Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Worcester, MA and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver: $2,626 a month against $2,930 in Worcester, MA, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

141

Cost of Living Index in Worcester, MA
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Worcester, MA Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

Jump to prices

Worcester, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,930

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,930 in Worcester, MA versus $2,626 in Vancouver.

Worcester, MA $2,930
Vancouver $2,626

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,087 in Worcester, MA versus $3,841 in Vancouver.

Worcester, MA $4,087
Vancouver $3,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,243 in Worcester, MA versus $5,056 in Vancouver.

Worcester, MA $5,243
Vancouver $5,056

Living in Worcester, MA is roughly 12% more expensive than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Worcester, MA 117% above, Vancouver 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.75 $22.75

$17.19 CA$24.30

32.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.7 $73.7

$69.1 CA$97.6

6.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 $12.18

$10.61 CA$15.00

14.80%

Cappuccino

$5.10 $5.10

$3.83 CA$5.42

33.16%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$2.04 CA$2.88

16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.65 CA$2.34

1.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.97 $5.97

$5.54 CA$7.83

7.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.88 $6.88

$6.20 CA$8.77

10.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$2.14 CA$3.02

-43.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.51 CA$3.54

46.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$4.49 CA$6.35

13.14%

Eggs

$3.80 $3.80

$4.09 CA$5.78

-7.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 $19.07

$11.73 CA$16.58

62.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.75 $10.75

$13.11 CA$18.54

-18.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.37 $20.37

$19.50 CA$27.57

4.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$4.00 CA$5.65

-6.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.38 CA$1.94

0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.88 CA$5.48

-11.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$3.95 CA$5.58

23.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.72 CA$3.85

9.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.86 CA$4.05

16.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.46 CA$3.48

-25.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.56 CA$2.21

-3.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.04 $13.04

$15.48 CA$21.88

-15.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 $12.13

$13.75 CA$19.44

-11.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.63 CA$3.72

-35.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.89 CA$4.09

16.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 CA$3.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.0 CA$117

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.72 CA$3.85

80.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.58 CA$2.24

53.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.67 $35.67

$31.05 CA$43.89

14.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.37 CA$1.94

-20.44%

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

$34.6K $34.6K

$27.7K CA$39.1K

25.23%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

25.28%

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

$190 $190

$82.5 CA$117

130.59%

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

$56.1 $56.1

$37.26 CA$52.7

50.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.1 $62.1

$51.7 CA$73.1

19.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.64 $28.64

$42.87 CA$60.6

-33.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.24 $30.24

$12.40 CA$17.53

143.87%

Cinema Ticket

$16.54 $16.54

$12.13 CA$17.15

36.36%

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

$1,713 $1,713

$1,102 CA$1,557

55.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.7K $43.7K

$19.8K CA$28.0K

120.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.27 $48.27

$56.4 CA$79.7

-14.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.60 $34.60

$33.43 CA$47.26

3.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 $92.3

$93.9 CA$133

-1.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 $148

$93.8 CA$133

57.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,877 $1,877

$1,775 CA$2,509

5.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,656 $1,656

$1,497 CA$2,116

10.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,932 $2,932

$3,082 CA$4,357

-4.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,376 $2,376

$2,416 CA$3,416

-1.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,867 $2,867

$8,069 CA$11.4K

-64.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,872 $2,872

$6,449 CA$9,118

-55.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,195 $4,195

$3,776 CA$5,339

11.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.33

4.28

47.90%

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

Last update for Worcester, MA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Worcester, MA

$1.7K 56.5%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57% 9.6% $160

Groceries & Markets

Worcester, MA

$402 13.7%

Vancouver

$392 14.9% 2.4% $9.5

Eating Out

Worcester, MA

$340 11.6%

Vancouver

$270 10.3% 20.4% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Worcester, MA

$308 10.5%

Vancouver

$171 6.5% 44.4% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Worcester, MA

$145 5%

Vancouver

$125 4.8% 14% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Worcester, MA

$62 2.1%

Vancouver

$67 2.6% 8.8% $5.4

Getting Around

Worcester, MA

$17 * 0.6%

Vancouver

$104 3.9% 509% $87

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,877 in Worcester, MA and $1,775 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Worcester, MA pays 11% 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: $74.0 in Worcester, MA vs $69.0 in Vancouver for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $402 vs $392 per month, with Vancouver cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Worcester, MA

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

03:22 3:22 AM

3 h behind Worcester, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

206,518

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 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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Between locations

Worcester, MA Vancouver 3,980 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Worcester, MA
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

Worcester, MA vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Worcester, MA and Vancouver differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($2,930 vs $2,626 including rent). Vancouver is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 11% higher in Worcester, MA, 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: $1,877 in Worcester, MA versus $1,775 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Worcester, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,930 per month in Worcester, MA versus $2,626 in Vancouver – a 12% 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 12% less than in Worcester, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.