Tuesday, February 3, 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

Business lobby pushes to reopen Canada-U.S. border

Business lobby pushes to reopen Canada-U.S. border
Businesses and lawmakers in both the United States and Canada, perhaps sensing a shift in the narrative that has dominated the issue of cross-border travel for more than a year, are ramping up the pressure to ease their mutual restrictions.

Business lobby pushes to reopen Canada-U.S. border

Trudeau to attend G7 Leaders' Summit in person

Trudeau to attend G7 Leaders' Summit in person
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced he will attend in person the G7 Leaders' Summit from June 11 to 13 and the NATO Summit on June 14 followed by the Canada-European Union Summit in Brussels.

Trudeau to attend G7 Leaders' Summit in person

Vancouver home sales strong but no record in May

Vancouver home sales strong but no record in May
The super-heated housing market in Metro Vancouver cooled slightly in May but the Greater Vancouver Real Estate Board says sales still remained active.

Vancouver home sales strong but no record in May

Loaded handgun seized following traffic stop

Loaded handgun seized following traffic stop
 The officer initiated a traffic stop in the 7600-block of King George Boulevard and upon further investigation, a loaded firearm was located on the driver. The vehicle was towed, the driver was arrested and later released on an undertaking as the investigation continues.

Loaded handgun seized following traffic stop

Climate change health costs to balloon: study

Climate change health costs to balloon: study
The Canadian Institute for Climate Choices says effects on health are likely to be heaviest among those who are already disadvantaged.

Climate change health costs to balloon: study

Unmarked graves damage Canada's global reputation

Unmarked graves damage Canada's global reputation
William Schabas, a professor at Middlesex University in the United Kingdom, said Canada likes to champion itself as a human rights supporter, but the discovery will hurt its reputation and make many people look at its activism with an amount of cynicism.

Unmarked graves damage Canada's global reputation