Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Saint John's

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint John's: $1,816 a month against $2,684 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Saint John's
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Saint John's Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

Saint John's

🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda

$1,816

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Saint John's

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,684 in Vancouver versus $1,816 in Saint John's.

Vancouver $2,684
Saint John's $1,816

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,878 in Vancouver versus $2,873 in Saint John's.

Vancouver $3,878
Saint John's $2,873

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,072 in Vancouver versus $3,929 in Saint John's.

Vancouver $5,072
Saint John's $3,929

Living in Vancouver is roughly 48% more expensive than in Saint John's, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 100% above, Saint John's 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 CA$24.66

$22.50 EC$60.8

-23.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 CA$98.3

$75.0 EC$203

-8.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.05

$10.97 EC$29.62

-3.74%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.54

$3.80 EC$10.27

2.37%

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

$2.05 CA$2.93

$2.03 EC$5.47

0.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$0.87 EC$2.34

86.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.90

$1.87 EC$5.05

196.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 CA$9.02

$4.48 EC$12.09

41.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.30

$2.18 EC$5.88

5.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 CA$3.56

$2.81 EC$7.59

-11.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 CA$6.33

$1.90 EC$5.14

133.68%

Eggs

$4.07 CA$5.80

$6.63 EC$17.91

-38.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 CA$16.08

$8.32 EC$22.46

35.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.42 CA$19.13

$8.31 EC$22.44

61.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.10 CA$28.65

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.78

$6.48 EC$17.49

-37.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.90

$2.42 EC$6.54

-45.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.57

$8.12 EC$21.93

-51.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.78

$8.10 EC$21.87

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.88

$2.92 EC$7.88

-6.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 CA$4.12

$2.90 EC$7.84

-0.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 CA$3.61

$2.64 EC$7.12

-4.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$1.61 EC$4.34

0.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.57 CA$22.19

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 CA$20.03

$5.53 EC$14.93

154.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CA$3.83

$2.73 EC$7.36

-1.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 CA$4.26

$4.55 EC$12.29

-34.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.48

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 CA$119

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 CA$3.87

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 CA$2.24

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.39 CA$44.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CA$1.96

$1.63 EC$4.40

-15.34%

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

$28.1K CA$40.0K

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

$256 EC$692

-68.35%

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

$37.45 CA$53.4

$40.32 EC$109

-7.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 CA$73.2

$81.4 EC$220

-36.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.47 CA$62.0

$65.3 EC$176

-33.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 CA$17.86

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 CA$17.88

$6.43 EC$17.36

95.02%

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

$1,855 EC$5,009

973.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 CA$81.3

$49.21 EC$133

15.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 CA$46.66

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 CA$132

$75.4 EC$204

22.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 CA$134

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 CA$2,488

$1,036 EC$2,796

68.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 CA$2,115

$680 EC$1,835

118.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,998 CA$4,273

$1,694 EC$4,573

77.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,422 CA$3,453

$1,497 EC$4,043

61.76%

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

$1,344 EC$3,630

182.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

5.5

-22.18%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 3, 2026

Last update for Saint John's: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6%

Saint John's

$680 37.2% 54.2% $804

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$399 15.2%

Saint John's

$349 * 19.1% 12.5% $50

Eating Out

Vancouver

$272 10.4%

Saint John's

$288 15.8% 6.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$170 6.5%

Saint John's

$378 20.7% 123% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.8%

Saint John's

$56 * 3.1% 54.9% $68

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 4%

Saint John's

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$69 2.6%

Saint John's

$78 4.3% 14% $9.6

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 $1,036 in Saint John's. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 183% 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 $75.0 in Saint John's. Groceries flip the comparison at $399 vs $349, with Saint John's cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇦🇬 Saint John's

🕒 Local time

03:18 3:18 AM

06:18 6:18 AM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

21,926 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.331 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, 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).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vancouver Saint John's 6,500 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Saint John's

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 Saint John's: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint John's is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 48% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 183% 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: $1,745 in Vancouver versus $1,036 in Saint John's. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Vancouver. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Saint John's – a meal for two runs $75.0 versus $69.0 in Vancouver. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,816 in Saint John's versus $2,684 in Vancouver, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Saint John's but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Saint John's the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Vancouver and Saint John's 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 Saint John's gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.