Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and St. Albert, AB

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Albert, AB: $1,167 a month against $2,626 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 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
57

Cost of Living Index in St. Albert, AB
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St. Albert, AB Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

St. Albert, AB

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,167

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in St. Albert, AB

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 St. Albert, AB actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,626 per month in Vancouver vs $1,167 in St. Albert, AB, rent included.

Vancouver $2,626
St. Albert, AB $1,167

A couple spends around $3,841 per month in Vancouver vs $2,457 in St. Albert, AB, rent included.

Vancouver $3,841
St. Albert, AB $2,457

A family of three spends $5,056 per month in Vancouver vs $3,747 in St. Albert, AB, rent included.

Vancouver $5,056
St. Albert, AB $3,747

Vancouver costs about 125% more than St. Albert, AB, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Vancouver sits 95% above the global median, while St. Albert, AB is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.19 CA$24.30

$19.29 CA$27.27

-10.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.6

$69.2 CA$97.9

-0.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 CA$15.00

$9.90 CA$14.00

7.17%

Cappuccino

$3.83 CA$5.42

$3.81 CA$5.38

0.52%

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

$2.04 CA$2.88

$2.05 CA$2.90

-0.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 CA$2.34

$2.00 CA$2.82

-17.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.83

$5.03 CA$7.11

10.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 CA$8.77

$5.64 CA$7.97

9.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CA$3.02

$1.68 CA$2.37

27.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 CA$3.54

$2.18 CA$3.07

15.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.49 CA$6.35

$3.04 CA$4.30

47.70%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.78

$3.46 CA$4.89

18.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 CA$16.58

$11.42 CA$16.14

2.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 CA$18.54

$11.34 CA$16.03

15.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.50 CA$27.57

$18.19 CA$25.71

7.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$4.22 CA$5.96

-5.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.94

$1.39 CA$1.96

-0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.48

$4.29 CA$6.06

-9.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.58

$3.96 CA$5.59

-0.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.63 CA$3.72

3.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.05

$2.64 CA$3.73

8.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$2.57 CA$3.64

-4.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$1.56 CA$2.20

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.48 CA$21.88

$13.93 CA$19.70

11.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.75 CA$19.44

$11.72 CA$16.57

17.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$2.43 CA$3.43

8.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 CA$4.09

$2.82 CA$3.99

2.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$2.03 CA$2.88

22.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.0 CA$117

$60.6 CA$85.6

37.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.93 CA$4.14

-7.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.24

$1.36 CA$1.93

16.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.05 CA$43.89

$20.90 CA$29.54

48.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$1.10 CA$1.56

24.55%

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

$27.7K CA$39.1K

$27.3K CA$38.6K

1.40%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$19.5K CA$27.5K

0.91%

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

$82.5 CA$117

$160 CA$227

-48.54%

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

$37.26 CA$52.7

$38.86 CA$54.9

-4.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$73.1

$52.6 CA$74.4

-1.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.87 CA$60.6

$40.02 CA$56.6

7.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.40 CA$17.53

Cinema Ticket

$12.13 CA$17.15

$12.66 CA$17.90

-4.19%

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

$1,102 CA$1,557

$748 CA$1,057

47.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K CA$28.0K

$9,306 CA$13.2K

113.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$79.7

$55.7 CA$78.8

1.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 CA$47.26

$39.02 CA$55.2

-14.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 CA$133

$83.3 CA$118

12.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 CA$133

$110 CA$156

-15.00%

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

$1,334 CA$1,886

131.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,416 CA$3,416

$1,124 CA$1,589

115.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,069 CA$11.4K

$2,488 CA$3,517

224.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,449 CA$9,118

$2,492 CA$3,523

158.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,776 CA$5,339

$3,157 CA$4,462

19.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

4.51

-5.10%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Last update for St. Albert, AB: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

St. Albert, AB

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$392 14.9%

St. Albert, AB

$360 30.8% 8.3% $33

Eating Out

Vancouver

$270 10.3%

St. Albert, AB

$282 24.2% 4.5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$171 6.5%

St. Albert, AB

$252 21.6% 46.8% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$125 4.8%

St. Albert, AB

$130 11.1% 3.9% $4.9

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 3.9%

St. Albert, AB

$78 6.7% 24.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$67 2.6%

St. Albert, AB

$65 5.6% 2.7% $1.8

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 20% 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 $69.0 in St. Albert, AB. Groceries tell a different story – $392 in Vancouver vs $360 in St. Albert, AB – so St. Albert, AB wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇨🇦 St. Albert, AB

🕒 Local time

22:28 10:28 PM

23:28 11:28 PM

1 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

68,232

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Vancouver St. Albert, AB 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
St. Albert, AB

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 St. Albert, AB: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver costs about 125% more than St. Albert, AB, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,751 in St. Albert, AB. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Vancouver and $69.0 in St. Albert, AB. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,626 in Vancouver and $1,167 in St. Albert, AB. That's a gap of about 125%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in St. Albert, AB, where all-in costs run around $1,167, than in Vancouver at $2,626. In St. Albert, AB it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vancouver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward St. Albert, AB – 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 St. Albert, AB. 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.