3.69/5
882 reviews
Photo by Mike Benna via Unsplash

Cost of Living in Vancouver

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prices

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cost

coworking

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food

thought

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appeal

tax

nightlife

Vancouver is consistently praised for its natural beauty, access to outdoor activities, and overall cleanliness. The city is considered safe and orderly, making it attractive to families and those seeking a relaxed lifestyle. For permanent residents, particularly those with children, the abundance of parks and family-oriented amenities adds to the appeal. The quality of housing is generally high, and while rent is expensive, many feel the cost is justified by well-maintained properties and good amenities. Food, especially Asian cuisine, is also a strong point, with a wide selection at reasonable prices.

However, several recurring downsides are noted. Vancouver is frequently criticized for being dull, especially for singles or those seeking vibrant nightlife or cultural activity. The social atmosphere is seen as cold or unwelcoming, and some residents find the prevailing sense of entitlement and passive-aggressiveness from locals off-putting. The city also faces serious challenges with visible homelessness and drug-related issues, particularly in certain areas, affecting overall livability. Lastly, the high cost of living makes it less suitable for budget-minded remote workers or digital nomads. Vancouver is best suited for those prioritizing nature, calm, and safety over urban excitement or affordability.

AI-generated summary of reviews
1 year ago

Great for a visit. Beautiful scenery. Good food. I thought it would be great to live here, start a startup and be in the same time zone as SF, close to Seattle, etc. But compared to Vancouver in 2009, one big change that totally ruined it for me: Absolute zombie apocalypse of drug addicts and shouting/violent home less people. It was shockingly bad. The locals often visibly carry naxalone (anti-overdose medicine, I learned) because there are so many people overdosing in the street. Police were nowhere to be seen. Such a shame, I would have loved to live in this beautiful city otherwise.

4 years ago

Reviewing from permanent resident perspective. Excellent place to be if you have young kids; tons of parks, playgrounds, activities, and family-oriented.

I can see how it wouldn't appeal much to single long-stay visitors. I call it "Singaportland" when trying to describe the vibe to remote colleagues. Clean, safe, orderly, but a bit constructed. You pay a serious CoL tax for the perks. Zero appeal for Chiang-Mai-nomad types, based on pricing and culture.

4 years ago

I think the reviews here a bit overly negative. It's true it's a city with a not of nightlife or activity, but that's not why people move to Vancouver. You move to Vancouver if you want a relaxed lifestyle with beautiful nature and access to the outdoors, fresh air, and a good climate (by Canadian standards), without having to give up on the comforts of a city-lifestyle.

While it's expensive, you mostly get quality. My rental is not that much more expensive than I paid in many european cities, yet I get a completely modern flat with mountain views, and countless amenities (gym, pool, sauna). It's true Vancouver housing is expensive, but usually it's very high quality. For food, Vancouver has some of the best selection of asian cuisine you can find, and the prices are quite reasonable imo.
If you want a nightlife oriented life, or a crazy vibrant urban experience, you won't find it in Vancouver. If you want a calm base in one of the most naturally beautiful regions in the world, and are willing to spend a bit of money for it, then Vancouver is a good fit. I've lived in 10+ cities and Vanouver may be my favorite, although it's true it's not for everyone.

4 years ago

Read the review that starts "I live here and I can tell you that many of the stats listed are wrong" - its spot on accurate
I will add to that - Vancouver is brain-numbingly boring and dead. There is noticeable and toxic mix of pedestrians, cyclists and car drivers. Mix in a very Vancouver trait of entitlement, and watch the the passive aggression fly.
Vancouverites generally are a cold bunch making it difficult for newcomers. Worst of all they believe in their own created hype that live in the best world-class city. It does get annoying.
Pretty, yes, in places, good mountains, excellent outdoors. Beyond that, dead!

6 years ago

I live here and I can tell you that many of the stats listed are wrong. Getting an edible dinner for $10 is an utter fantasy. Typically that's what you pay for an appetizer. A 1-bdr in the city centre will cost you at least $1600 but probably more like $2000+ and chances are it will be a hell-hole at those prices. The night life is indeed terrible here. The saving grace is that there's dozens of micro-brewery pubs with very interesting beer very close to the city centre. But they're legally required to close at 23:00 and after that your options are mostly trash unless you happen to have insider knowledge about arty happenings. Most of the night life is so bad that it will make you feel like a tourist even if you're a local.
There is no Uber or ride-sharing of any kind here, the taxi lobby is far too strong.
Tipping? Absolutely yes, minimum 15%! People that work in restaurants here cannot survive on their meagre wages.
A really important thing to know is that listed prices here never include tax, so everything costs 12% more than you thought it would -- and at a restaurant your cost including taxes and tip will be at least 30% more than what you see on the menu.
Don't come here unless you're looking for a quiet retirement. Go to Seoul or Berlin or Montreal instead. It will be cheaper, more social, more cultured, more fun, and there will be a lot more to do.

