Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and San Juan

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $771 a month against $2,626 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $22,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$771

/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 $2,626 per month in Vancouver vs $771 in San Juan, rent included.

Vancouver $2,626
San Juan $771

A couple spends around $3,841 per month in Vancouver vs $1,321 in San Juan, rent included.

Vancouver $3,841
San Juan $1,321

A family of three spends $5,056 per month in Vancouver vs $1,870 in San Juan, rent included.

Vancouver $5,056
San Juan $1,870

Vancouver costs about 241% more than San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Vancouver sits 95% above the global median, while San Juan is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.19 CA$24.30

$10.47 TTD 70.4

64.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.6

$59.2 TTD 398

16.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 CA$15.00

$7.95 TTD 53.5

33.46%

Cappuccino

$3.83 CA$5.42

$3.63 TTD 24.39

5.51%

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

$2.04 CA$2.88

$1.21 TTD 8.15

68.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 CA$2.34

$0.75 TTD 5.07

120.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.83

$2.23 TTD 14.98

148.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 CA$8.77

$3.01 TTD 20.23

105.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CA$3.02

$1.98 TTD 13.33

8.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 CA$3.54

$2.36 TTD 15.86

6.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.49 CA$6.35

$2.91 TTD 19.56

54.30%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.78

$3.74 TTD 25.14

9.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 CA$16.58

$6.80 TTD 45.75

72.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 CA$18.54

$10.15 TTD 68.3

29.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.50 CA$27.57

$8.89 TTD 59.8

119.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$5.51 TTD 37.04

-27.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.94

$2.53 TTD 17.00

-45.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.48

$3.60 TTD 24.22

7.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.58

$4.25 TTD 28.57

-7.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$0.77 TTD 5.17

253.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.05

$0.71 TTD 4.81

302.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$1.45 TTD 9.76

69.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$1.21 TTD 8.13

28.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.48 CA$21.88

$5.77 TTD 38.81

168.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.75 CA$19.44

$18.00 TTD 121

-23.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$1.56 TTD 10.49

68.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 CA$4.09

$3.01 TTD 20.23

-3.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 CA$3.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.0 CA$117

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$0.87 TTD 5.82

212.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.24

$0.85 TTD 5.71

85.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.05 CA$43.89

$14.64 TTD 98.5

112.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$1.16 TTD 7.78

18.10%

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

$27.7K CA$39.1K

$37.6K TTD 253.1K

-26.49%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$41.0K TTD 275.6K

-52.06%

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

$82.5 CA$117

$43.82 TTD 295

88.22%

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

$37.26 CA$52.7

$42.30 TTD 285

-11.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$73.1

$44.86 TTD 302

15.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.87 CA$60.6

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.40 CA$17.53

Cinema Ticket

$12.13 CA$17.15

$8.95 TTD 60.2

35.53%

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

$1,102 CA$1,557

$398 TTD 2,678

176.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K CA$28.0K

$10.8K TTD 72.6K

83.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$79.7

$53.8 TTD 362

4.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 CA$47.26

$37.61 TTD 253

-11.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 CA$133

$87.8 TTD 591

6.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 CA$133

$89.9 TTD 605

4.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 CA$2,509

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 CA$2,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,082 CA$4,357

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,416 CA$3,416

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,069 CA$11.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,449 CA$9,118

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,776 CA$5,339

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

5.75

-25.57%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Last update for San Juan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

San Juan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$392 14.9%

San Juan

$320 41.5% 18.5% $72

Eating Out

Vancouver

$270 10.3%

San Juan

$176 22.8% 34.8% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$171 6.5%

San Juan

$131 17% 23.6% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$125 4.8%

San Juan

$121 15.7% 3% $3.8

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 3.9%

San Juan

$5.1 * 0.7% 95.1% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$67 2.6%

San Juan

$18 * 2.3% 73.4% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Vancouver versus $59.0 in San Juan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $320 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇹🇹 San Juan

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

09:29 9:29 AM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vancouver San Juan 7,070 km ≈ 9 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 241% 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 $3,939 per month in Vancouver and $1,157 in San Juan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,626 in Vancouver and $771 in San Juan. That's a gap of about 241%.

Kindergarten costs $1,102 per month in Vancouver and $398 in San Juan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San Juan, where all-in costs run around $771, than in Vancouver at $2,626. In San Juan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vancouver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Juan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.