Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Waltham, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,626 a month against $4,201 in Waltham, MA, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 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
207

Cost of Living Index in Waltham, MA
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Waltham, MA Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Waltham, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,201

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Waltham, 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 Waltham, MA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,626 in Vancouver versus $4,201 in Waltham, MA.

Vancouver $2,626
Waltham, MA $4,201

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,841 in Vancouver versus $6,499 in Waltham, MA.

Vancouver $3,841
Waltham, MA $6,499

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,056 in Vancouver versus $8,798 in Waltham, MA.

Vancouver $5,056
Waltham, MA $8,798

Living in Vancouver costs roughly 37% less than in Waltham, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 95% above, Waltham, MA 211% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.19 CA$24.30

$24.71 $24.71

-30.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.6

$97.1 $97.1

-28.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 CA$15.00

$12.14 $12.14

-12.60%

Cappuccino

$3.83 CA$5.42

$5.37 $5.37

-28.68%

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

$2.04 CA$2.88

$2.86 $2.86

-28.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 CA$2.34

$2.31 $2.31

-28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 CA$7.83

$4.98 $4.98

11.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 CA$8.77

$8.10 $8.10

-23.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CA$3.02

$1.08 $1.08

98.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 CA$3.54

$4.00 $4.00

-37.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.49 CA$6.35

$5.40 $5.40

-16.85%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.78

$4.87 $4.87

-16.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 CA$16.58

$11.08 $11.08

5.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 CA$18.54

$14.44 $14.44

-9.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.50 CA$27.57

$17.44 $17.44

11.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$6.69 $6.69

-40.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.94

$1.75 $1.75

-21.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.48

$5.32 $5.32

-27.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.58

$5.62 $5.62

-29.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$4.32 $4.32

-37.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.05

$4.02 $4.02

-28.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$2.89 $2.89

-14.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$2.94 $2.94

-46.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.48 CA$21.88

$12.70 $12.70

21.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.75 CA$19.44

$13.59 $13.59

1.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$2.15 $2.15

22.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 CA$4.09

$4.20 $4.20

-31.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 CA$3.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.0 CA$117

$59.1 $59.1

40.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 CA$3.85

$2.64 $2.64

3.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.24

$1.70 $1.70

-7.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.05 CA$43.89

$28.34 $28.34

9.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$1.05 $1.05

30.48%

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

$27.7K CA$39.1K

$36.1K $36.1K

-23.40%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$26.2K $26.2K

-25.12%

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

$82.5 CA$117

$321 $321

-74.32%

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

$37.26 CA$52.7

$55.5 $55.5

-32.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$73.1

$85.0 $85.0

-39.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.87 CA$60.6

$245 $245

-82.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.40 CA$17.53

Cinema Ticket

$12.13 CA$17.15

$14.71 $14.71

-17.54%

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

$1,102 CA$1,557

$1,868 $1,868

-41.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K CA$28.0K

$30.3K $30.3K

-34.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$79.7

$55.6 $55.6

1.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 CA$47.26

$37.65 $37.65

-11.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 CA$133

$81.2 $81.2

15.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 CA$133

$99.5 $99.5

-5.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 CA$2,509

$2,457 $2,457

-27.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 CA$2,116

$2,454 $2,454

-39.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,082 CA$4,357

$5,393 $5,393

-42.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,416 CA$3,416

$5,043 $5,043

-52.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,069 CA$11.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,449 CA$9,118

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,776 CA$5,339

$5,090 $5,090

-25.81%

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 Waltham, MA: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Waltham, MA

$2.5K 58.4% 63.9% $957

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$392 14.9%

Waltham, MA

$457 10.9% 16.5% $65

Eating Out

Vancouver

$270 10.3%

Waltham, MA

$360 8.6% 33.3% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$171 6.5%

Waltham, MA

$462 11% 169% $290

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$125 4.8%

Waltham, MA

$123 2.9% 1.2% $1.6

Getting Around

Vancouver

$104 3.9%

Waltham, MA

$70 * 1.7% 32.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$67 2.6%

Waltham, MA

$275 6.5% 309% $208

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,775 in Vancouver and $2,457 in Waltham, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Waltham, MA pays 35% 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 $97.0 in Waltham, MA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $457 per month, with Vancouver cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇺🇸 Waltham, MA

🕒 Local time

07:03 7:03 AM

10:03 10:03 AM

3 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

60,636

💱 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

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Between locations

Vancouver Waltham, MA 4,010 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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Waltham, 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 Waltham, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver and Waltham, MA differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($2,626 vs $4,201 including rent). Vancouver is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Waltham, 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 $2,457 in Waltham, MA. 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 $97.0 in Waltham, MA. 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 $4,201 in Waltham, MA – a 60% 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.

Safety-wise, Vancouver and Waltham, 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 60% less than in Waltham, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.