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Vancouver

Cost of living, housing, groceries, transportation and more.

Cost data reviewed 24 Sep 2026FX snapshot 25 Sep 2026 UTC
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Rent · 1BR non-prime
C$2,350
Monthly planning midpoint
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Groceries
C$500
Monthly planning midpoint
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Public transit
C$117
Monthly planning midpoint
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Eating out
C$250
Monthly planning midpoint

What the numbers suggest

The model midpoint for one person in Vancouver is C$3,730. At the modeled component midpoint, rent represents roughly 64% of the six-category basket, food about 20%, and public transit about 3%.

This page shows a planning range rather than one “correct” household cost. Actual spending changes with neighbourhood, lease terms, consumption and lifestyle.

What is included

The headline includes rent, utilities/connectivity, groceries, eating out, public transit and household/personal essentials. Healthcare, childcare, car ownership, taxes, savings and discretionary lifestyle spending are separate.

Core monthly cost breakdown

6 of six core planning components for Vancouver have captured numeric calibration evidence: 2 direct component observations and 4 broad calibrations. Broad calibration can come from household or per-person spending evidence and is not the same as a direct category measurement. The displayed midpoint remains a normalized planning estimate, not a quote or guaranteed household spend.

Rent · 1BR non-primeDirect component evidenceC$2,350
Utilities + connectivityBroad calibration evidenceC$300
GroceriesBroad calibration evidenceC$500
Eating outBroad calibration evidenceC$250
Public transitDirect component evidenceC$117
Household + personalBroad calibration evidenceC$180
Core evidence coverage2 direct · 4 broad · 0 model

Direct component evidence measures the category itself or a closely matched subcomponent. Broad calibration evidence uses a wider household/per-person benchmark. Source-linked model anchors have identified sources but no captured numeric observation yet.

  • Rent · 1BR non-prime: direct component evidence — Statistics Canada · 2025-Q4 / 2026-Q2 — example 1-bedroom asking rent reference: 2,320 CAD/month
  • Utilities + connectivity: broad calibration evidence — Statistics Canada · 2023; weights updated 2026-09 — example Canadian average household spending: 76,750 CAD/year
  • Groceries: broad calibration evidence — Statistics Canada · 2023; weights updated 2026-09 — example Canadian average household spending: 76,750 CAD/year
  • Eating out: broad calibration evidence — Statistics Canada · 2023; weights updated 2026-09 — example Canadian average household spending: 76,750 CAD/year
  • Public transit: direct component evidence — TransLink · 2026 — example 1-zone monthly adult pass: 117.2 CAD/month
  • Household + personal: broad calibration evidence — Statistics Canada · 2023; weights updated 2026-09 — example Canadian average household spending: 76,750 CAD/year
Expanded evidence layer

Detailed source-backed profile

33 of 52 fields are public and source-backed for Vancouver. Only verified fields are shown; unresolved work remains in the audit ledger.

