Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Rockville, MD

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,684 a month against $3,127 in Rockville, MD, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
152

Cost of Living Index in Rockville, MD
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Rockville, MD Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

Rockville, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,127

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Rockville, MD

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,684 in Vancouver versus $3,127 in Rockville, MD.

Vancouver $2,684
Rockville, MD $3,127

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,878 in Vancouver versus $4,604 in Rockville, MD.

Vancouver $3,878
Rockville, MD $4,604

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,072 in Vancouver versus $6,082 in Rockville, MD.

Vancouver $5,072
Rockville, MD $6,082

Living in Vancouver costs roughly 14% less than in Rockville, MD, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 100% above, Rockville, MD 133% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 CA$24.67

$22.16 $22.16

-21.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 CA$98.3

$73.7 $73.7

-6.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.06

$10.43 $10.43

1.25%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.55

$5.35 $5.35

-27.29%

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

$2.05 CA$2.93

$2.48 $2.48

-17.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$1.77 $1.77

-8.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.91

$6.71 $6.71

-17.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 CA$9.02

$7.68 $7.68

-17.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.30

$1.13 $1.13

104.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 CA$3.57

$2.96 $2.96

-15.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 CA$6.34

$2.62 $2.62

69.47%

Eggs

$4.07 CA$5.80

$3.95 $3.95

3.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 CA$16.08

$9.67 $9.67

16.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.42 CA$19.13

$9.23 $9.23

45.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.10 CA$28.66

$18.18 $18.18

10.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.79

$4.58 $4.58

-11.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.90

$1.27 $1.27

4.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.57

$4.56 $4.56

-14.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.78

$3.90 $3.90

3.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.88

$2.54 $2.54

7.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 CA$4.12

$2.59 $2.59

11.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 CA$3.61

$2.66 $2.66

-4.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$1.74 $1.74

-6.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.57 CA$22.20

$14.00 $14.00

11.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 CA$20.03

$14.53 $14.53

-3.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CA$3.83

$2.45 $2.45

9.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 CA$4.27

$3.64 $3.64

-17.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.48

$4.23 $4.23

-42.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 CA$119

$139 $139

-40.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 CA$3.87

$4.97 $4.97

-45.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 CA$2.24

$1.10 $1.10

42.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.39 CA$44.76

$23.34 $23.34

34.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CA$1.96

$1.02 $1.02

35.29%

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

$28.1K CA$40.0K

$34.9K $34.9K

-19.51%

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

$19.8K CA$28.3K

$25.5K $25.5K

-22.37%

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

$81.2 CA$116

$300 $300

-72.94%

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

$37.45 CA$53.4

$51.0 $51.0

-26.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 CA$73.3

$58.9 $58.9

-12.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.47 CA$62.0

$41.95 $41.95

3.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 CA$17.86

$12.64 $12.64

-0.87%

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 CA$17.88

$16.35 $16.35

-23.30%

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

$1,094 CA$1,560

$1,902 $1,902

-42.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K CA$28.4K

$27.4K $27.4K

-27.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 CA$81.3

$45.57 $45.57

25.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 CA$46.67

$40.27 $40.27

-18.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 CA$132

$87.1 $87.1

6.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 CA$134

$129 $129

-26.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 CA$2,489

$2,107 $2,107

-17.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 CA$2,116

$1,634 $1,634

-9.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,998 CA$4,275

$3,765 $3,765

-20.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,422 CA$3,454

$2,911 $2,911

-16.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,002 CA$11.4K

$4,396 $4,396

82.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,457 CA$9,207

$2,437 $2,437

164.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,799 CA$5,417

$6,212 $6,212

-38.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

6.46

-33.75%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 3, 2026

Last update for Rockville, MD: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6%

Rockville, MD

$1.6K 52.4% 10.1% $150

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$399 15.2%

Rockville, MD

$358 11.5% 10.2% $41

Eating Out

Vancouver

$272 10.4%

Rockville, MD

$339 10.9% 24.6% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$170 6.5%

Rockville, MD

$410 13.2% 141% $240

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.8%

Rockville, MD

$136 4.4% 9.1% $11

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 4%

Rockville, MD

$167 5.3% 60.6% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$69 2.6%

Rockville, MD

$75 2.4% 8.9% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,745 in Vancouver and $2,107 in Rockville, MD. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rockville, MD pays 63% 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 $74.0 in Rockville, MD. Groceries flip the comparison at $399 vs $358, with Rockville, MD cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇺🇸 Rockville, MD

🕒 Local time

20:58 8:58 PM

23:58 11:58 PM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

67,139

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.701 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 12, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Vancouver Rockville, MD 3,770 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Rockville, MD

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 Rockville, MD: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Rockville, MD. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Vancouver the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Rockville, MD. 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 $2,107 in Rockville, MD. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Rockville, MD pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Vancouver – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $74.0 in Rockville, MD. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

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.

Expats usually find Vancouver gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Rockville, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.