Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wilmington, NC and Vancouver

For one person, living costs are similar in Wilmington, NC and in Vancouver: $2,773 and $2,684 a month, rent and utilities included.

135

Cost of Living Index in Wilmington, NC
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Wilmington, NC Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Wilmington, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,773

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,684

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,773 in Wilmington, NC versus $2,684 in Vancouver.

Wilmington, NC $2,773
Vancouver $2,684

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,103 in Wilmington, NC versus $3,878 in Vancouver.

Wilmington, NC $4,103
Vancouver $3,878

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,433 in Wilmington, NC versus $5,072 in Vancouver.

Wilmington, NC $5,433
Vancouver $5,072

Living in Wilmington, NC is roughly 3% more expensive than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wilmington, NC 107% above, Vancouver 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.12 $15.12

$17.30 CA$24.66

-12.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.9 $78.9

$69.0 CA$98.3

14.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 $11.20

$10.56 CA$15.05

6.06%

Cappuccino

$5.57 $5.57

$3.89 CA$5.54

43.19%

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

$2.60 $2.60

$2.05 CA$2.93

26.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.62 CA$2.31

52.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 $4.87

$5.54 CA$7.90

-12.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 $7.03

$6.33 CA$9.02

11.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.31 CA$3.30

-57.58%

White Bread (500g)

$4.03 $4.03

$2.50 CA$3.56

61.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.02 $6.02

$4.44 CA$6.33

35.59%

Eggs

$5.11 $5.11

$4.07 CA$5.80

25.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.52 $11.52

$11.28 CA$16.08

2.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.78 $14.78

$13.42 CA$19.13

10.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.91 $24.91

$20.10 CA$28.65

23.93%

Apples (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$4.06 CA$5.78

61.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.33 CA$1.90

34.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$3.91 CA$5.57

77.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.15 $6.15

$4.05 CA$5.78

51.85%

Potato (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.72 CA$3.88

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$6.09 $6.09

$2.89 CA$4.12

110.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$2.53 CA$3.61

-8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.62 CA$2.31

93.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.07 $8.07

$15.57 CA$22.19

-48.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.60 $14.60

$14.05 CA$20.03

3.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.69 CA$3.83

-24.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 $5.94

$2.99 CA$4.26

98.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.44 CA$3.48

4.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.4 $80.4

$83.4 CA$119

-3.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.04 $7.04

$2.71 CA$3.87

159.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.57 CA$2.24

15.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.39 CA$44.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.38 CA$1.96

-27.54%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$28.1K CA$40.0K

28.74%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$19.8K CA$28.2K

28.70%

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

$283 $283

$81.2 CA$116

248.76%

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

$56.3 $56.3

$37.45 CA$53.4

50.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.6 $74.6

$51.4 CA$73.2

45.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 $68.3

$43.47 CA$62.0

57.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.89 $3.89

$12.53 CA$17.86

-68.95%

Cinema Ticket

$14.79 $14.79

$12.54 CA$17.88

17.94%

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

$1,295 $1,295

$1,094 CA$1,560

18.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K CA$28.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 $69.8

$57.0 CA$81.3

22.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.04 $42.04

$32.73 CA$46.66

28.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$92.6 CA$132

9.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.0 $71.0

$94.2 CA$134

-24.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 $1,553

$1,745 CA$2,488

-11.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,255 $1,255

$1,484 CA$2,115

-15.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,303 $2,303

$2,998 CA$4,273

-23.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,056 $2,056

$2,422 CA$3,453

-15.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,811 $2,811

$8,002 CA$11.4K

-64.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,688 $2,688

$6,457 CA$9,204

-58.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,942 $3,942

$3,799 CA$5,416

3.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

4.28

53.50%

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

Last update for Wilmington, NC: October 4, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wilmington, NC

$1.3K 45.1%

Vancouver

$1.5K 56.6% 18.2% $229

Groceries & Markets

Wilmington, NC

$503 18.1%

Vancouver

$399 15.2% 20.7% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wilmington, NC

$414 14.9%

Vancouver

$170 6.5% 58.9% $244

Eating Out

Wilmington, NC

$280 10.1%

Vancouver

$272 10.4% 3% $8.3

Clothing & Footwear

Wilmington, NC

$128 4.6%

Vancouver

$124 4.8% 2.7% $3.4

Getting Around

Wilmington, NC

$107 3.8%

Vancouver

$104 4% 2.9% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Wilmington, NC

$98 3.5%

Vancouver

$69 2.6% 30% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,553 in Wilmington, NC and $1,745 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wilmington, NC pays 4% 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: $79.0 in Wilmington, NC vs $69.0 in Vancouver for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $503 vs $399 per month, with Vancouver cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wilmington, NC

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

10:15 10:15 AM

07:15 7:15 AM

3 h behind Wilmington, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,826

631,486

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Wilmington, NC Vancouver 4,030 km ≈ 6 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

Wilmington, NC vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wilmington, NC and Vancouver differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,773 vs $2,684 including rent). Vancouver is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Wilmington, NC, 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: $1,553 in Wilmington, NC versus $1,745 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 $69.0 versus $79.0 in Wilmington, NC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,773 per month in Wilmington, NC versus $2,684 in Vancouver – a 3% 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 3% less than in Wilmington, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.