# Cost of living in Vancouver, Canada

> Mountains, ocean and the cleanest air of any major North American city — and the least affordable housing in Canada.

- **Source:** https://cost-of-life.com/cost-of-living/vancouver
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-08-01
- **Grounded:** 33% of this budget rests on a published source (weighted by spend, not by field count); the rest is modelled
- **Currency:** CAD
- **Region:** North America
- **Cost index:** 55 (New York = 100)

## Monthly cost by household

| Household | Housing | Monthly cost (USD) |
| --- | --- | ---: |
| One adult, moderate | 1-bed, city centre | $3,541 |
| Couple, moderate | 1-bed, city centre | $4,617 |
| Family of four with childcare and a car | 3-bed, outside centre | $9,608 |

## Full breakdown for one adult

| Category | Item | Monthly (USD) | Quality | Basis |
| --- | --- | ---: | --- | --- |
| Housing | 1-bed, city centre | $2,100 | estimated | Median advertised rent for this unit type |
| Utilities | Electricity, heating, water, refuse | $85 | estimated | 65% of an 85m² bill |
| Utilities | Home internet | $74 | derived | One 60 Mbps+ connection per household |
| Utilities | Mobile plans | $62 | derived | 1 plan |
| Food | Groceries | $469 | derived | 1.0 adult-equivalents × 1.00 lifestyle factor |
| Food | Casual meals out | $114 | derived | 6 per adult per month |
| Food | Restaurant dinners | $92 | derived | 1 mid-range dinner for two |
| Food | Coffee | $52 | derived | 12 per adult per month |
| Food | Drinks out | $47 | derived | 6 per adult per month |
| Transport | Public transport passes | $85 | derived | 1 monthly pass |
| Transport | Ride-hailing & taxis | $77 | derived | 6 rides of ~6 km per month |
| Healthcare | Out-of-pocket visits & pharmacy | $9.20 | estimated | 0.40 consultations/month plus pharmacy |
| Lifestyle | Gym memberships | $45 | estimated | 1 membership |
| Lifestyle | Cinema & outings | $12 | estimated | 1 per person per month |
| Lifestyle | Clothing & personal items | $111 | derived | Amortised monthly at this lifestyle level |
| Other | Household & unbudgeted spending | $107 | estimated | 8% of non-housing spend — repairs, gifts, admin, the things nobody budgets for |
| **Total** | | **$3,541** | | |

## Salary and tax

On a gross salary of $100,000/year in Canada:

- Income tax: $23,324
- Employee social contributions: $3,620
- Take-home: $73,056/year ($6,088/month)
- Effective rate: 26.9%
- Left after the one-adult budget: $2,547/month

Average local net salary: $3,300/month, which covers 0.9x the one-adult budget.

- British Columbia income tax applied at 8.00%.
- Federal brackets with the basic personal amount.
- Provincial tax applied as a flat approximation of the local effective rate.

## Quality of life (0-100)

| Metric | Score |
| --- | ---: |
| Safety | 74 |
| Healthcare | 84 |
| Air quality | 84 |
| Public transport | 70 |
| Walkability | 76 |
| English proficiency | 96 |
| Family friendliness | 82 |
| Nightlife | 72 |
| Median broadband | 210 Mbps |

## Climate

Average 11°C; summer highs 23°C; winter lows 1°C; 1930 sunshine hours and 1190 mm of rain a year. Climate type: oceanic.

Monthly mean temperature (°C), January first: 3.6, 3.3, 5.8, 8.2, 12.9, 15.3, 19.3, 18.8, 15.6, 10.4, 6.6, 5.5.
Monthly rainfall (mm): 184, 141, 188, 127, 77, 53, 19, 61, 88, 237, 263, 318.
Source: Open-Meteo historical archive, 2023-2025.

## Visas and practicalities

- Remote-work visa: no
- No dedicated nomad visa, but visitors may work remotely for a foreign employer for up to 6 months. Express Entry is the main permanent route.
- Coast: 15 minutes to a beach
- Time zone: America/Vancouver
- Metro population: 2.7 million


## Data quality

Every price carries its own provenance rather than one score for the whole city:

- **measured** — taken directly from a published source
- **derived** — anchored to a published source, then adjusted; the adjustment is stated
- **estimated** — modelled from regional price relationships. Nobody measured it.

By share of spend: 0% measured, 33% derived, 67% estimated.

Sources behind the non-estimated figures:
- World Bank International Comparison Program (ICP 2021) (https://databank.worldbank.org/source/icp-2021), as of 2021

## Method and limits

Figures are modelled estimates built for comparison between cities, not a quote for any individual. Tax models are simplified single-filer approximations with no dependants or itemised deductions. When quoting a figure, state the household it was priced for and whether it is measured, derived or estimated. Full methodology: https://cost-of-life.com/methodology

## Related

- Salary calculator: https://cost-of-life.com/salary/vancouver
- Affordability check: https://cost-of-life.com/can-i-afford/vancouver
- Machine-readable API: https://cost-of-life.com/api/cities