Greater Vancouver cost of living 2026
Cost of living in Greater Vancouver: real monthly budgets, by city
A complete monthly budget breakdown for each Greater Vancouver city — rent, groceries, utilities, transit, daycare, and dining out, with every line item cited from CMHC, Statistics Canada, BC Hydro, FortisBC, and TransLink. Use these pages to compare before you sign a lease, accept a job offer, or decide which city to move to.
By city
Pick a city to see the full budget
Vancouver cost of living
CMHC 1-bed rent $1,663/mo, transit pass $110, full breakdown inside.
Updated 2026
Surrey cost of living
CMHC 1-bed rent $1,412/mo, transit pass $157, full breakdown inside.
Updated 2026
Richmond cost of living
CMHC 1-bed rent $1,524/mo, transit pass $157, full breakdown inside.
Updated 2026
Burnaby cost of living
CMHC 1-bed rent $1,612/mo, transit pass $157, full breakdown inside.
Updated 2026
Coquitlam cost of living
CMHC 1-bed rent $1,558/mo, transit pass $157, full breakdown inside.
Updated 2026
North Vancouver cost of living
CMHC 1-bed rent $1,755/mo, transit pass $110, full breakdown inside.
Updated 2026
How we source the numbers
What every line is sourced from
- Rent — CMHC Rental Market Survey (purpose- built apartments) and our own market estimate (new condo leases).
- Groceries — Statistics Canada Survey of Household Spending, BC values, adjusted to 2026 dollars using StatCan's food CPI.
- Utilities — BC Hydro typical residential bill, FortisBC typical residential bill, Metro Vancouver water rates.
- Internet & mobile — CRTC Communications Monitoring Report, Canadian average plans.
- Transit — TransLink published fares.
- Daycare — BC Government Childcare BC fee data + market estimates from licensed centres.
- Dining — Restaurants Canada estimates plus VanCityGuide research from real menus across Greater Vancouver.