Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Victoria, Canada and Amherst, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Victoria: $2,554 a month against $2,767 in Amherst, MA, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Victoria
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Victoria Living Index
132

Cost of Living Index in Amherst, MA
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Amherst, MA Living Index

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Victoria

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,554

/mo nomad

Amherst, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,767

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Victoria and in Amherst, MA

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Victoria and in Amherst, MA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,554 in Victoria versus $2,767 in Amherst, MA.

Victoria $2,554
Amherst, MA $2,767

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,830 in Victoria versus $4,275 in Amherst, MA.

Victoria $3,830
Amherst, MA $4,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,107 in Victoria versus $5,783 in Amherst, MA.

Victoria $5,107
Amherst, MA $5,783

Living in Victoria costs roughly 8% less than in Amherst, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Victoria 88% above, Amherst, MA 103% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.57 CA$27.33

$20.05 $20.05

-2.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$98.2

$70.8 $70.8

-0.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 CA$15.26

$8.90 $8.90

22.70%

Cappuccino

$4.27 CA$5.97

$4.79 $4.79

-10.86%

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

$2.34 CA$3.27

$2.69 $2.69

-13.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.63

$2.06 $2.06

-8.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 CA$7.78

$5.97 $5.97

-6.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 CA$9.27

$10.41 $10.41

-36.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.79 CA$3.90

$1.06 $1.06

163.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 CA$4.30

$3.21 $3.21

-4.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.67

$7.00 $7.00

-42.00%

Eggs

$4.25 CA$5.93

$4.69 $4.69

-9.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.60 CA$38.56

$16.50 $16.50

67.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.88 CA$17.99

$15.78 $15.78

-18.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.43 CA$20.16

$18.29 $18.29

-21.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.09 CA$5.72

$4.70 $4.70

-12.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 CA$2.05

$1.45 $1.45

1.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.90 CA$5.45

$3.25 $3.25

20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 CA$5.81

$4.60 $4.60

-9.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.54 CA$4.94

$3.27 $3.27

8.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.02

$3.71 $3.71

-22.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.24 CA$4.53

$2.30 $2.30

40.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 CA$3.50

$2.02 $2.02

24.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.04 CA$21.01

$10.69 $10.69

40.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.77 CA$24.82

$12.14 $12.14

46.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.85 CA$5.37

$1.98 $1.98

94.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 CA$5.06

$3.92 $3.92

-7.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.10 CA$2.94

$1.29 $1.29

62.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.0 CA$83.9

$28.34 $28.34

111.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 CA$3.89

$3.56 $3.56

-21.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 CA$2.22

$1.42 $1.42

11.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.64 CA$48.40

$29.78 $29.78

16.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 CA$1.94

$0.99 $0.99

40.40%

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

$28.6K CA$39.9K

$27.5K $27.5K

3.87%

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

$21.2K CA$29.7K

$26.4K $26.4K

-19.48%

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

$104 CA$145

$213 $213

-51.12%

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

$44.11 CA$61.6

$56.5 $56.5

-21.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.1 CA$86.8

$87.9 $87.9

-29.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.39 CA$57.8

$121 $121

-65.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.05 CA$23.82

$6.90 $6.90

147.10%

Cinema Ticket

$10.58 CA$14.78

$10.65 $10.65

-0.66%

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

$890 CA$1,243

$1,466 $1,466

-39.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K CA$32.3K

$17.2K $17.2K

34.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 CA$77.4

$45.22 $45.22

22.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.45 CA$60.7

$40.24 $40.24

7.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$128

$91.6 $91.6

0.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 CA$149

$110 $110

-2.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,557 CA$2,176

$1,821 $1,821

-14.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 CA$1,817

$1,346 $1,346

-3.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,730 CA$3,813

$3,829 $3,829

-28.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 CA$3,120

$2,708 $2,708

-17.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,638 CA$7,876

$3,969 $3,969

42.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,578 CA$6,396

$4,035 $4,035

13.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,229 CA$4,512

$4,660 $4,660

-30.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.31

6.1

-29.34%

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

Last update for Victoria: October 26, 2026

Last update for Amherst, MA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Victoria

$1.3K 50.9%

Amherst, MA

$1.3K 48.7% 3.5% $46

Groceries & Markets

Victoria

$470 18.4%

Amherst, MA

$434 15.7% 7.6% $36

Eating Out

Victoria

$299 11.7%

Amherst, MA

$314 11.4% 5.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Victoria

$210 8.2%

Amherst, MA

$357 12.9% 69.9% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Victoria

$134 5.2%

Amherst, MA

$129 4.7% 3.7% $5

Getting Around

Victoria

$79 3.1%

Amherst, MA

$44 1.6% 44.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Victoria

$63 2.5%

Amherst, MA

$143 5.2% 128% $80

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,557 in Victoria and $1,821 in Amherst, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Amherst, MA pays 44% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $70 in Victoria vs $71 in Amherst, MA. Groceries flip the comparison at $470 vs $434, with Amherst, MA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Victoria

🇺🇸 Amherst, MA

🕒 Local time

20:59 8:59 PM

22:59 10:59 PM

2 h ahead of Victoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,792

37,819

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Victoria Amherst, MA 3,950 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Victoria
Amherst, 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

Victoria vs Amherst, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Victoria is about 8% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Victoria. 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: $1,557 in Victoria versus $1,821 in Amherst, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Amherst, MA pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,554 per month in Victoria versus $2,767 in Amherst, MA – Victoria is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Victoria wins on affordability, Amherst, MA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.