$3.97

38.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 CA$3.88

$2.39 CA$3.34

15.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 CA$3.97

$2.63 CA$3.68

7.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 CA$3.64

$2.18 CA$3.05

19.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.23

$1.28 CA$1.78

24.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.87 CA$22.19

$13.67 CA$19.13

16.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 CA$19.58

$13.75 CA$19.24

1.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 CA$3.60

$4.58 CA$6.41

-43.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CA$4.22

$4.88 CA$6.83

-38.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.57

$2.10 CA$2.94

21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 CA$118

$62.0 CA$86.7

35.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 CA$3.73

$4.54 CA$6.35

-41.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.22

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.19 CA$45.02

$25.08 CA$35.07

28.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 CA$2.03

$1.12 CA$1.56

29.46%

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

$27.5K CA$38.4K

$26.8K CA$37.5K

2.60%

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

$21.3K CA$29.8K

$21.7K CA$30.4K

-1.95%

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

$82.5 CA$115

$89.7 CA$125

-8.07%

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

$37.46 CA$52.4

$29.11 CA$40.72

28.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$72.3

$47.43 CA$66.3

8.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.52 CA$56.7

$116 CA$162

-64.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.69 CA$17.75

$41.66 CA$58.3

-69.54%

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 CA$17.71

$7.77 CA$10.87

62.93%

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

$1,080 CA$1,510

$478 CA$669

125.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K CA$28.2K

$7,258 CA$10.2K

177.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$81.8

$35.42 CA$49.55

65.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.10 CA$47.69

$27.63 CA$38.65

23.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 CA$136

$86.9 CA$122

11.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.4 CA$136

$108 CA$151

-9.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,813 CA$2,536

$1,341 CA$1,876

35.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 CA$2,204

$903 CA$1,264

74.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,217 CA$4,499

$2,200 CA$3,077

46.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,651 CA$3,708

$1,634 CA$2,286

62.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,590 CA$12.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,649 CA$9,300

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,733 CA$5,221

$2,971 CA$4,155

25.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

5.26

-18.63%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 27, 2026

Last update for Owen Sound: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.6K 57.8%

Owen Sound

$903 44.2% 42.7% $672

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$401 14.7%

Owen Sound

$417 20.4% 4% $16

Eating Out

Vancouver

$277 10.2%

Owen Sound

$234 11.4% 15.6% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$172 6.3%

Owen Sound

$166 8.1% 3.1% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$129 4.7%

Owen Sound

$116 5.7% 10.1% $13

Getting Around

Vancouver

$105 3.9%

Owen Sound

$75 * 3.7% 28.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$66 2.4%

Owen Sound

$131 6.4% 99% $65

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 $1,341 in Owen Sound. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 26% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $72 in Vancouver vs $48 in Owen Sound. Groceries flip the comparison at $401 vs $417, with Vancouver cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇨🇦 Owen Sound

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

00:27 12:27 AM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

21,341

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Vancouver Owen Sound 3,200 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Owen Sound: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Owen Sound is about 25% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 26% higher in Vancouver, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,813 in Vancouver versus $1,341 in Owen Sound. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Owen Sound – a meal for two runs $48 versus $72 in Vancouver. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,725 per month in Vancouver versus $2,042 in Owen Sound – Owen Sound is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,042 in Owen Sound versus $2,725 in Vancouver, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Owen Sound but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Owen Sound the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 – Owen Sound wins on affordability, Vancouver on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.