Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

For one person, living is cheaper in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador: $2,128 a month against $2,725 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Vancouver outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

130

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
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St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,725

/mo nomad

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

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. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,725 in Vancouver versus $2,128 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Vancouver $2,725
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $2,128

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,039 in Vancouver versus $3,149 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Vancouver $4,039
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $3,149

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,352 in Vancouver versus $4,170 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Vancouver $5,352
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $4,170

Living in Vancouver is roughly 28% more expensive than in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 100% above, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 CA$24.68

$17.60 CA$24.62

0.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.4 CA$101

$72.0 CA$101

0.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 CA$15.16

$11.73 CA$16.41

-7.59%

Cappuccino

$3.91 CA$5.47

$4.03 CA$5.64

-2.98%

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

$2.10 CA$2.94

$2.59 CA$3.62

-18.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.29

$2.20 CA$3.08

-25.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 CA$8.03

$4.87 CA$6.82

17.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.36 CA$8.90

$5.43 CA$7.59

17.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 CA$3.09

$2.77 CA$3.88

-20.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 CA$3.70

$3.07 CA$4.30

-14.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.68 CA$6.54

$4.28 CA$5.99

9.35%

Eggs

$4.24 CA$5.93

$3.87 CA$5.42

9.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.92 CA$16.68

$11.53 CA$16.13

3.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.12 CA$18.35

$13.32 CA$18.63

-1.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.40 CA$28.53

$11.81 CA$16.53

72.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 CA$5.74

$4.85 CA$6.78

-15.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.93

$3.09 CA$4.33

-55.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 CA$5.36

$4.80 CA$6.71

-20.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.48

$3.08 CA$4.30

27.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 CA$3.88

$2.65 CA$3.70

4.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 CA$3.97

$2.31 CA$3.23

22.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 CA$3.64

$2.86 CA$4.00

-9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.23

$2.02 CA$2.82

-21.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.87 CA$22.19

$13.80 CA$19.30

15.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 CA$19.58

$16.10 CA$22.52

-13.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 CA$3.60

$4.19 CA$5.87

-38.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CA$4.22

$4.33 CA$6.06

-30.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.57

$1.83 CA$2.56

39.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 CA$118

$55.7 CA$77.9

51.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 CA$3.73

$3.22 CA$4.51

-17.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.75 CA$2.45

-9.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.19 CA$45.02

$28.39 CA$39.71

13.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 CA$2.03

$1.39 CA$1.94

4.32%

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

$27.5K CA$38.4K

$28.6K CA$40.1K

-4.05%

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

$21.3K CA$29.8K

$23.8K CA$33.4K

-10.59%

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

$82.5 CA$115

$182 CA$255

-54.71%

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

$37.46 CA$52.4

$41.72 CA$58.4

-10.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$72.3

$76.6 CA$107

-32.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.52 CA$56.7

$68.1 CA$95.3

-40.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.69 CA$17.75

$19.14 CA$26.77

-33.70%

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 CA$17.71

$10.63 CA$14.87

19.10%

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

$1,080 CA$1,510

$535 CA$748

101.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K CA$28.2K

$9,862 CA$13.8K

104.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$81.8

$66.9 CA$93.6

-12.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.10 CA$47.69

$51.5 CA$72.0

-33.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 CA$136

$81.7 CA$114

18.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.4 CA$136

$96.2 CA$135

1.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,813 CA$2,536

$1,041 CA$1,457

74.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 CA$2,204

$836 CA$1,169

88.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,217 CA$4,499

$1,540 CA$2,153

108.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,651 CA$3,708

$1,322 CA$1,849

100.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,590 CA$12.0K

$2,435 CA$3,405

252.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,649 CA$9,300

$1,776 CA$2,484

274.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,733 CA$5,221

$2,823 CA$3,949

32.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

4.57

-6.35%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 27, 2026

Last update for St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.6K 57.8%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$836 39.3% 46.9% $740

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$401 14.7%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$415 19.5% 3.6% $14

Eating Out

Vancouver

$277 10.2%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$279 13.1% 0.6% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$172 6.3%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$300 14.1% 75.1% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$129 4.7%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$133 6.3% 3.3% $4.2

Getting Around

Vancouver

$105 3.9%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$75 3.5% 28.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$66 2.4%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$89 4.2% 35.8% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,813 in Vancouver and $1,041 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 32% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $72 in Vancouver vs $72 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $401 vs $415 per month, with Vancouver cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇨🇦 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🕒 Local time

00:49 12:49 AM

05:19 5:19 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

110,525

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Vancouver St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador 5,010 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

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. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 32% 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: $1,813 in Vancouver versus $1,041 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,080 in Vancouver versus $535 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador runs roughly 34% less than in Vancouver. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $2,128 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador versus $2,725 in Vancouver, a $2,500 budget is realistic in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Vancouver, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador wins on affordability, Vancouver on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.