Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Prince George

For one person, living is cheaper in Prince George: $2,140 a month against $2,683 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Prince George
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Prince George Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,683

/mo nomad

Prince George

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,140

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Prince George

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,683 in Vancouver versus $2,140 in Prince George.

Vancouver $2,683
Prince George $2,140

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,963 in Vancouver versus $3,209 in Prince George.

Vancouver $3,963
Prince George $3,209

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,244 in Vancouver versus $4,277 in Prince George.

Vancouver $5,244
Prince George $4,277

Living in Vancouver is roughly 25% more expensive than in Prince George, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 98% above, Prince George 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.10 CA$25.25

$18.02 CA$25.14

0.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 CA$99.0

$71.2 CA$99.4

-0.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 CA$14.75

$8.67 CA$12.09

21.91%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.54

$3.87 CA$5.40

2.58%

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

$2.07 CA$2.89

$2.23 CA$3.11

-7.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 CA$2.58

$2.39 CA$3.33

-22.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 CA$7.91

$5.60 CA$7.82

1.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.61 CA$9.23

$7.25 CA$10.12

-8.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CA$3.01

$1.74 CA$2.43

24.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 CA$3.60

$2.53 CA$3.52

1.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 CA$5.99

$4.60 CA$6.41

-6.52%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.71

$4.19 CA$5.85

-2.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.12 CA$16.91

$6.35 CA$8.86

90.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 CA$18.53

$14.24 CA$19.88

-6.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.11 CA$28.06

$14.24 CA$19.86

41.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 CA$5.53

$4.03 CA$5.62

-1.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 CA$1.99

$2.83 CA$3.95

-49.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.17

$5.50 CA$7.67

-32.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.47

$3.81 CA$5.31

2.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 CA$4.00

$3.07 CA$4.28

-6.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.15

$2.31 CA$3.22

29.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$3.02 CA$4.21

-13.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.28

$2.12 CA$2.96

-23.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.94 CA$22.24

$15.06 CA$21.02

5.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$19.88

$10.81 CA$15.08

31.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.52

$5.62 CA$7.84

-55.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 CA$4.01

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 CA$3.58

$2.00 CA$2.79

28.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.4 CA$118

$44.99 CA$62.8

87.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 CA$3.83

$2.92 CA$4.07

-6.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 CA$2.27

$1.76 CA$2.46

-7.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.90 CA$44.50

$33.81 CA$47.18

-5.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 CA$2.03

$1.36 CA$1.90

7.35%

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

$26.7K CA$37.3K

$27.5K CA$38.3K

-2.80%

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

$21.0K CA$29.3K

$22.6K CA$31.5K

-6.96%

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

$88.2 CA$123

$171 CA$238

-48.35%

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

$36.72 CA$51.2

$42.01 CA$58.6

-12.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.81 CA$69.5

$60.8 CA$84.9

-18.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.34 CA$63.3

$43.23 CA$60.3

4.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.13 CA$16.92

$17.74 CA$24.75

-31.62%

Cinema Ticket

$12.55 CA$17.51

$8.93 CA$12.45

40.54%

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

$1,055 CA$1,473

$410 CA$572

157.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.5K CA$39.7K

$3,568 CA$4,978

698.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$78.7

$61.2 CA$85.3

-7.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.37 CA$47.96

$38.92 CA$54.3

-11.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$125

$94.4 CA$132

-4.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 CA$132

$147 CA$206

-35.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 CA$2,425

$1,124 CA$1,568

54.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 CA$2,133

$919 CA$1,283

66.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,107 CA$4,335

$1,732 CA$2,416

79.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 CA$3,554

$1,548 CA$2,159

64.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,540 CA$11.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,328 CA$8,829

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,770 CA$5,260

$3,089 CA$4,310

22.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.24

4.96

-14.52%

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

Last update for Vancouver: November 2, 2026

Last update for Prince George: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Prince George

$919 43% 39.9% $609

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$398 14.9%

Prince George

$390 * 18.2% 2.1% $8.3

Eating Out

Vancouver

$281 10.5%

Prince George

$278 13% 1.4% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$175 6.5%

Prince George

$274 12.8% 56.6% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.6%

Prince George

$154 7.2% 24.3% $30

Getting Around

Vancouver

$106 3.9%

Prince George

$65 3% 38.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$70 2.6%

Prince George

$61 2.9% 13.3% $9.4

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 $1,738 in Vancouver and $1,124 in Prince George. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 22% 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 $71 in Prince George. Groceries flip the comparison at $398 vs $390, with Prince George cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇨🇦 Prince George

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

Same time as Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

71,974

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Vancouver Prince George 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Prince George

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 Prince George: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,683 in Vancouver and $2,140 in Prince George, so Prince George is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 22% 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 $1,124 in Prince George. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,055 in Vancouver versus $410 in Prince George. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,683 per month in Vancouver versus $2,140 in Prince George – Prince George is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Prince George gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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