Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Pickering, ON

For one person, living is cheaper in Pickering, ON: $2,590 a month against $2,725 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
126

Cost of Living Index in Pickering, ON
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Pickering, ON Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,725

/mo nomad

Pickering, ON

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,590

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Pickering, ON

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

A single person spends $2,725 per month in Vancouver vs $2,590 in Pickering, ON, rent included.

Vancouver $2,725
Pickering, ON $2,590

A couple spends around $4,039 per month in Vancouver vs $3,662 in Pickering, ON, rent included.

Vancouver $4,039
Pickering, ON $3,662

A family of three spends $5,352 per month in Vancouver vs $4,733 in Pickering, ON, rent included.

Vancouver $5,352
Pickering, ON $4,733

Vancouver costs about 5% more than Pickering, ON, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Vancouver and Pickering, ON sit above the global median – Vancouver by 100%, Pickering, ON by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 CA$24.77

$14.17 CA$19.89

24.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.4 CA$102

$57.9 CA$81.2

25.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 CA$15.21

$10.80 CA$15.16

0.37%

Cappuccino

$3.91 CA$5.49

$1.97 CA$2.76

98.48%

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

$2.10 CA$2.95

$1.69 CA$2.38

24.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.30

$1.58 CA$2.22

3.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 CA$8.06

$4.72 CA$6.63

21.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.36 CA$8.93

$4.56 CA$6.40

39.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 CA$3.10

$2.14 CA$3.00

3.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 CA$3.71

$2.21 CA$3.11

19.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.68 CA$6.56

$4.40 CA$6.17

6.36%

Eggs

$4.24 CA$5.95

$3.65 CA$5.13

16.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.92 CA$16.73

$9.81 CA$13.77

21.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.12 CA$18.42

$11.38 CA$15.97

15.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.40 CA$28.63

$14.15 CA$19.86

44.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 CA$5.76

$3.12 CA$4.37

31.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.93

$0.59 CA$0.82

133.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 CA$5.37

$2.54 CA$3.57

50.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.50

$2.08 CA$2.92

88.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 CA$3.89

$2.20 CA$3.08

25.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 CA$3.98

$2.72 CA$3.81

4.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 CA$3.65

$2.75 CA$3.87

-5.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.24

$1.26 CA$1.77

26.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.87 CA$22.27

$13.49 CA$18.93

17.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 CA$19.64

$12.98 CA$18.21

7.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 CA$3.61

$1.75 CA$2.46

46.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CA$4.23

$2.39 CA$3.35

25.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.59

$2.74 CA$3.85

-6.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 CA$118

$161 CA$227

-47.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 CA$3.74

$2.89 CA$4.06

-7.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$2.25 CA$3.16

-29.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.19 CA$45.17

$22.27 CA$31.26

44.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 CA$2.04

$1.11 CA$1.56

30.63%

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

$27.5K CA$38.6K

$25.0K CA$35.0K

10.14%

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

$21.3K CA$29.9K

$22.2K CA$31.2K

-4.04%

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

$82.5 CA$116

$107 CA$150

-22.71%

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

$37.46 CA$52.6

$34.45 CA$48.34

8.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$72.5

$48.19 CA$67.6

7.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.52 CA$56.9

$59.9 CA$84.0

-32.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.69 CA$17.81

$26.56 CA$37.27

-52.22%

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 CA$17.77

$11.21 CA$15.73

12.93%

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

$1,080 CA$1,515

$503 CA$706

114.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K CA$28.3K

$28.4K CA$39.9K

-29.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$82.0

$74.4 CA$104

-21.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.10 CA$47.85

$54.1 CA$75.9

-36.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 CA$136

$82.6 CA$116

17.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.4 CA$137

$77.2 CA$108

26.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,813 CA$2,545

$1,658 CA$2,326

9.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 CA$2,211

$1,465 CA$2,056

7.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,217 CA$4,514

$2,504 CA$3,515

28.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,651 CA$3,721

$2,194 CA$3,079

20.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,590 CA$12.1K

$4,334 CA$6,083

98.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,649 CA$9,331

$3,903 CA$5,478

70.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,733 CA$5,239

$3,072 CA$4,311

21.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

4.22

1.42%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 27, 2026

Last update for Pickering, ON: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.6K 57.8%

Pickering, ON

$1.5K 56.6% 7% $111

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$401 14.7%

Pickering, ON

$322 12.4% 19.7% $79

Eating Out

Vancouver

$277 10.2%

Pickering, ON

$215 8.3% 22.3% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$172 6.3%

Pickering, ON

$189 7.3% 10.3% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$129 4.7%

Pickering, ON

$130 5% 0.5% $0.6

Getting Around

Vancouver

$105 3.9%

Pickering, ON

$187 7.2% 77.8% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$66 2.4%

Pickering, ON

$82 3.2% 24.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,813 in Vancouver versus $1,658 in Pickering, ON. 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 22% higher in Vancouver. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in Vancouver versus $58 in Pickering, ON. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $322 – making Pickering, ON the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇨🇦 Pickering, ON

🕒 Local time

11:40 11:40 AM

14:40 2:40 PM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

91,771

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Vancouver Pickering, ON 3,370 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Pickering, ON

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 Pickering, ON: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,725 in Vancouver, $2,590 in Pickering, ON – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,087 per month in Vancouver and $3,885 in Pickering, ON. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,813 in Vancouver and $1,658 in Pickering, ON. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,725 in Vancouver and $2,590 in Pickering, ON. That’s a gap of about 5%.

Public transport costs about 48% less in Vancouver. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,725 in Vancouver and $2,590 in Pickering, ON, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Pickering, ON – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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