Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Whitehorse

For one person, living costs are similar in Vancouver and in Whitehorse: $2,662 and $2,789 a month, rent and utilities included.

129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Whitehorse
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Whitehorse Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,662

/mo nomad

Whitehorse

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Whitehorse

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,662 in Vancouver versus $2,789 in Whitehorse.

Vancouver $2,662
Whitehorse $2,789

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,916 in Vancouver versus $4,143 in Whitehorse.

Vancouver $3,916
Whitehorse $4,143

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,170 in Vancouver versus $5,497 in Whitehorse.

Vancouver $5,170
Whitehorse $5,497

Living in Vancouver costs roughly 5% less than in Whitehorse, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 96% above, Whitehorse 106% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.01 CA$25.46

$35.67 CA$50.4

-49.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 CA$100

$107 CA$151

-33.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 CA$15.31

$10.99 CA$15.54

-1.46%

Cappuccino

$3.94 CA$5.56

$4.48 CA$6.33

-12.05%

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

$2.13 CA$3.01

$2.31 CA$3.27

-7.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 CA$2.34

$1.86 CA$2.62

-10.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.73 CA$8.10

$4.14 CA$5.85

38.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.40 CA$9.04

$4.88 CA$6.91

31.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 CA$3.04

$2.39 CA$3.38

-10.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 CA$3.61

$2.48 CA$3.50

2.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.56 CA$6.45

$3.71 CA$5.25

22.91%

Eggs

$4.06 CA$5.74

$3.78 CA$5.35

7.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 CA$17.17

$9.68 CA$13.68

25.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.23 CA$18.71

$15.44 CA$21.83

-14.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.24 CA$28.62

$14.41 CA$20.37

40.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.73

$4.46 CA$6.30

-9.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$2.00

$1.89 CA$2.67

-24.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.97 CA$5.62

$3.61 CA$5.11

9.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.53

$3.71 CA$5.24

5.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.74

$2.48 CA$3.51

6.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 CA$3.98

$2.13 CA$3.02

32.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$3.09 CA$4.36

-19.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.24

$1.63 CA$2.31

-2.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.30 CA$21.64

$19.21 CA$27.16

-20.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.32 CA$20.24

$17.60 CA$24.89

-18.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 CA$3.63

$4.24 CA$6.00

-39.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$3.87 CA$5.48

-24.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.60

$1.73 CA$2.45

47.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.6 CA$120

$43.28 CA$61.2

95.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$3.38 CA$4.78

-21.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 CA$2.31

$2.34 CA$3.31

-30.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.77 CA$44.91

$22.83 CA$32.27

39.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 CA$2.01

$1.22 CA$1.73

16.39%

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

$27.1K CA$38.3K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

-1.93%

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

$21.6K CA$30.5K

$17.4K CA$24.6K

24.02%

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

$81.3 CA$115

$242 CA$342

-66.39%

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

$37.20 CA$52.6

$45.88 CA$64.9

-18.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 CA$74.4

$95.0 CA$134

-44.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.34 CA$62.7

$52.3 CA$74.0

-15.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.37 CA$17.49

$17.74 CA$25.08

-30.27%

Cinema Ticket

$12.62 CA$17.85

$11.12 CA$15.72

13.49%

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

$1,093 CA$1,544

$604 CA$854

80.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K CA$28.2K

$13.1K CA$18.6K

51.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$82.7

$54.7 CA$77.3

6.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.35 CA$47.14

$38.09 CA$53.9

-12.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 CA$136

$83.9 CA$119

14.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.6 CA$135

$103 CA$146

-7.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,765 CA$2,495

$1,477 CA$2,088

19.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 CA$2,132

$1,319 CA$1,864

14.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,122 CA$4,414

$2,256 CA$3,190

38.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,469 CA$3,490

$2,165 CA$3,061

14.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,173 CA$11.6K

$5,693 CA$8,049

43.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,354 CA$8,982

$2,935 CA$4,150

116.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,592 CA$5,078

$3,546 CA$5,012

1.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

4.96

-13.71%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 17, 2026

Last update for Whitehorse: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.7%

Whitehorse

$1.3K 47.3% 12.6% $190

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$399 15%

Whitehorse

$403 14.4% 0.9% $3.6

Eating Out

Vancouver

$280 10.5%

Whitehorse

$419 15% 49.5% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$171 6.4%

Whitehorse

$383 13.7% 124% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$128 4.8%

Whitehorse

$126 4.5% 1.3% $1.7

Getting Around

Vancouver

$106 4%

Whitehorse

$65 2.3% 38.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$70 2.6%

Whitehorse

$75 2.7% 7.1% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,765 in Vancouver and $1,477 in Whitehorse. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $71.0 in Vancouver vs $107 in Whitehorse for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $403 per month, with Vancouver cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇨🇦 Whitehorse

🕒 Local time

17:42 5:42 PM

Same time as Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

27,889

💱 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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Between locations

Vancouver Whitehorse 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Whitehorse: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver and Whitehorse differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,662 vs $2,789 including rent). Vancouver is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1% 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: $1,765 in Vancouver versus $1,477 in Whitehorse. 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 $71.0 versus $107 in Whitehorse. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,662 per month in Vancouver versus $2,789 in Whitehorse – a 5% 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 5% less than in Whitehorse. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.