Housing & ownership 3
Three-bedroom non-primeAverage asking rent for an apartment with three or more bedrooms in the city CMA, 2026-Q2.
C$4,150
Mortgage interest-rate referenceBank of Canada conventional five-year posted rate on 2026-09-23.
6.09 %
Rental move-in cost rulesProvincial residential-tenancy rule; moving services, furnishings and utility connection charges are excluded.
A landlord may charge up to one-half month's rent as a security deposit. A separate pet damage deposit, when permitted, may also be up to one-half month's rent.
Utilities & connectivity 3
Energy/water for baseline dwellingCanada-wide average annual expenditure for one-person households in 2023: Water, fuel and electricity for principal accommodation; divided by 12.
C$144.17 /month
Residential broadbandCanada-wide average annual expenditure for one-person households in 2023: Internet access services; divided by 12.
C$70.42 /month
Mid-tier mobile planCanada-wide average annual expenditure for one-person households in 2023: Cell phone and pager services; divided by 12.
C$68.83 /month
Food & groceries 9
Milk 1 LThree latest monthly British Columbia retail-price observations for Milk, 1 litre. No package-size conversion.
C$3.17–C$3.18
Bread 500 gThree latest monthly British Columbia retail-price observations for White bread, 675 grams. Converted from the source package with factor 0.740741.
C$2.83–C$3.09
Rice/grains 1 kgThree latest monthly British Columbia retail-price observations for White rice, 2 kilograms. Converted from the source package with factor 0.500000.
C$4.33–C$4.46
Eggs 12Three latest monthly British Columbia retail-price observations for Eggs, 1 dozen. No package-size conversion.
C$5.63–C$5.75
Chicken 1 kgThree latest monthly British Columbia retail-price observations for Chicken breasts, per kilogram. No package-size conversion.
C$17.30–C$17.72
Red-meat equivalent 1 kgThree latest monthly British Columbia retail-price observations for Ground beef, per kilogram. No package-size conversion.
C$17.41–C$18.39
Fish 1 kgThree latest monthly British Columbia retail-price observations for Salmon, per kilogram. No package-size conversion.
C$33.82–C$34.71
Representative fruit 1 kgThree latest monthly British Columbia retail-price observations for Apples, per kilogram. No package-size conversion.
C$6.62–C$6.87
Representative vegetables 1 kgThree latest monthly British Columbia retail-price observations for Tomatoes, per kilogram. No package-size conversion.
C$5.01–C$6.47
Transport 2
Single adult fareAdult one-zone Compass stored-value fare; cash/contactless fare is the upper observation.
C$2.85–C$3.50
Gasoline per litreThree latest monthly city observations for regular unleaded gasoline at self-service stations.
C$2.01–C$2.07 /L
Health 3
Public healthcare baseline/eligibilityOfficial provincial coverage and eligibility page; verify personal eligibility before relying on coverage.
MSP is mandatory for eligible B.C. residents and pays for medically required physician, surgeon and midwife services. Residents must enrol; exclusions apply.
Prescription exposureCanada-wide average annual expenditure for one-person households in 2023: Prescribed medicines and pharmaceutical products; divided by 12.
C$28.58 /month
Supplemental/private coverageCanada-wide average annual expenditure for one-person households in 2023: Private health insurance plan premiums; divided by 12.
C$30.58 /month
Family 1
Childcare/daycare$10-a-day program reference at participating ChildCareBC centres; space is limited and not universal.
C$10.00 /day
Earnings & tax 4
Official earnings benchmarkMedian wages, salaries and commissions excluding zeros, age 25–54, total gender, city geography, 2024; monthly gross equivalent.
C$5,000 /month gross
Core cost divided by earningsCLC six-component one-person model midpoint divided by the official monthly gross earnings benchmark.
74.6 % of gross
Income remaining after core spendOfficial monthly gross earnings benchmark minus the CLC six-component model midpoint.
C$1,270 /month before tax
Tax structure2026 official marginal personal income tax brackets; not a tax estimate for a particular person.
2026 marginal personal income tax uses federal brackets of 14%–33% plus British Columbia brackets of 5.6%–20.5%. Credits and payroll contributions affect the effective rate.
City context 2
Official crime/safety context2025 police-reported Crime Severity Index for the city CMA; 2006 Canada=100 and lower is less severe.
83.5 CSI
Climate normalsEnvironment and Climate Change Canada 1991–2020 composite-station climate normals.
1991–2020 daily-average normals: January 5.3°C; July 19.0°C; annual 11.4°C (Vancouver (Harbour)).
Detailed evidence sources

Cities with a similar core-budget scale

Using the site's bundled 2026-09-25 FX snapshot only to put model midpoints on a common scale, these covered cities sit closest to Vancouver's six-category midpoint. This is a cost-model similarity, not a claim that the cities have the same housing market, wages or lifestyle.

Source and dates

Data model CLC-v5.9-global-detail-1 · site V7.1 · evidence granularity reviewed 2026-09-29 · core evidence mix 2 direct / 4 broad / 0 model. Missing fields are omitted; modeled anchors are labeled and may differ by neighbourhood and lifestyle.