Sunday, February 1, 2026
ADVT 
National

Vancouver ranks number 1 as the most expensive city to live in within Canada

Darpan News Desk Mercer, 23 Jun, 2021 11:46 AM
  • Vancouver ranks number 1 as the most expensive city to live in within Canada

Vancouver is at the number one spot for the most expensive city to live in within Canada according to a survey conducted by Mercer regarding the annual cost of living. 

Globally Vancouver ranks 93rd in the world. 

Toronto claimed the number 2 spot in Canada, standing 98th in the global rankings. 

The annual Cost of Living Survey looked at areas such as affordability around housing markets, inflation rates, and prices of goods and services to figure out the rankings. 

Apart from Vancouver, according to Mercer most Canadian cities stayed where they were from previous surveys. Toronto came in at 98 just like last year,  Montreal moved up 8 spots to 129, Calgary moved up to 145, and Ottawa came in as the least expensive city at 156th overall. 

The most expensive city in the world is Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. It overthrew Hong Kong which was ranked by Mercer as the most expensive city in the world for 3 years in a row.

Globally the least expensive places to reside are Tbilisi, Lusaka, or Bishkek.

 

Top 5 most expensive cities in the world:

  1. Vancouver, BC
  2. Toronto, ON
  3. Montréal, QC
  4. Calgary, AB
  5. Ottawa, ON

Top 10 most expensive cities in the world:

  1. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
  2. Hong Kong
  3. Beirut, Lebanon
  4. Tokyo, Japan
  5. Zurich, Switzerland
  6. Shanghai, China
  7. Singapore
  8. Geneva, Switzerland
  9. Beijing, China
  10. Bern, Switzerland

Top 10 least expensive cities in the world

  1. Banjul, Gamia
  2. Karachi, Pakistan
  3. Gaborone, Botswana
  4. Tashkent, Uzbekistan
  5. Windhoek, Namibia
  6. Brasilia, Brazil
  7. Tunis, Tunisia
  8. Tbilisi, Georgia
  9. Lusaka, Zambia
  10. Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (least expensive)

MORE National ARTICLES

Victoria scraps Canada Day broadcast

Victoria scraps Canada Day broadcast
City councillors in Victoria have voted unanimously to cancel a planned Canada Day broadcast in order to permit a "thoughtful reflection" of what it means to be Canadian.

Victoria scraps Canada Day broadcast

Father of alleged London attacker expresses sorrow

Father of alleged London attacker expresses sorrow
The deadly attack against a Muslim family in southwestern Ontario was "a senseless act," the father of the man accused in what police believe was a deliberate hate crime said Thursday.

Father of alleged London attacker expresses sorrow

Search for potential GG candidates finished

Search for potential GG candidates finished
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc says a short list of potential candidates to become Canada's next governor general will be in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's hands in "the next few days."

Search for potential GG candidates finished

Alberta says Keystone loss 'calculated decision'

Alberta says Keystone loss 'calculated decision'
Alberta’s finance minister says the province's $1.3-billion investment of taxpayers’ money in the now-defunct Keystone XL oil pipeline project was a prudent gamble given the potential payoff in profits and jobs.

Alberta says Keystone loss 'calculated decision'

Double murder probe in B.C. leads to another body

Double murder probe in B.C. leads to another body
RCMP say in a release that officers went to the home of a woman in Naramata on Wednesday in relation to the deaths of Erick and Carlos Fryer, whose bodies were found in a remote location near the town last month.

Double murder probe in B.C. leads to another body

153 COVID19 cases for Thursday

153 COVID19 cases for Thursday
There are currently 1,910 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. Of the active cases, 176 individuals are currently hospitalized, 49 of whom are in ICU.

153 COVID19 cases for Thursday