Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and San Juan

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $2,197 a month against $2,684 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Vancouver outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
Learn more

Vancouver Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
Learn more

San Juan Living Index

Jump to prices

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,197

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in San Juan

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

A single person spends $2,684 per month in Vancouver vs $2,197 in San Juan, rent included.

Vancouver $2,684
San Juan $2,197

A couple spends around $3,878 per month in Vancouver vs $3,317 in San Juan, rent included.

Vancouver $3,878
San Juan $3,317

A family of three spends $5,072 per month in Vancouver vs $4,436 in San Juan, rent included.

Vancouver $5,072
San Juan $4,436

Vancouver costs about 22% more than San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Vancouver and San Juan sit above the global median – Vancouver by 100%, San Juan by 64%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 CA$24.61

$18.95 $18.95

-8.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 CA$98.1

$81.6 $81.6

-15.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.02

$9.01 $9.01

17.20%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.53

$3.63 $3.63

7.16%

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

$2.05 CA$2.92

$1.92 $1.92

6.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$1.44 $1.44

12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.89

$2.96 $2.96

87.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 CA$9.00

$5.12 $5.12

23.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.29

$2.16 $2.16

6.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 CA$3.56

$3.64 $3.64

-31.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 CA$6.32

$2.40 $2.40

85.00%

Eggs

$4.07 CA$5.79

$7.30 $7.30

-44.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 CA$16.04

$12.48 $12.48

-9.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.42 CA$19.09

$9.91 $9.91

35.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.10 CA$28.59

$13.15 $13.15

52.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.77

$5.01 $5.01

-18.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.89

$2.57 $2.57

-48.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.56

$4.83 $4.83

-19.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.77

$4.68 $4.68

-13.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.87

$3.69 $3.69

-26.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 CA$4.11

$3.89 $3.89

-25.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 CA$3.60

$3.35 $3.35

-24.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.30

$1.65 $1.65

-1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.57 CA$22.15

$11.90 $11.90

30.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 CA$19.99

$15.42 $15.42

-8.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CA$3.82

$2.98 $2.98

-9.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 CA$4.26

$3.91 $3.91

-23.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.47

$0.78 $0.78

212.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 CA$119

$29.65 $29.65

181.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 CA$3.86

$2.53 $2.53

7.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 CA$2.23

$1.53 $1.53

2.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.39 CA$44.65

$41.18 $41.18

-23.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CA$1.96

$1.23 $1.23

12.20%

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

$28.1K CA$39.9K

$39.7K $39.7K

-29.36%

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

$19.8K CA$28.2K

$28.0K $28.0K

-29.36%

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

$81.2 CA$115

$323 $323

-74.88%

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

$37.45 CA$53.3

$70.0 $70.0

-46.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 CA$73.1

$70.1 $70.1

-26.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.47 CA$61.8

$41.55 $41.55

4.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 CA$17.82

$7.78 $7.78

61.05%

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 CA$17.84

$10.57 $10.57

18.64%

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

$1,094 CA$1,557

$814 $814

34.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K CA$28.3K

$12.4K $12.4K

60.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 CA$81.1

$55.5 $55.5

2.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 CA$46.56

$61.6 $61.6

-46.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 CA$132

$107 $107

-13.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 CA$134

$113 $113

-16.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 CA$2,483

$1,791 $1,791

-2.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 CA$2,111

$847 $847

75.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,998 CA$4,264

$2,872 $2,872

4.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,422 CA$3,446

$1,496 $1,496

61.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,002 CA$11.4K

$7,513 $7,513

6.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,457 CA$9,184

$3,351 $3,351

92.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,799 CA$5,404

$2,674 $2,674

42.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

6.55

-34.66%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 3, 2026

Last update for San Juan: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6%

San Juan

$847 37.8% 42.9% $637

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$399 15.2%

San Juan

$412 18.4% 3.4% $13

Eating Out

Vancouver

$272 10.4%

San Juan

$261 11.6% 4.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$170 6.5%

San Juan

$463 20.7% 173% $293

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.8%

San Juan

$152 6.8% 21.9% $27

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 4%

San Juan

$43 1.9% 58.6% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$69 2.6%

San Juan

$63 2.8% 8.5% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,745 in Vancouver versus $1,791 in San Juan. 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 42% higher in Vancouver, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Vancouver versus $82.0 in San Juan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $412 – making Vancouver the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇵🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

04:45 4:45 AM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

322,854 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Vancouver San Juan 6,090 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
San Juan

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 San Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver costs about 22% more than San Juan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,026 per month in Vancouver and $3,295 in San Juan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,094 per month in Vancouver and $814 in San Juan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Vancouver – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,684 in Vancouver and $2,197 in San Juan. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Juan costs $2,197 versus $2,684 in Vancouver. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with San Juan. 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.