City snapshot
Cost of living in Vancouver
Vancouver offers stunning natural beauty with urban amenities, though housing costs are Canada's highest.
Monthly baseline
$2,325
Total annual: $27,900
Balanced salary needed
$52,300
Balanced
Population
2,642,825
Vancouver CMA
Crime Severity Index
81.2
Vancouver CMA
Cost breakdown
Move-in costs
Plan the next step
City profile
Housing and rent
One of Canada’s tightest and most expensive rental and ownership markets.
Rent (1bd): $1,807 · Total monthly: $2,325
Commute and daily life
SkyTrain, SeaBus, bus and high walk/bike access in the core
Safety context
Vancouver's safety snapshot uses the Crime Severity Index for Vancouver CMA. CSI compares police-reported crime volume and seriousness; it is not a neighbourhood-level risk score.
- Crime Severity Index
- 81.2
- Violent CSI
- 75.1
- Non-violent CSI
- 84.3
How this city compares
Vancouver ranks #3 of 23 tracked cities by baseline monthly cost and is +$356 versus the cross-city average.
Salary guide for this city
Use these gross salary ranges as planning targets before running a detailed after-tax scenario for Vancouver.
Best for
Vancouver is strongest for stanley park and seawall and a higher baseline than the tracked-city average.
Watch out for
Rent (1bd) is the largest cost driver in the baseline. Plan around $2,325 per month before discretionary spending, plus about $6,714 for a basic move-in setup.
Local reality check
Rent represents about 78% of the baseline essentials shown here. Compared with the tracked-city average, this city is +$356.
Living in Vancouver: what to budget for
Use this page as a starting point for Vancouver: monthly essentials, move-in cash, salary targets, local population context, housing notes and safety data are shown together so you can move from research to a concrete budget.
Vancouver consistently ranks as one of the world's most livable cities, surrounded by mountains and ocean.
The city is Canada's gateway to the Pacific, with strong Asian cultural influences and international connections.
Housing affordability is a significant challenge, with Vancouver having Canada's highest real estate prices.
The mild climate allows year-round outdoor activities, from skiing to sailing, all within city limits.
Highlights
- Stanley Park and seawall
- North Shore mountains
- Mild coastal climate
- Tech and film industry hub
- Excellent public transit
Common questions
- What is included in Vancouver's monthly baseline?
- The baseline includes a 1-bedroom rent estimate, groceries and transport for one adult. It is a planning baseline, not a quote.
- Why do some metrics use a CMA or province?
- National public datasets often publish city data by census metropolitan area, census agglomeration, province or territory. The geography is shown beside each metric.
- How should I use the Vancouver salary estimate?
- Use it as a gross-income target, then run the income calculator with your province, city and real costs.
Sources and methodology
- Population: Statistics Canada Census 2021 table 98-10-0006-01 / Census Profile when noted.
- Crime Severity Index: Statistics Canada table 35-10-0026-01, 2024.
- Rent, groceries and transport: TrueIncome variable config synced from public market and Statistics Canada sources.
Data, sources, and assumptions
Results combine Canadian tax rules, city cost baselines, and market assumptions versioned with the site code.