7 years ago

There is a new coworking space called FreeSpace that is only $49.99 per month and offers access to all three locations (Kits, Chinatown, Yaletown). The way it works is FreeSpace partners with local restaurants that are only open in the evenings and transforms them into unique, comfortable and affordable drop in coworking spaces during the day while the restaurant is closed. The don't have private boardrooms or phone booths for confidential exchanges, but they do have free coffee, outlets at every seat, and super fast Wifi (300mbps- I was surprised!). It doesn't have all of the bells and whistles that a lot of other coworking spaces available but if you are just looking for somewhere to stop in, grab a coffee, and get to work, this is an excellent alternative at a fraction of the cost. Check it out www.thisfreespace.com

8 years ago

✅ Very clean

✅ Beautiful scenery

✅ Excellent outdoor access

✅ Safe

✅ High quality housing

✅ Great Asian food

✅ Family-friendly

✅ Very safe

✅ Fast internet

✅ Good air quality on average

✅ Nomads.com members liked going here

✅ Many Nomads.com members here all year round

✅ Spacious and not crowded

✅ Very easy to do business

✅ High quality of education

✅ Great hospitals

✅ Roads are very safe

✅ Great freedom of speech

✅ Democratic

✅ Everyone speaks English

✅ Safe for women

✅ Very family friendly

✅ Very friendly to LGBTQ+

✅ (Medical) marijuana MAY be legal, unenforced or decriminalized (always double check this)

❌ Very expensive

❌ Boring/nightlife lacking

❌ Cold/unfriendly locals

❌ Drug and homelessness issues

❌ Extremely expensive

❌ Not much to do

❌ Cold now

❌ Gets cold in the winter

❌ Very damp now

❌ Difficult to make friends

❌ Many people smoke tobacco

❌ High alcohol consumption

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels (median)

439°
cold

643°
cold

745°
cold

846°
cold

1254°
cool

1661°
cool

2272°
mild

1966°
mild

1661°
cool

1152°
cool

643°
cold

236°
cold

Real (median)

541°
very cold

643°
very cold

846°
cold

847°
cold

1254°
cool

1559°
cool

2272°
mild

1966°
mild

1661°
cool

1152°
cool

745°
cold

338°
very cold

Humidity

damp
86%

damp
84%

damp
83%

damp
76%

damp
75%

nice
75%

nice
77%

damp
81%

damp
83%

damp
86%

damp
84%

Most common

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

Rain

rainy
309mm

rainy
175mm

rainy
131mm

rainy
52mm

rainy
82mm

rainy
66mm

dry
1mm

dry
32mm

rainy
129mm

rainy
289mm

rainy
354mm

rainy
283mm

Cloud

cloudy
83%

cloudy
73%

cloudy
78%

pockets
25%

pockets
48%

pockets
40%

pockets
15%

pockets
41%

cloudy
60%

cloudy
80%

cloudy
85%

cloudy
80%

Air quality

clean
23 US AQI

clean
26 US AQI

clean
28 US AQI

clean
19 US AQI

clean
16 US AQI

clean
18 US AQI

clean
27 US AQI

clean
17 US AQI

clean
25 US AQI

clean
30 US AQI

clean
22 US AQI

Sun

safe
1 UVI

safe
2 UVI

seek shade
4 UVI

seek shade
5 UVI

seek shade
6 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

seek shade
5 UVI

seek shade
4 UVI

safe
2 UVI

safe
1 UVI

Remote workers

3,450 people

2,864 people

3,200 people

3,055 people

4,350 people

5,087 people

4,968 people

5,025 people

5,945 people

4,958 people

3,164 people

3,514 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members.

