Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Santo Domingo

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo: $1,122 a month against $2,684 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
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Santo Domingo Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,122

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Santo Domingo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,684 in Vancouver versus $1,122 in Santo Domingo.

Vancouver $2,684
Santo Domingo $1,122

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,878 in Vancouver versus $1,761 in Santo Domingo.

Vancouver $3,878
Santo Domingo $1,761

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,072 in Vancouver versus $2,401 in Santo Domingo.

Vancouver $5,072
Santo Domingo $2,401

Living in Vancouver is roughly 139% more expensive than in Santo Domingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Vancouver is 100% above, Santo Domingo is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 CA$24.61

$10.19 DOP 622

69.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 CA$98.1

$50.5 DOP 3,082

36.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.02

$7.79 DOP 475

35.56%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.53

$2.23 DOP 136

74.44%

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

$2.05 CA$2.92

$1.02 DOP 62.5

100.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$0.54 DOP 33.14

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.89

$2.55 DOP 156

117.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 CA$9.00

$3.30 DOP 201

91.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.29

$1.33 DOP 81.1

73.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 CA$3.56

$1.50 DOP 91.5

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 CA$6.32

$1.63 DOP 99.3

172.39%

Eggs

$4.07 CA$5.79

$2.36 DOP 144

72.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 CA$16.04

$7.40 DOP 451

52.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.42 CA$19.09

$5.59 DOP 341

140.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.10 CA$28.59

$6.71 DOP 409

199.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.77

$3.19 DOP 194

27.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.89

$0.85 DOP 51.8

56.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.56

$2.76 DOP 168

41.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.77

$1.86 DOP 114

117.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.87

$2.07 DOP 127

31.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 CA$4.11

$2.25 DOP 137

28.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 CA$3.60

$1.03 DOP 63.1

145.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.30

$0.97 DOP 59.0

67.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.57 CA$22.15

$5.19 DOP 317

200.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 CA$19.99

$10.24 DOP 625

37.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CA$3.82

$2.53 DOP 154

6.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 CA$4.26

$2.97 DOP 181

0.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.47

$0.60 DOP 36.59

306.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 CA$119

$18.04 DOP 1,101

362.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 CA$3.86

$3.36 DOP 205

-19.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 CA$2.23

$2.21 DOP 135

-28.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.39 CA$44.65

$5.71 DOP 348

449.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CA$1.96

$1.43 DOP 87.4

-3.50%

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

$28.1K CA$39.9K

$23.4K DOP 1.4M

20.08%

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

$19.8K CA$28.2K

$34.2K DOP 2.1M

-41.98%

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

$81.2 CA$115

$93.8 DOP 5,720

-13.45%

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

$37.45 CA$53.3

$31.81 DOP 1,940

17.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 CA$73.1

$37.01 DOP 2,258

38.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.47 CA$61.8

$29.96 DOP 1,828

45.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 CA$17.82

$24.22 DOP 1,477

-48.27%

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 CA$17.84

$7.30 DOP 445

71.78%

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

$1,094 CA$1,557

$256 DOP 15.6K

328.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K CA$28.3K

$7,297 DOP 445.1K

172.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 CA$81.1

$45.66 DOP 2,785

24.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 CA$46.56

$46.81 DOP 2,855

-30.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 CA$132

$88.1 DOP 5,373

5.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 CA$134

$126 DOP 7,691

-25.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 CA$2,483

$712 DOP 43.4K

145.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 CA$2,111

$348 DOP 21.2K

326.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,998 CA$4,264

$1,451 DOP 88.5K

106.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,422 CA$3,446

$622 DOP 38.0K

289.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,002 CA$11.4K

$2,205 DOP 134.5K

262.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,457 CA$9,184

$1,203 DOP 73.4K

436.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,799 CA$5,404

$590 DOP 36.0K

544.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

13.56

-68.44%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 3, 2026

Last update for Santo Domingo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6%

Santo Domingo

$348 31.5% 76.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$399 15.2%

Santo Domingo

$221 20% 44.5% $177

Eating Out

Vancouver

$272 10.4%

Santo Domingo

$157 14.2% 42.1% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$170 6.5%

Santo Domingo

$163 14.7% 4.4% $7.4

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.8%

Santo Domingo

$138 12.5% 10.9% $14

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 4%

Santo Domingo

$35 3.2% 66.4% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$69 2.6%

Santo Domingo

$45 4% 35% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,745 in Vancouver and $712 in Santo Domingo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 544% 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 $51.0 in Santo Domingo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $221 per month, with Santo Domingo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

21:59 9:59 PM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

965,040 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.46 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, 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).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 61 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.42 DOP (100 DOP = 1.46 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Vancouver Santo Domingo 5,820 km ≈ 8 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 Santo Domingo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver and Santo Domingo differ by about 139% in total monthly costs ($2,684 vs $1,122 including rent). Santo Domingo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 544% 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 $712 in Santo Domingo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Santo Domingo – a meal for two runs $51.0 versus $69.0 in Vancouver. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,684 per month in Vancouver versus $1,122 in Santo Domingo – a 139% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,122 in Santo Domingo versus $2,684 in Vancouver, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santo Domingo but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Santo Domingo 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.

Expats usually find Santo Domingo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 139% less than in Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.