Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Windsor and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Windsor: $2,233 a month against $2,626 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Windsor
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Windsor Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Windsor

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,233

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,233 in Windsor versus $2,626 in Vancouver.

Windsor $2,233
Vancouver $2,626

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,072 in Windsor versus $3,841 in Vancouver.

Windsor $3,072
Vancouver $3,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,910 in Windsor versus $5,056 in Vancouver.

Windsor $3,910
Vancouver $5,056

Living in Windsor costs roughly 15% less than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Windsor 65% above, Vancouver 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.24 CA$20.14

$17.19 CA$24.30

-17.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 CA$90.3

$69.1 CA$97.6

-7.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.07

$10.61 CA$15.00

0.47%

Cappuccino

$3.43 CA$4.84

$3.83 CA$5.42

-10.44%

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

$2.56 CA$3.62

$2.04 CA$2.88

25.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 CA$2.42

$1.65 CA$2.34

3.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.89 CA$6.91

$5.54 CA$7.83

-11.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 CA$8.09

$6.20 CA$8.77

-7.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 CA$2.41

$2.14 CA$3.02

-20.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 CA$2.90

$2.51 CA$3.54

-18.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.07

$4.49 CA$6.35

-35.86%

Eggs

$2.89 CA$4.09

$4.09 CA$5.78

-29.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 CA$13.96

$11.73 CA$16.58

-15.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.86 CA$13.94

$13.11 CA$18.54

-24.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.85 CA$19.58

$19.50 CA$27.57

-28.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.84 CA$5.43

$4.00 CA$5.65

-4.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 CA$1.43

$1.38 CA$1.94

-26.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$3.88 CA$5.48

-20.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 CA$4.97

$3.95 CA$5.58

-10.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 CA$2.80

$2.72 CA$3.85

-27.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 CA$3.01

$2.86 CA$4.05

-25.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CA$3.11

$2.46 CA$3.48

-10.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 CA$1.74

$1.56 CA$2.21

-21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.36 CA$17.48

$15.48 CA$21.88

-20.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.54 CA$16.32

$13.75 CA$19.44

-16.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 CA$2.61

$2.63 CA$3.72

-29.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$2.89 CA$4.09

11.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.61

$2.48 CA$3.51

2.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.3 CA$119

$83.0 CA$117

1.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 CA$3.36

$2.72 CA$3.85

-12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 CA$1.31

$1.58 CA$2.24

-41.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.17 CA$20.03

$31.05 CA$43.89

-54.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.73

$1.37 CA$1.94

-10.95%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$27.7K CA$39.1K

1.88%

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

$19.3K CA$27.2K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

-1.99%

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

$178 CA$252

$82.5 CA$117

116.39%

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

$36.64 CA$51.8

$37.26 CA$52.7

-1.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.5 CA$79.9

$51.7 CA$73.1

9.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.57 CA$61.6

$42.87 CA$60.6

1.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.49 CA$38.87

$12.40 CA$17.53

121.69%

Cinema Ticket

$10.30 CA$14.56

$12.13 CA$17.15

-15.09%

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

$495 CA$700

$1,102 CA$1,557

-55.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,280 CA$6,050

$19.8K CA$28.0K

-78.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.38 CA$61.3

$56.4 CA$79.7

-23.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.51 CA$45.97

$33.43 CA$47.26

-2.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 CA$114

$93.9 CA$133

-14.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.9 CA$114

$93.8 CA$133

-13.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 CA$1,651

$1,775 CA$2,509

-34.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,140 CA$1,611

$1,497 CA$2,116

-23.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,760 CA$2,489

$3,082 CA$4,357

-42.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 CA$2,109

$2,416 CA$3,416

-38.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,003 CA$4,245

$8,069 CA$11.4K

-62.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,943 CA$4,160

$6,449 CA$9,118

-54.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,962 CA$4,188

$3,776 CA$5,339

-21.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.71

4.28

10.05%

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

Last update for Windsor: October 11, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Windsor

$1.1K 51.1%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57% 31.3% $357

Groceries & Markets

Windsor

$309 13.8%

Vancouver

$392 14.9% 27.1% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Windsor

$272 12.2%

Vancouver

$171 6.5% 36.9% $100

Eating Out

Windsor

$240 10.8%

Vancouver

$270 10.3% 12.6% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Windsor

$107 4.8%

Vancouver

$125 4.8% 17% $18

Getting Around

Windsor

$102 4.6%

Vancouver

$104 3.9% 1.9% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Windsor

$64 2.9%

Vancouver

$67 2.6% 4.6% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,168 in Windsor and $1,775 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays 27% 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: $64.0 in Windsor vs $69.0 in Vancouver for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $309 vs $392 per month, with Windsor cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Windsor

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

02:42 2:42 AM

23:42 11:42 PM

3 h behind Windsor

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,188

631,486

💱 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

Windsor Vancouver 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Windsor
Vancouver

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

Windsor vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Windsor and Vancouver differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,233 vs $2,626 including rent). Windsor is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Vancouver. 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: $1,168 in Windsor versus $1,775 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Windsor – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $69.0 in Vancouver. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,233 per month in Windsor versus $2,626 in Vancouver – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,233 in Windsor versus $2,626 in Vancouver, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Windsor but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Windsor the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Windsor gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.