We found an amazing tool called Numbeo that compares the cost of living in different cities across Canada, and even internationally. Using data from this site, we compared the cost of living in Nanaimo and three other major cities. Numbeo is very cool because it compares a multitude of things in great detail, but is very easy to understand. For example, Numbeo compares the cost of groceries in general, but also looks at specific product prices like milk, eggs and a variety of produce items. In addition, Numbeo reviews the costs of rentals in four ways: one and three bedroom apartments inside the city centre, and one and three bedroom apartments outside the city centre. Our focus in this post is the overall cost of living in the cities, as well as the different rental costs.
The Cost Comparisons
Below are the three comparisons:
Nanaimo vs. Vancouver
Nanaimo vs. Calgary
Nanaimo vs. Toronto
Nanaimo vs. Vancouver
Firstly, we compared Nanaimo and Vancouver. Vancouver is one of the most expensive places to live in the country, especially in regards to real estate costs, and it is interesting to view the actual cost differences.
You would need $5,760 in Vancouver to maintain the lifestyle that $4,500 would get you in Nanaimo.
Here is a brief overview of the cost differences between these two cities.
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The average cost of rent per month for a 1 bedroom apartment in the city centre in Nanaimo is $852, compared with $1,777 in Vancouver. Additionally, the average cost of rent per month for a 3 bedroom apartment in the city centre in Nanaimo is $1,470 compared with $3,655 in Vancouver. That’s almost 150% more!
Click here to view more information on the comparison between these two cities.
Nanaimo vs. Calgary
Secondly, we compared Nanaimo and Calgary. Calgary has a population of approximately 1.2 million people, compared with our little city of approximately 90,000 people.
You would need $5,000 in Calgary to maintain the lifestyle that $4,500 would get you in Nanaimo.
Below is a brief overview of the cost differences between the two cities.
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The average cost of rent per month for a 1 bedroom apartment in the city centre in Nanaimo is $852, compared with $1,169 in Calgary. Furthermore, the average cost of rent per month for a 3 bedroom apartment in the city centre in Nanaimo is $1,470 compared with $2,048 in Calgary. That’s about 40% higher.
Click here to view more information about the cost of living between these two cities.
Nanaimo vs. Toronto
Lastly, we compared Nanaimo with Toronto. There are so many factors that make Nanaimo completely different from Toronto, and we wanted to see the numbers for ourselves.
You would need around $5,430 in Toronto to maintain the same lifestyle that $4,500 would get you in Nanaimo.
Below is a brief overview of the cost differences between the two cities.
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The average cost of rent per month for a 1 bedroom apartment in the city centre in Nanaimo is $852, compared with $1,660 in Toronto. Comparatively, the average cost of rent per month for a 3 bedroom apartment in the city centre in Nanaimo is $1,470 compared with $2,917 in Toronto. That’s almost 100% higher!
Click here to view additional cost information between the two cities.
Review
After reviewing all of the data, it seems like Nanaimo is the perfect place to live! However, if you are looking for a big city feel for a fairly low cost of living, Calgary seems to be your best bet. Not surprisingly, Vancouver is the most expensive of all four cities we looked at, and Toronto is not too far behind. There are pros and cons to living in a large city compared to a small coastal town – most notably the rental prices. In conclusion, this information is useful to gain a general overview of how much it will cost you to live in one of these cities.
Try it out! Feel free to play around with this website and compare as many different cities as you like!