If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomads.com's Climate Finder

Current weather data from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0)

Based on Vancouver's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:

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$2,622 / mo

140 Mbps

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🙂 Okay

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 22° 72° 22° 72° AQI 38

✈️14h

$2,987 / mo

76 Mbps

San Francisco, CA

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 19° 66° 19° 66° AQI 16

✈️2h

$8,956 / mo

🌇 Also went here311 people

Los Angeles, CA

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 22° 72° 22° 72° AQI 79 😷

✈️5h

$3,172 / mo

🌇 Also went here249 people

Tokyo

Japan

Members who will be here soon

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Visits are also normalized by overall trips added per month on the site, so if site usage goes up or down it does not affect trends. Not all digital nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

🎒 Nomad Score™	3.69/5 (Rank #99) 882 reviews
❤️ Liked by members	👍11 liked it 👎3 disliked it
👍 Quality of life score	Good
👶 Family score	Good
🎒 Community score	Okay
🤯 Overcrowding score	0% is nomad here
💵 Cost	😳 Extremely expensive: $5,651 / mo
📡 Internet	😡 Slow: 25 Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Okay
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🥶 Too cold: 11°C53°F (feels 10°C50°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	💦 Damp: 81%
❄️ % of buildings with AC	😊 High: 64%
💨 Air quality (now)	🌱 Good: 30 US AQI
💨 Air quality (annual)	🌱 Great: 18 US AQI
👌 Safety	Good
👩 Safe for women	Good
🌈 Safe for LGBTQ+	Great
🤮 Food safety*	Great
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Good
🤝 Lack of racism*	Great
🎓 Education level*	High
⚡️ Power grid	Great
🌊 Resilience to climate change	Great
💰 Income level*	Very rich: $4,642 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Great
😤 People density	🧘‍♀️ Sprawling: 2k ppl/km² (1 per 25x25m)
🚶 Walkability	Great
🚦 Traffic safety*	Okay
✈️ Airline scores*	Great
🧳 Lost luggage*	Great
🏥 Hospitals	Great
😄 Happiness*	Bad
🍸 Nightlife	Okay
📶 Free WiFi in city	Great
🖥 Places to work from	Great
❄️ A/C or heating	Okay
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Okay
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Great
🎅 Startup Score	Okay

🌍 Continent	North America
🚩 Country	Canada
🗓️ Average trip length	18 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	25 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	🌥 11°C 53°F + 💦 Damp (81%) = feels 10°C 50°F
💨 Air quality (now)	👍 30 US AQI 🍃 OK
💨 Air quality (annual avg)	👍 18 US AQI
🔌 Power	115V 60Hz
🧔 Best neighborhood to stay	Kensington-Cedar Cottage
🚀 Upcoming neighborhood	Renfrew-Collingwood
🚕 Best taxi app*	Uber
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
💸 10 CAD in USD	USD 7.08
🏧 Suggested ATM take out:	CAD 100 = USD 71
💸 Tipping	Yes, 15%
💳 Cashless	💳 Yes, cards OK almost everywhere
💻 Best coworking space	HiVE
💻 Best alt. coworking space	Launch Academy
🚰 Tap water	👌 Yes, safe to drink
🦷 Fluoride added	🚫 No fluoride added
🪨 Water hardness	Soft · 22 mg/L
♻️ Return rate	👍10% of visitors return
📸 Visitors per year	2,652,600 visitors
📸 Tourists now	50,837 tourists
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	1,700,000 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$55,698 / year
😤 Population density	🧘‍♀️ empty: 25x25m (625m²) per person
👫 Gender ratio (population)	👨 47% 👱‍♀️ 53%
👫 Gender ratio (young adults)	👨 53% 👱‍♀️ 47%
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 81% 👱‍♀️ 19%
🏞 Foreign land ownership allowed	Yes
⛪️ Religious government	Non-religious
💻 Online electronics shop	Best Buy
🏠 Apartment listings	kijiji
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier	West Jet
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	Air Canada

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$5,651 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$3,916 / month
💵 Cost of living for couple	$7,923 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$7,328 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$2,094 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$3,509 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$6,202 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$1,768 / month
🏠 Median home price	$920,729
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$164 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$203 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$336 / month
🍛 Dinner	$18
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$2
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$6
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$4
👩‍🏫 International school	$20,293 / year
🚕 Taxi price (avg trip ~3km/2mi)	$6 / trip
💰 Estimated tax on $50,000	$12,825
💰 Estimated tax on $100,000	$34,643
💰 Estimated tax on $250,000	$109,369

Cost of Living in Vancouver

4,200 remote workers in Vancouver now, of which 4+ members checked in (some members are set to private)

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