Living in Vancouver

In Vancouver, unemployment is 9% (2021).

The unemployment rate was 9% in May 2021. For Vancouver, 33.5% of renter households spent at least 30% of income on housing in May 2021.

Last checked 2026-09-1920 sources

Population706,012people1 Jul 2022Official source · Statistics Canada

Median gross salary3,785EUR/month31 Dec 2020Official source · Statistics Canada

Unemployment rate9%country median 8.4% — 7% aboveOfficial source · Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population

Recorded crime5,438offences per 100,000country median 4,873 — 12% aboveIndependent source · Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024

PM2.5, annual mean2.49µg/m³country median 3.6 — 31% belowOfficial source · Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.

Which Canada-wide rules apply when you move to Vancouver?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in CanadaNational rates and thresholds that apply in Vancouver.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Private kindergarten€1001

Transport pass€90

Utilities, 85 m² flat€87

Internet, 60 Mbps€59

Fitness club€44

Mobile plan, 10 GB€33

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Fitness club membership, monthly	43.67 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	59.45 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly	1,001 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant	17.15 EUR	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB	32.64 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Cost of Living in Vancouver. Jul 2026. Prices in Vancouver¹⁷Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass	89.94 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home	86.82 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Households spending over 30% of income on rent	33.5 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁵Official
Dwellings	328,347 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada⁸Official
Average monthly rent (two-bedroom)	1,702 EUR/month	31 Oct 2023	CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey — Average Rents in Urban Centres (CSD table), October 2023²Official

Is Vancouver a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker25%strong on work, weak on safety · range 17–33%

Skilled employee32%strong on work, weak on education · range 23–41%

Student25%strong on cost, weak on education · range 15–35%

Family34%strong on family, weak on education · range 25–43%

Retirement30%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 20–40%

Work and income

What is the typical salary in Vancouver?

The median gross salary is about 3,785 EUR/month (2020). The regional series (home-region basis, 2020) is a separate labelled row in the table.

City-scope median, gross, before tax and social contributions.

Median gross salary: 3,785 EUR/month · Statistics Canada¹⁰
Median gross salary (regional): 2,702 EUR/month · 2026-09-17 · www150.statcan.gc.ca¹⁶

What is the unemployment rate in Vancouver?

The unemployment rate is 9 % (May 2021). Source: Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁵

Unemployment across cities in CanadaUnemployment in Vancouver is 9.0%. Of 515 cities with data, 125 have unemployment of 6 to under 8%.

125

108

0–22–44–66–88–1010–1212–1414–1616–1818–2020–22

Vancouver 9.0%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary	3,785 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	Statistics Canada¹⁰Official
Median gross salary (regional)	2,702 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	www150.statcan.gc.ca¹⁶Official
Average net monthly salary	3,162 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/ca/vancouver/¹⁹Community estimate · Supplemental context
Unemployment rate	9 %country median 8.4%	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁵Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Vancouver. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Job Bank and public employment services — Public employment service

Government of Canada

Job SearchMigrant Support

Open official service

Open the Canada service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Vancouver. Sources checked through 12 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Vancouver?

Police recorded 5,438 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source.

Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents: 5,438 offences per 100,000 · Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024²⁰

Recorded crime across major citiesVancouver highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Winnipeg7,894

Edmonton7,108

Halifax6,020

Vancouver5,438

Calgary4,796

London4,743

Québec4,630

Ottawa4,298

Hamilton4,257

Toronto4,177

Gatineau3,756

Montreal3,674

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	5,438 offences per 100,000country median 4,873	31 Dec 2024	Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024²⁰Independent

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Workers commuting by bicycle	5.3 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁵Official
Workers commuting by public transport	22.9 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁵Official
Workers walking to work	13.1 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁵Official
Destinations from nearest airport	75 count	13 Jun 2026	OpenFlights — routes.dat⁶Official
Nearest airport	YVR	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv⁷Official
Distance to nearest airport	10.9 km	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv⁷Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Vancouver. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

IRCC newcomer language-learning services finder — State Language Course

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

For newcomers to Canada.

English, FrenchFree

Open official information

Open the full Canada section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Vancouver.

Find courses near Vancouver

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperatures were 5.3°C in January and 19°C in July. Monthly precipitation was 236.6 mm in January and 43.5 mm in July. Annual PM2.5 was 2.49 µg/m³ in 2024.

Is the air quality good in Vancouver?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 2.5 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline.

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

PM2.5 — annual mean: 2.49 µg/m³ · Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.⁴

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

7°3°

8°3°

10°5°

14°7°

18°10°

20°13°

23°15°

19°12°

14°9°

10°5°

7°3°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

237

117

163

118

157

245

200

JFMAMJJASOND

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.52.5WHO 5 · EU 25

PM107.8WHO 15 · EU 40

NO₂8.5WHO 10 · EU 40

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in CanadaAnnual PM2.5 in Vancouver is 2.5 µg/m³. Of 123 cities with data, 46 have annual PM2.5 of 3 to under 4 µg/m³.

1–22–33–44–55–66–77–88–99–1010–1113–1415–1616–1717–1820–2140–41

Vancouver 2.5

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
NO₂ — annual mean	8.48 µg/m³country median 7.0	2024	Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 station DMean observation retained at source grain; no place value is asserted because the approved 25 km observation condition is not met.⁵Official
PM10 — annual mean	7.8 µg/m³country median 10.5	2024	Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.³Official
PM2.5 — annual mean	2.49 µg/m³country median 3.6	2024	Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.⁴Official
Average daytime high by month	Jan 7.4 · Feb 8.4 · Mar 10.5 · Apr 13.9 · May 17.8 · Jun 20.2 · Jul 23 · Aug 23 · Sep 19.4 · Oct 13.9 · Nov 9.7 · Dec 7.1 °C	31 Dec 2020	Canadian Climate Normals — VANCOUVER HARBOUR CS, 1991-2020¹Official
Average night-time low by month	Jan 3.3 · Feb 3.3 · Mar 4.6 · Apr 6.9 · May 10.2 · Jun 12.8 · Jul 14.9 · Aug 14.8 · Sep 12.1 · Oct 8.6 · Nov 5.3 · Dec 3.2 °C	31 Dec 2020	Canadian Climate Normals — VANCOUVER HARBOUR CS, 1991-2020¹Official
Average temperature by month	Jan 5.3 · Feb 5.9 · Mar 7.6 · Apr 10.4 · May 14 · Jun 16.5 · Jul 19 · Aug 18.9 · Sep 15.8 · Oct 11.2 · Nov 7.5 · