Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Peterborough, Canada

Name: Peterborough
Address: Peterborough, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Peterborough: $2,107 a month against $2,683 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
101

Cost of Living Index in Peterborough
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Peterborough Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,683

/mo nomad

Peterborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Peterborough

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,683 in Vancouver versus $2,107 in Peterborough.

Vancouver $2,683
Peterborough $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,963 in Vancouver versus $3,050 in Peterborough.

Vancouver $3,963
Peterborough $3,050

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,244 in Vancouver versus $3,993 in Peterborough.

Vancouver $5,244
Peterborough $3,993

Living in Vancouver is roughly 27% more expensive than in Peterborough, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 98% above, Peterborough 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.10 CA$25.25

$11.60 CA$16.19

56.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 CA$99.0

$72.0 CA$101

-1.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 CA$14.75

$10.75 CA$15.00

-1.67%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.54

$3.83 CA$5.35

3.66%

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

$2.07 CA$2.89

$1.81 CA$2.52

14.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 CA$2.58

$1.47 CA$2.05

25.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 CA$7.91

$5.28 CA$7.37

7.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.61 CA$9.23

$5.82 CA$8.12

13.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CA$3.01

$2.59 CA$3.61

-16.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 CA$3.60

$2.45 CA$3.42

5.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 CA$5.99

$2.48 CA$3.47

73.39%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.71

$3.26 CA$4.55

25.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.12 CA$16.91

$10.86 CA$15.16

11.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 CA$18.53

$11.11 CA$15.51

19.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.11 CA$28.06

$12.80 CA$17.87

57.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 CA$5.53

$3.35 CA$4.68

18.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 CA$1.99

$1.44 CA$2.01

-0.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.17

$3.51 CA$4.89

5.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.47

$4.13 CA$5.77

-5.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 CA$4.00

$1.63 CA$2.27

76.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.15

$2.31 CA$3.22

29.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.27 CA$3.17

14.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.28

$1.49 CA$2.07

9.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.94 CA$22.24

$11.57 CA$16.14

37.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$19.88

$12.62 CA$17.61

12.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.52

$2.42 CA$3.38

4.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 CA$4.01

$1.63 CA$2.27

76.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 CA$3.58

$2.46 CA$3.43

4.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.4 CA$118

$54.3 CA$75.8

55.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 CA$3.83

$3.09 CA$4.31

-11.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 CA$2.27

$1.25 CA$1.75

30.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.90 CA$44.50

$21.57 CA$30.09

47.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 CA$2.03

$1.18 CA$1.65

23.73%

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

$26.7K CA$37.3K

$26.4K CA$36.8K

1.25%

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

$21.0K CA$29.3K

$21.1K CA$29.4K

-0.28%

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

$88.2 CA$123

$140 CA$196

-37.08%

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

$36.72 CA$51.2

$35.14 CA$49.02

4.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.81 CA$69.5

$44.89 CA$62.6

10.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.34 CA$63.3

$37.59 CA$52.5

20.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.13 CA$16.92

$14.21 CA$19.83

-14.64%

Cinema Ticket

$12.55 CA$17.51

$11.50 CA$16.05

9.13%

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

$1,055 CA$1,473

$344 CA$480

207.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.5K CA$39.7K

$15.6K CA$21.8K

82.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$78.7

$46.52 CA$64.9

21.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.37 CA$47.96

$37.93 CA$52.9

-9.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$125

$88.1 CA$123

1.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 CA$132

$73.9 CA$103

27.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 CA$2,425

$1,376 CA$1,920

26.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 CA$2,133

$1,083 CA$1,510

41.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,107 CA$4,335

$2,057 CA$2,870

51.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 CA$3,554

$1,631 CA$2,276

56.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,540 CA$11.9K

$6,479 CA$9,040

31.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,328 CA$8,829

$6,365 CA$8,881

-0.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,770 CA$5,260

$3,017 CA$4,209

24.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.24

4.55

-6.81%

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

Last update for Vancouver: November 2, 2026

Last update for Peterborough: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Peterborough

$1.1K 51.4% 29.2% $446

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$398 14.9%

Peterborough

$337 16% 15.4% $61

Eating Out

Vancouver

$281 10.5%

Peterborough

$222 10.6% 21% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$175 6.5%

Peterborough

$220 10.5% 26% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.6%

Peterborough

$111 5.3% 10.4% $13

Getting Around

Vancouver

$106 3.9%

Peterborough

$74 3.5% 30.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$70 2.6%

Peterborough

$61 2.9% 14% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,738 in Vancouver and $1,376 in Peterborough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 25% 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: $71 in Vancouver vs $72 in Peterborough. Groceries flip the comparison at $398 vs $337, with Peterborough cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇨🇦 Peterborough

🕒 Local time

13:15 1:15 PM

15:15 3:15 PM

2 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

81,032

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.717 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.717 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Vancouver Peterborough 3,400 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Peterborough

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 Peterborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Peterborough is about 21% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 25% 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: $1,738 in Vancouver versus $1,376 in Peterborough. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Vancouver. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,683 per month in Vancouver versus $2,107 in Peterborough – Peterborough is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,107 in Peterborough versus $2,683 in Vancouver, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Peterborough but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Peterborough 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 – Peterborough wins on affordability, Vancouver on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.