Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Rarotonga

For one person, living is cheaper in Rarotonga: $1,099 a month against $2,684 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Rarotonga
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Rarotonga Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

Rarotonga

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,099

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Rarotonga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,684 in Vancouver versus $1,099 in Rarotonga.

Vancouver $2,684
Rarotonga $1,099

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,878 in Vancouver versus $1,561 in Rarotonga.

Vancouver $3,878
Rarotonga $1,561

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,072 in Vancouver versus $2,023 in Rarotonga.

Vancouver $5,072
Rarotonga $2,023

Living in Vancouver is roughly 144% more expensive than in Rarotonga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Vancouver is 100% above, Rarotonga is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 CA$24.66

$14.15 NZ$25.21

22.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 CA$98.3

$50.4 NZ$89.9

36.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.05

$5.69 NZ$10.14

85.59%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.54

$3.48 NZ$6.19

11.78%

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

$2.05 CA$2.93

$2.24 NZ$4.00

-8.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$2.31 NZ$4.11

-29.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.90

$5.02 NZ$8.95

10.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 CA$9.02

$4.96 NZ$8.84

27.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.30

$2.87 NZ$5.11

-19.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 CA$3.56

$2.77 NZ$4.94

-9.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 CA$6.33

Eggs

$4.07 CA$5.80

$6.19 NZ$11.02

-34.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 CA$16.08

$7.48 NZ$13.32

50.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.42 CA$19.13

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.10 CA$28.65

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.78

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.90

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.57

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.78

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.88

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 CA$4.12

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 CA$3.61

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.57 CA$22.19

$11.18 NZ$19.92

39.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 CA$20.03

$11.23 NZ$20.01

25.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CA$3.83

$3.48 NZ$6.21

-22.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 CA$4.26

$5.08 NZ$9.06

-41.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.48

$2.80 NZ$4.99

-12.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 CA$119

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 CA$3.87

$20.06 NZ$35.75

-86.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 CA$2.24

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.39 CA$44.75

$34.02 NZ$60.6

-7.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CA$1.96

$1.74 NZ$3.10

-20.69%

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

$28.1K CA$40.0K

$11.2K NZ$20.0K

149.67%

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

$19.8K CA$28.2K

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

$81.2 CA$116

$100 NZ$179

-19.16%

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

$37.45 CA$53.4

$47.47 NZ$84.6

-21.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 CA$73.2

$104 NZ$185

-50.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.47 CA$62.0

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 CA$17.86

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 CA$17.88

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

$1,094 CA$1,560

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K CA$28.4K

$1,360 NZ$2,424

1364.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 CA$81.3

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 CA$46.66

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 CA$132

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 CA$134

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 CA$2,488

$445 NZ$793

292.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 CA$2,115

$452 NZ$806

228.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,998 CA$4,273

$684 NZ$1,219

338.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,422 CA$3,453

$624 NZ$1,111

288.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,002 CA$11.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,457 CA$9,204

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,799 CA$5,416

$3,906 NZ$6,961

-2.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 3, 2026

Last update for Rarotonga: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6%

Rarotonga

$452 40.6% 69.5% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$399 15.2%

Rarotonga

$154 * 13.8% 61.5% $245

Eating Out

Vancouver

$272 10.4%

Rarotonga

$225 20.2% 17.1% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$170 6.5%

Rarotonga

$251 22.6% 47.9% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.8%

Rarotonga

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 4%

Rarotonga

$31 * 2.8% 69.8% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$69 2.6%

Rarotonga

- * 0% 100%

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 $1,745 in Vancouver and $445 in Rarotonga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rarotonga pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69.0 in Vancouver vs $50.0 in Rarotonga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $154 per month, with Rarotonga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇨🇰 Rarotonga

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

00:12 12:12 AM

3 h behind Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

13,373

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.501 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, 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).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.501 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Vancouver Rarotonga 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Rarotonga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rarotonga wins on cost – living expenses run 144% lower than in Vancouver. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rarotonga the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Rarotonga. 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 $445 in Rarotonga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,684 per month in Vancouver versus $1,099 in Rarotonga – a 144% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 160% higher in Vancouver. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,099 in Rarotonga versus $2,684 in Vancouver, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rarotonga but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Rarotonga 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.

Safety-wise, Vancouver and Rarotonga are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rarotonga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 144% less than in Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.