Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. Nelson BC Cost of Living Summary
United States is 25.9% more expensive than Nelson BC.
- Restaurants
-
pay 34.8% more in United States
- Groceries
-
pay 27.6% more in United States
- Transportation
-
pay 18.5% more in United States
- Housing
-
pay 30.5% more in United States
- Childcare
-
pay 46.8% more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 10.2% more in United States
- Clothing
-
pay 9.1% more in United States
United States vs. Nelson BC Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of Nelson BC, you would:
pay 34.8% more for restaurants
|
Nelson BC
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$14.03
CA$19.64
|
$19.86
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.77
CA$12.28
|
$11.42
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.99
CA$2.79
|
$2.67
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.67
CA$2.33
|
$2.05
|
|
Nelson BC vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 27.6% more for groceries
|
Nelson BC
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.78
CA$3.90
|
$3.63
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.63
CA$6.49
|
$6.52
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.56
CA$10.58
|
$3.98
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.16
CA$4.42
|
$4.30
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.99
CA$8.38
|
$5.46
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.55
CA$2.17
|
$2.34
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.28
CA$0.39
|
$0.80
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.70
CA$0.98
|
$2.02
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.10
CA$2.94
|
$2.19
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.42
CA$1.98
|
$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
CA$1.94
|
$1.39
|
|
Nelson BC vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 18.5% more for transportation
|
Nelson BC
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.60
CA$6.44
|
$4.01
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$36.82
CA$51.56
|
$66.70
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,760.48
CA$38,871.61
|
$34,164.82
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.79
CA$23.51
|
$18.02
|
|
Nelson BC vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 30.5% more for housing
|
Nelson BC
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$56.11
CA$78.57
|
$70.22
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,332.62
CA$1,865.99
|
$1,681.01
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,122.20
CA$1,571.36
|
$1,404.28
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$97.21
CA$136.12
|
$157.64
|
|
Nelson BC vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 46.8% more for childcare
|
Nelson BC
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,017.00
CA$1,424.05
|
$1,450.99
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,131.66
CA$22,588.35
|
$24,361.50
|
|
Nelson BC vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 10.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
Nelson BC
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.56
CA$6.38
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.86
CA$5.40
|
$5.31
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.03
CA$19.64
|
$10.42
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$57.51
CA$80.53
|
$50.68
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.92
CA$16.70
|
$13.95
|
|
Nelson BC vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.1% more for clothing
|
Nelson BC
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.93
CA$67.11
|
$53.15
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.33
CA$56.47
|
$41.88
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.67
CA$118.55
|
$89.76
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$98.19
CA$137.49
|
$114.01
|
|
Nelson BC vs. United States - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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Compare further: Nelson BC vs. United States
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