Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Winnipeg

For one person, living is cheaper in Winnipeg: $2,070 a month against $2,683 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Winnipeg
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Winnipeg Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,683

/mo nomad

Winnipeg

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,070

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Winnipeg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,683 in Vancouver versus $2,070 in Winnipeg.

Vancouver $2,683
Winnipeg $2,070

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,963 in Vancouver versus $3,033 in Winnipeg.

Vancouver $3,963
Winnipeg $3,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,244 in Vancouver versus $3,997 in Winnipeg.

Vancouver $5,244
Winnipeg $3,997

Living in Vancouver is roughly 30% more expensive than in Winnipeg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vancouver 98% above, Winnipeg 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.10 CA$25.28

$14.49 CA$20.25

24.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 CA$99.2

$64.6 CA$90.3

9.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 CA$14.77

$10.87 CA$15.19

-2.76%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.55

$3.68 CA$5.15

7.88%

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

$2.07 CA$2.90

$2.29 CA$3.20

-9.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 CA$2.58

$1.92 CA$2.68

-3.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 CA$7.92

$5.55 CA$7.76

2.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.61 CA$9.24

$6.44 CA$9.00

2.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CA$3.01

$1.40 CA$1.95

54.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 CA$3.60

$2.27 CA$3.17

13.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 CA$6.00

$3.23 CA$4.51

33.13%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.72

$3.57 CA$4.99

14.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.12 CA$16.93

$9.50 CA$13.28

27.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 CA$18.56

$10.57 CA$14.78

25.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.11 CA$28.10

$16.37 CA$22.88

22.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 CA$5.54

$3.97 CA$5.55

-0.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 CA$2.00

$1.34 CA$1.87

6.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.18

$3.46 CA$4.83

7.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.48

$3.41 CA$4.77

14.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 CA$4.01

$2.27 CA$3.18

26.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.16

$2.61 CA$3.65

14.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.48 CA$3.46

5.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.28

$1.28 CA$1.79

27.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.94 CA$22.27

$15.17 CA$21.20

5.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$19.91

$12.20 CA$17.04

16.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.52

$2.69 CA$3.76

-6.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 CA$4.01

$3.55 CA$4.96

-19.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 CA$3.59

$2.42 CA$3.39

6.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.4 CA$118

$85.2 CA$119

-0.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 CA$3.83

$2.76 CA$3.85

-0.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 CA$2.27

$1.35 CA$1.88

20.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.90 CA$44.57

$24.62 CA$34.40

29.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.18 CA$1.65

23.73%

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

$26.7K CA$37.3K

$27.1K CA$37.8K

-1.40%

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

$21.0K CA$29.4K

$21.5K CA$30.0K

-2.06%

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

$88.2 CA$123

$162 CA$227

-45.67%

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

$36.72 CA$51.3

$34.60 CA$48.34

6.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.81 CA$69.6

$47.20 CA$66.0

5.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.34 CA$63.3

$37.60 CA$52.5

20.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.13 CA$16.95

$30.48 CA$42.59

-60.20%

Cinema Ticket

$12.55 CA$17.54

$10.86 CA$15.18

15.56%

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

$1,055 CA$1,475

$1,012 CA$1,414

4.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.5K CA$39.8K

$11.4K CA$16.0K

149.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$78.8

$44.06 CA$61.6

28.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.37 CA$48.03

$41.54 CA$58.0

-17.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$125

$71.1 CA$99.4

26.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 CA$132

$92.6 CA$129

1.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 CA$2,428

$1,013 CA$1,416

71.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 CA$2,136

$964 CA$1,347

58.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,107 CA$4,341

$1,659 CA$2,318

87.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 CA$3,559

$1,514 CA$2,115

68.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,540 CA$11.9K

$2,440 CA$3,409

250.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,328 CA$8,841

$2,321 CA$3,243

172.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,770 CA$5,267

$2,743 CA$3,832

37.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.24

4.4

-3.64%

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

Last update for Vancouver: November 2, 2026

Last update for Winnipeg: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Winnipeg

$964 46.6% 36.9% $564

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$398 14.9%

Winnipeg

$335 16.2% 15.8% $63

Eating Out

Vancouver

$281 10.5%

Winnipeg

$250 12.1% 11.1% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$175 6.5%

Winnipeg

$244 11.8% 39.7% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.6%

Winnipeg

$112 5.4% 9.3% $12

Getting Around

Vancouver

$106 3.9%

Winnipeg

$104 5% 1.1% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$70 2.6%

Winnipeg

$59 2.9% 15.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,738 in Vancouver and $1,013 in Winnipeg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 37% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Vancouver vs $65 in Winnipeg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $398 vs $335 per month, with Winnipeg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇨🇦 Winnipeg

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

16:00 4:00 PM

2 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

663,617

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Vancouver Winnipeg 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
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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 Winnipeg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,683 in Vancouver and $2,070 in Winnipeg, so Winnipeg is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 37% 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: $1,738 in Vancouver versus $1,013 in Winnipeg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Vancouver. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,683 per month in Vancouver versus $2,070 in Winnipeg – Winnipeg is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,070 in Winnipeg versus $2,683 in Vancouver, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Winnipeg but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Winnipeg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Winnipeg 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 – Winnipeg wins on affordability, Vancouver on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.