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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Surrey vs St. John's in 2026: cost index 118 vs 90, rent $2,200 vs $1,100, income $70,000 vs $62,000, QoL 56 vs 64.
Surrey vs St. John's in 2026: cost index 118 vs 90, rent $2,200 vs $1,100, income $70,000 vs $62,000, QoL 56 vs 64.
Surrey ranks #1 with a cost index of 118 and rent of $2,200/month.
Average cost index across these cities: 104 (+3 vs national average of 101).
Average quality of life: 60/100. Top: Surrey at 56/100.
Safest city: St. John's (66/100 safety score).
Most comparisons stop at rent. We didn't. Surrey stands out as the top-ranked city in this analysis. With a cost index of 118 and median income of $70,000, it offers competitive value despite costs slightly above the national median. That gap is hard to ignore.
On quality of life, St. John's leads with a composite score of 64/100 — reflecting its safety (66), healthcare (62), and walkability (55) metrics. Context matters here. affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and Canada is a good example of that tension.
The country average QoL score is 63/100. Surrey leads with 56/100, reflecting its 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.
Surrey (ranked #1) has a cost index of 118 and rent of $2,200/mo. St. John's (#2) has index 90 and rent $1,100/mo — a 28-point gap.