Cost of living comparison

compared to

Canberra vs. Nanaimo Cost of Living Summary

Canberra is 32.6% more expensive than Nanaimo.

Restaurants
pay 2.6% less in Canberra
Groceries
pay 4.6% less in Canberra
Transportation
pay 44.5% more in Canberra
Housing
pay 17.4% more in Canberra
Childcare
pay 71.4% more in Canberra
Entertainment and Sports
pay 56.5% more in Canberra
Clothing
pay 45.7% more in Canberra

The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, clothing, transportation, and housing in Canberra are more expensive than in Nanaimo. Expenses including groceries and restaurants are lower in Canberra.

Canberra vs. Nanaimo Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Canberra instead of Nanaimo, you would:

pay 2.6% less for restaurants

 
Nanaimo
Canberra
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $17.94
CA$24.72
$16.34
A$24.57
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$12.92
CA$17.80
$9.81
A$14.74
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.42
CA$3.33
$2.59
A$3.89

Improve prices ·

pay 4.6% less for groceries

 
Nanaimo
Canberra
Bread
1 loaf
$3.26
CA$4.50
$2.71
A$4.07
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.76
CA$7.94
$4.99
A$7.50
Milk (1 gallon) $7.11
CA$9.79
$5.50
A$8.26

Improve prices ·

pay 44.5% more for transportation

 
Nanaimo
Canberra
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.76
CA$6.56
$4.42
A$6.64
Monthly public transit pass $46.64
CA$64.27
$122.90
A$184.76
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $24,382.26
CA$33,597.54
$29,041.09
A$43,657.68

Improve prices ·

pay 17.4% more for housing

 
Nanaimo
Canberra
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$66.83
CA$92.08
$51.97
A$78.13
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,302.43
CA$1,794.68
$1,554.45
A$2,336.81
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,140.97
CA$1,572.20
$1,160.39
A$1,744.42

Improve prices ·

pay 71.4% more for childcare

 
Nanaimo
Canberra
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $765.43
CA$1,054.72
$1,754.20
A$2,637.10
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $11,720.63
CA$16,150.44
$13,323.22
A$20,028.89

Improve prices ·

pay 56.5% more for entertainment and sports

 
Nanaimo
Canberra
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.74
CA$7.91
$6.54
A$9.83
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.02
CA$5.54
$3.41
A$5.12
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$13.20
CA$18.19
$31.05
A$46.68

Improve prices ·

pay 45.7% more for clothing

 
Nanaimo
Canberra
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$35.88
CA$49.44
$69.40
A$104.33
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$33.49
CA$46.14
$57.75
A$86.81
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$96.87
CA$133.49
$94.06
A$141.40

Improve prices ·
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in Canada vs. Australia. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Canada and Australia.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Canberra or Nanaimo. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.