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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Average salary in Vancouver: $80,000/year — $8,167 above the Canada median. Cost index 134, purchasing power 59701/100. Compare incomes across British Columbia below.
Average salary in Vancouver: $80,000/year — $8,167 above the Canada median. Cost index 134, purchasing power 59701/100. Compare incomes across British Columbia below.
Vancouver: cost index 134 (+28 vs national avg 106), rent $2,850/month.
British Columbia region average cost index: 126. Vancouver is +8 vs region peers.
Quality of life: 59/100 — safety 65, healthcare 82, walkability 80.
Safety score: 65/100 (crime rate 50.8/1k). National average: 63/100.
The conventional wisdom says one thing. The data says another: Vancouver has a cost index of 134 — 28 points above the Canada national average of 106. Median income is $80,000 with rent at $2,850/month, putting the rent-to-income ratio at 43%. That gap is hard to ignore.
On quality of life, Vancouver scores a composite score of 59/100 — reflecting its safety (65), healthcare (82), and walkability (80) metrics. Layer in taxes, though, and the math changes. affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and Canada is a good example of that tension.
Vancouver — cost index 134, rent $2,850/mo, income $80,000, QoL 59/100.
Victoria — cost index 120, rent $2,300/mo, income $76,000, QoL 66/100.
Surrey — cost index 124, rent $2,420/mo, income $74,000, QoL 54/100.
The median gross income in Vancouver is $80,000/year — above the Canada national average of $71,833.
The British Columbia region of average QoL score is 60/100. Vancouver leads with 59/100, reflecting safety, healthcare access, walkability, and green space.
Our index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Sub-categories cover housing, food, transport, utilities, and healthcare. Data sources include Statistics Canada, CMHC, CRA.
Vancouver: cost index 134, rent $2,850/mo, income $80,000/yr, QoL 59/100. Victoria: cost index 120, rent $2,300/mo, income $76,000/yr, QoL 66/100.
This analysis uses data from Statistics Canada, CMHC, CRA to rank cities in Canada. The cost of living index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Quality of life scores combine safety, healthcare, walkability, air quality, green space, and transit metrics. Salary ranges use national occupation data adjusted for local cost differences. Data is updated regularly to reflect current market conditions.