Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Virginia Beach, VA

For one person, living costs are similar in Vancouver and in Virginia Beach, VA: $2,684 and $2,790 a month, rent and utilities included.

128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
135

Cost of Living Index in Virginia Beach, VA
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Virginia Beach, VA Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

Virginia Beach, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,790

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Virginia Beach, VA

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 Virginia Beach, VA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,684 in Vancouver versus $2,790 in Virginia Beach, VA.

Vancouver $2,684
Virginia Beach, VA $2,790

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,878 in Vancouver versus $3,973 in Virginia Beach, VA.

Vancouver $3,878
Virginia Beach, VA $3,973

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,072 in Vancouver versus $5,156 in Virginia Beach, VA.

Vancouver $5,072
Virginia Beach, VA $5,156

Living in Vancouver costs roughly 4% less than in Virginia Beach, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 100% above, Virginia Beach, VA 108% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 CA$24.67

$17.76 $17.76

-2.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 CA$98.3

$89.6 $89.6

-23.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.06

$12.14 $12.14

-13.01%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.55

$5.75 $5.75

-32.35%

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

$2.05 CA$2.93

$2.78 $2.78

-26.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$2.11 $2.11

-23.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.91

$6.11 $6.11

-9.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 CA$9.02

$7.21 $7.21

-12.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.30

$1.03 $1.03

124.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 CA$3.57

$3.09 $3.09

-19.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 CA$6.34

$5.44 $5.44

-18.38%

Eggs

$4.07 CA$5.80

$4.66 $4.66

-12.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 CA$16.08

$10.14 $10.14

11.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.42 CA$19.13

$9.65 $9.65

39.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.10 CA$28.66

$18.11 $18.11

10.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.79

$2.59 $2.59

56.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.90

$1.56 $1.56

-14.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.57

$5.19 $5.19

-24.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.78

$5.65 $5.65

-28.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.88

$2.34 $2.34

16.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 CA$4.12

$4.62 $4.62

-37.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 CA$3.61

$1.85 $1.85

36.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$2.23 $2.23

-27.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.57 CA$22.20

$9.02 $9.02

72.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 CA$20.03

$12.02 $12.02

16.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CA$3.83

$1.82 $1.82

47.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 CA$4.27

$2.11 $2.11

41.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.48

$2.05 $2.05

19.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 CA$119

$69.0 $69.0

20.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 CA$3.87

$4.70 $4.70

-42.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 CA$2.24

$1.29 $1.29

21.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.39 CA$44.76

$20.10 $20.10

56.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CA$1.96

$1.04 $1.04

32.69%

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

$28.1K CA$40.0K

$35.9K $35.9K

-21.78%

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

$19.8K CA$28.3K

$25.4K $25.4K

-22.12%

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

$81.2 CA$116

$205 $205

-60.48%

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

$37.45 CA$53.4

$59.1 $59.1

-36.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 CA$73.3

$66.6 $66.6

-22.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.47 CA$62.0

$44.34 $44.34

-1.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 CA$17.86

$34.48 $34.48

-63.66%

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 CA$17.88

$11.89 $11.89

5.47%

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

$1,094 CA$1,560

$1,586 $1,586

-31.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K CA$28.4K

$16.3K $16.3K

22.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 CA$81.3

$60.2 $60.2

-5.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 CA$46.67

$47.89 $47.89

-31.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 CA$132

$116 $116

-20.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 CA$134

$111 $111

-15.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 CA$2,489

$1,823 $1,823

-4.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 CA$2,116

$1,425 $1,425

4.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,998 CA$4,275

$2,785 $2,785

7.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,422 CA$3,454

$2,150 $2,150

12.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,002 CA$11.4K

$2,287 $2,287

249.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,457 CA$9,207

$2,308 $2,308

179.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,799 CA$5,417

$4,203 $4,203

-9.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

6.57

-34.86%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 3, 2026

Last update for Virginia Beach, VA: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6%

Virginia Beach, VA

$1.4K 51.8% 4% $59

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$399 15.2%

Virginia Beach, VA

$374 13.6% 6.2% $25

Eating Out

Vancouver

$272 10.4%

Virginia Beach, VA

$312 11.4% 14.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$170 6.5%

Virginia Beach, VA

$331 12% 94.8% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.8%

Virginia Beach, VA

$151 5.5% 21.2% $26

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 4%

Virginia Beach, VA

$88 3.2% 14.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$69 2.6%

Virginia Beach, VA

$68 2.5% 0.6% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,745 in Vancouver and $1,823 in Virginia Beach, VA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Virginia Beach, VA pays 11% 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 $90.0 in Virginia Beach, VA. Groceries flip the comparison at $399 vs $374, with Virginia Beach, VA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇺🇸 Virginia Beach, VA

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

12:30 12:30 PM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

459,470

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.701 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 12, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Vancouver Virginia Beach, VA 4,000 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Vancouver vs Virginia Beach, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver and Virginia Beach, VA differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($2,684 vs $2,790 including rent). Vancouver is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Virginia Beach, VA. 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: $1,745 in Vancouver versus $1,823 in Virginia Beach, VA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Vancouver – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $90.0 in Virginia Beach, VA. 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 $2,790 in Virginia Beach, VA – 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. 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.

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