Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Somerville, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,626 a month against $4,288 in Somerville, MA, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
Learn more

Vancouver Living Index
210

Cost of Living Index in Somerville, MA
Learn more

Somerville, MA Living Index

Jump to prices

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Somerville, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,288

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Somerville, MA

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 Somerville, MA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,626 in Vancouver versus $4,288 in Somerville, MA.

Vancouver $2,626
Somerville, MA $4,288

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,841 in Vancouver versus $6,211 in Somerville, MA.

Vancouver $3,841
Somerville, MA $6,211

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,056 in Vancouver versus $8,134 in Somerville, MA.

Vancouver $5,056
Somerville, MA $8,134

Living in Vancouver costs roughly 39% less than in Somerville, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 95% above, Somerville, MA 218% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.19 CA$24.30

$24.95 $24.95

-31.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.6

$95.3 $95.3

-27.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 CA$15.00

$13.25 $13.25

-19.92%

Cappuccino

$3.83 CA$5.42

$5.44 $5.44

-29.60%

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

$2.04 CA$2.88

$2.91 $2.91

-29.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 CA$2.34

$2.26 $2.26

-26.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.83

$8.12 $8.12

-31.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 CA$8.77

$9.09 $9.09

-31.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CA$3.02

$1.08 $1.08

98.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 CA$3.54

$3.90 $3.90

-35.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.49 CA$6.35

$5.31 $5.31

-15.44%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.78

$4.92 $4.92

-16.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 CA$16.58

$15.91 $15.91

-26.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 CA$18.54

$14.04 $14.04

-6.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.50 CA$27.57

$17.85 $17.85

9.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$6.66 $6.66

-39.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.94

$2.08 $2.08

-33.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.48

$5.53 $5.53

-29.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.58

$6.49 $6.49

-39.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.20 $2.20

23.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.05

$2.16 $2.16

32.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$2.99 $2.99

-17.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$2.98 $2.98

-47.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.48 CA$21.88

$13.39 $13.39

15.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.75 CA$19.44

$15.79 $15.79

-12.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$2.09 $2.09

25.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 CA$4.09

$4.11 $4.11

-29.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$2.23 $2.23

11.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.0 CA$117

$88.8 $88.8

-6.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.62 $2.62

3.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.24

$1.78 $1.78

-11.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.05 CA$43.89

$28.09 $28.09

10.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$1.08 $1.08

26.85%

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

$27.7K CA$39.1K

$36.9K $36.9K

-25.07%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$25.9K $25.9K

-24.22%

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

$82.5 CA$117

$246 $246

-66.46%

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

$37.26 CA$52.7

$75.9 $75.9

-50.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$73.1

$74.5 $74.5

-30.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.87 CA$60.6

$103 $103

-58.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.40 CA$17.53

Cinema Ticket

$12.13 CA$17.15

$15.65 $15.65

-22.49%

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

$1,102 CA$1,557

$1,848 $1,848

-40.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K CA$28.0K

$30.6K $30.6K

-35.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$79.7

$48.48 $48.48

16.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 CA$47.26

$38.45 $38.45

-13.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 CA$133

$101 $101

-6.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 CA$133

$158 $158

-40.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 CA$2,509

$2,965 $2,965

-40.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 CA$2,116

$2,637 $2,637

-43.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,082 CA$4,357

$4,530 $4,530

-31.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,416 CA$3,416

$4,491 $4,491

-46.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,069 CA$11.4K

$7,454 $7,454

8.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,449 CA$9,118

$5,679 $5,679

13.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,776 CA$5,339

$5,408 $5,408

-30.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

6.64

-35.54%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Last update for Somerville, MA: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Somerville, MA

$2.6K 61.5% 76.2% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$392 14.9%

Somerville, MA

$472 11% 20.1% $79

Eating Out

Vancouver

$270 10.3%

Somerville, MA

$384 9% 42.2% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$171 6.5%

Somerville, MA

$396 9.2% 131% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$125 4.8%

Somerville, MA

$155 3.6% 24.5% $31

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 3.9%

Somerville, MA

$109 2.6% 5.6% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$67 2.6%

Somerville, MA

$135 3.1% 101% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,775 in Vancouver and $2,965 in Somerville, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Somerville, MA pays 43% 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 $95.0 in Somerville, MA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $472 per month, with Vancouver cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇺🇸 Somerville, MA

🕒 Local time

09:50 9:50 AM

12:50 12:50 PM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

75,754

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Vancouver Somerville, MA 4,020 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Somerville, MA

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 Somerville, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver and Somerville, MA differ by about 63% in total monthly costs ($2,626 vs $4,288 including rent). Vancouver is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Somerville, MA. 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: $1,775 in Vancouver versus $2,965 in Somerville, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,102 in Vancouver versus $1,848 in Somerville, MA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Somerville, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Safety-wise, Vancouver and Somerville, MA 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 Vancouver gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Somerville, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.