Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Williamsburg, VA and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,662 a month against $2,819 in Williamsburg, VA, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Williamsburg, VA
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Williamsburg, VA Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Williamsburg, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,819

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,662

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Williamsburg, VA and in Vancouver

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,819 in Williamsburg, VA versus $2,662 in Vancouver.

Williamsburg, VA $2,819
Vancouver $2,662

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,192 in Williamsburg, VA versus $3,916 in Vancouver.

Williamsburg, VA $4,192
Vancouver $3,916

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,566 in Williamsburg, VA versus $5,170 in Vancouver.

Williamsburg, VA $5,566
Vancouver $5,170

Living in Williamsburg, VA is roughly 6% more expensive than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Williamsburg, VA 108% above, Vancouver 96% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.86 $18.86

$18.01 CA$25.46

4.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 $76.3

$71.0 CA$100

7.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.80 $12.80

$10.83 CA$15.31

18.19%

Cappuccino

$5.64 $5.64

$3.94 CA$5.56

43.15%

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

$2.76 $2.76

$2.13 CA$3.01

29.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.66 CA$2.34

27.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.09 $5.09

$5.73 CA$8.10

-11.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 $7.43

$6.40 CA$9.04

16.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.15 CA$3.04

-48.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.55 CA$3.61

49.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$4.56 CA$6.45

-15.13%

Eggs

$3.49 $3.49

$4.06 CA$5.74

-14.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.12 $13.12

$12.14 CA$17.17

8.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.23 $8.23

$13.23 CA$18.71

-37.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.66 $14.66

$20.24 CA$28.62

-27.57%

Apples (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$4.05 CA$5.73

39.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.42 CA$2.00

-4.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$3.97 CA$5.62

19.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.91 CA$5.53

-13.81%

Potato (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$2.64 CA$3.74

112.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.82 CA$3.98

17.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 $1.55

$2.48 CA$3.51

-37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.59 CA$2.24

12.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 $6.56

$15.30 CA$21.64

-57.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.59 $10.59

$14.32 CA$20.24

-26.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.57 CA$3.63

-12.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 $3.70

$2.91 CA$4.12

27.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.55 CA$3.60

-40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.81 $44.81

$84.6 CA$120

-47.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.64 CA$3.73

15.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.63 CA$2.31

-12.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.73 $22.73

$31.77 CA$44.91

-28.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.42 CA$2.01

-40.85%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$27.1K CA$38.3K

31.72%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$21.6K CA$30.5K

17.46%

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

$186 $186

$81.3 CA$115

129.03%

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

$47.66 $47.66

$37.20 CA$52.6

28.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.7 $59.7

$52.6 CA$74.4

13.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$93.5 $93.5

$44.34 CA$62.7

110.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.79 $24.79

$12.37 CA$17.49

100.40%

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 $14.74

$12.62 CA$17.85

16.80%

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

$1,887 $1,887

$1,093 CA$1,544

72.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K $24.2K

$20.0K CA$28.2K

21.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.56 $37.56

$58.5 CA$82.7

-35.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.37 $35.37

$33.35 CA$47.14

6.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 $85.7

$96.3 CA$136

-11.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$155 $155

$95.6 CA$135

62.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,290 $2,290

$1,765 CA$2,495

29.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 $1,517

$1,508 CA$2,132

0.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 $2,670

$3,122 CA$4,414

-14.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,651 $2,651

$2,469 CA$3,490

7.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,168 $2,168

$8,173 CA$11.6K

-73.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,727 $1,727

$6,354 CA$8,982

-72.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,462 $4,462

$3,592 CA$5,078

24.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

4.28

51.87%

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

Last update for Williamsburg, VA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Williamsburg, VA

$1.5K 53.8%

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.7% 0.6% $8.4

Groceries & Markets

Williamsburg, VA

$366 13%

Vancouver

$399 15% 9% $33

Eating Out

Williamsburg, VA

$317 11.2%

Vancouver

$280 10.5% 11.5% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Williamsburg, VA

$294 10.4%

Vancouver

$171 6.4% 41.7% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Williamsburg, VA

$141 5%

Vancouver

$128 4.8% 9.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Williamsburg, VA

$123 4.4%

Vancouver

$70 2.6% 43.4% $53

Getting Around

Williamsburg, VA

$61 2.2%

Vancouver

$106 4% 72.8% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,290 in Williamsburg, VA and $1,765 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Williamsburg, VA pays 24% 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: $76.0 in Williamsburg, VA vs $71.0 in Vancouver. Groceries flip the comparison at $366 vs $399, with Williamsburg, VA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Williamsburg, VA

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

21:46 9:46 PM

18:46 6:46 PM

3 h behind Williamsburg, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,425

631,486

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Williamsburg, VA Vancouver 3,920 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Williamsburg, VA and Vancouver differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($2,819 vs $2,662 including rent). Vancouver is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 24% higher in Williamsburg, VA, 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: $2,290 in Williamsburg, VA versus $1,765 in Vancouver. 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 $76.0 in Williamsburg, VA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,819 per month in Williamsburg, VA versus $2,662 in Vancouver – a 6% 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 6% less than in Williamsburg, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.