Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Philadelphia, PA

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,684 a month against $2,860 in Philadelphia, PA, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Philadelphia, PA despite lower rent and utilities.

128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Philadelphia, PA
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Philadelphia, PA Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

Philadelphia, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,860

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Philadelphia, PA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,684 in Vancouver versus $2,860 in Philadelphia, PA.

Vancouver $2,684
Philadelphia, PA $2,860

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,878 in Vancouver versus $4,270 in Philadelphia, PA.

Vancouver $3,878
Philadelphia, PA $4,270

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,072 in Vancouver versus $5,680 in Philadelphia, PA.

Vancouver $5,072
Philadelphia, PA $5,680

Living in Vancouver costs roughly 6% less than in Philadelphia, PA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 100% above, Philadelphia, PA 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 CA$24.66

$22.06 $22.06

-21.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 CA$98.3

$80.3 $80.3

-14.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.05

$12.69 $12.69

-16.78%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.54

$5.31 $5.31

-26.74%

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

$2.05 CA$2.93

$3.02 $3.02

-32.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$2.29 $2.29

-29.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.90

$6.06 $6.06

-8.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 CA$9.02

$7.90 $7.90

-19.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.30

$1.43 $1.43

61.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 CA$3.56

$4.53 $4.53

-44.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 CA$6.33

$7.13 $7.13

-37.73%

Eggs

$4.07 CA$5.80

$4.96 $4.96

-17.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 CA$16.08

$12.00 $12.00

-6.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.42 CA$19.13

$12.66 $12.66

6.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.10 CA$28.65

$17.97 $17.97

11.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.78

$5.43 $5.43

-25.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.90

$1.61 $1.61

-17.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.57

$5.20 $5.20

-24.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.78

$5.25 $5.25

-22.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.88

$2.74 $2.74

-0.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 CA$4.12

$3.10 $3.10

-6.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 CA$3.61

$2.41 $2.41

4.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$2.49 $2.49

-34.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.57 CA$22.19

$12.96 $12.96

20.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 CA$20.03

$14.89 $14.89

-5.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CA$3.83

$2.38 $2.38

13.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 CA$4.26

$4.30 $4.30

-30.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.48

$2.95 $2.95

-17.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 CA$119

$99.4 $99.4

-16.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 CA$3.87

$2.72 $2.72

-0.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 CA$2.24

$1.57 $1.57

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.39 CA$44.75

$24.39 $24.39

28.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CA$1.96

$1.15 $1.15

20.00%

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

$28.1K CA$40.0K

$36.7K $36.7K

-23.55%

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

$19.8K CA$28.2K

$26.1K $26.1K

-23.99%

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

$81.2 CA$116

$215 $215

-62.25%

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

$37.45 CA$53.4

$62.9 $62.9

-40.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 CA$73.2

$65.0 $65.0

-20.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.47 CA$62.0

$83.3 $83.3

-47.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 CA$17.86

$93.5 $93.5

-86.60%

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 CA$17.88

$15.54 $15.54

-19.31%

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

$1,094 CA$1,560

$2,192 $2,192

-50.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K CA$28.4K

$42.4K $42.4K

-53.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 CA$81.3

$49.19 $49.19

15.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 CA$46.66

$46.79 $46.79

-30.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 CA$132

$104 $104

-10.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 CA$134

$141 $141

-33.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 CA$2,488

$1,998 $1,998

-12.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 CA$2,115

$1,307 $1,307

13.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,998 CA$4,273

$4,322 $4,322

-30.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,422 CA$3,453

$2,195 $2,195

10.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,002 CA$11.4K

$4,022 $4,022

98.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,457 CA$9,204

$1,883 $1,883

242.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,799 CA$5,416

$4,530 $4,530

-16.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

6.62

-35.35%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 3, 2026

Last update for Philadelphia, PA: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6%

Philadelphia, PA

$1.3K 46.1% 11.9% $177

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$399 15.2%

Philadelphia, PA

$449 15.9% 12.7% $51

Eating Out

Vancouver

$272 10.4%

Philadelphia, PA

$346 12.2% 27.2% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$170 6.5%

Philadelphia, PA

$343 12.1% 102% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.8%

Philadelphia, PA

$153 5.4% 23% $29

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 4%

Philadelphia, PA

$122 4.3% 17.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$69 2.6%

Philadelphia, PA

$114 4% 66.8% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,745 in Vancouver and $1,998 in Philadelphia, PA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Philadelphia, PA pays 19% 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: $69.0 in Vancouver vs $80.0 in Philadelphia, PA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $449 per month, with Vancouver cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇺🇸 Philadelphia, PA

🕒 Local time

05:02 5:02 AM

08:02 8:02 AM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

1,573,916

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Vancouver Philadelphia, PA 3,870 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Philadelphia, PA

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 Philadelphia, PA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Philadelphia, PA. 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: $1,745 in Vancouver versus $1,998 in Philadelphia, PA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Vancouver – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $80.0 in Philadelphia, PA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,684 per month in Vancouver versus $2,860 in Philadelphia, PA – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Vancouver is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Vancouver is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Philadelphia, PA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Vancouver gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Philadelphia, PA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.