Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Victoria

For one person, living costs are similar in Vancouver and in Victoria: $2,626 and $2,536 a month, rent and utilities included.

129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Victoria
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Victoria Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Victoria

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,536

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Victoria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,626 in Vancouver versus $2,536 in Victoria.

Vancouver $2,626
Victoria $2,536

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,841 in Vancouver versus $3,847 in Victoria.

Vancouver $3,841
Victoria $3,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,056 in Vancouver versus $5,159 in Victoria.

Vancouver $5,056
Victoria $5,159

Living in Vancouver is roughly 4% more expensive than in Victoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 95% above, Victoria 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.19 CA$24.30

$19.21 CA$27.16

-10.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.6

$70.2 CA$99.2

-1.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 CA$15.00

$11.03 CA$15.59

-3.81%

Cappuccino

$3.83 CA$5.42

$4.41 CA$6.23

-13.15%

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

$2.04 CA$2.88

$2.33 CA$3.30

-12.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 CA$2.34

$1.87 CA$2.65

-11.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.83

$5.63 CA$7.97

-1.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 CA$8.77

$6.59 CA$9.31

-5.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CA$3.02

$2.73 CA$3.86

-21.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 CA$3.54

$2.98 CA$4.22

-15.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.49 CA$6.35

$4.02 CA$5.68

11.69%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.78

$4.14 CA$5.85

-1.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 CA$16.58

$26.73 CA$37.79

-56.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 CA$18.54

$12.46 CA$17.62

5.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.50 CA$27.57

$14.32 CA$20.25

36.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$3.91 CA$5.53

2.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.94

$1.44 CA$2.03

-4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.48

$3.94 CA$5.57

-1.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.58

$4.20 CA$5.94

-5.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$3.46 CA$4.89

-21.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.05

$2.85 CA$4.03

0.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$3.17 CA$4.49

-22.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$2.45 CA$3.46

-36.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.48 CA$21.88

$14.95 CA$21.13

3.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.75 CA$19.44

$17.38 CA$24.58

-20.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$3.82 CA$5.40

-31.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 CA$4.09

$3.43 CA$4.85

-15.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$2.04 CA$2.89

21.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.0 CA$117

$60.0 CA$84.8

38.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.76 CA$3.90

-1.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.24

$1.53 CA$2.17

3.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.05 CA$43.89

$34.02 CA$48.09

-8.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$1.41 CA$2.00

-2.84%

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

$27.7K CA$39.1K

$27.4K CA$38.7K

1.00%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$18.5K CA$26.2K

6.11%

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

$82.5 CA$117

$104 CA$147

-20.75%

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

$37.26 CA$52.7

$44.32 CA$62.7

-15.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$73.1

$60.9 CA$86.1

-15.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.87 CA$60.6

$43.17 CA$61.0

-0.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.40 CA$17.53

$17.01 CA$24.05

-27.10%

Cinema Ticket

$12.13 CA$17.15

$10.63 CA$15.03

14.11%

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

$1,102 CA$1,557

$886 CA$1,252

24.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K CA$28.0K

$23.2K CA$32.8K

-14.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$79.7

$53.4 CA$75.5

5.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 CA$47.26

$43.58 CA$61.6

-23.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 CA$133

$89.9 CA$127

4.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 CA$133

$106 CA$149

-11.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 CA$2,509

$1,521 CA$2,151

16.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 CA$2,116

$1,295 CA$1,831

15.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,082 CA$4,357

$2,720 CA$3,845

13.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,416 CA$3,416

$2,315 CA$3,273

4.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,069 CA$11.4K

$5,206 CA$7,359

55.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,449 CA$9,118

$4,371 CA$6,179

47.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,776 CA$5,339

$3,251 CA$4,595

16.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

4.31

-0.70%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Last update for Victoria: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Victoria

$1.3K 51.1% 13.4% $201

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$392 14.9%

Victoria

$459 18.1% 17% $67

Eating Out

Vancouver

$270 10.3%

Victoria

$298 11.7% 10.2% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$171 6.5%

Victoria

$209 8.3% 22.1% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$125 4.8%

Victoria

$132 5.2% 5.4% $6.8

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 3.9%

Victoria

$79 3.1% 24.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$67 2.6%

Victoria

$64 2.5% 4% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,775 in Vancouver and $1,521 in Victoria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 16% 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 $70.0 in Victoria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $459 per month, with Vancouver cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇨🇦 Victoria

🕒 Local time

12:37 12:37 PM

Same time as Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

85,792

💱 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

On the map

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Vancouver
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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 Victoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver and Victoria differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($2,626 vs $2,536 including rent). Victoria is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% 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: $1,775 in Vancouver versus $1,521 in Victoria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Victoria – a meal for two runs $70.0 versus $69.0 in Vancouver. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,626 per month in Vancouver versus $2,536 in Victoria – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Victoria 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.

Expats usually find Victoria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.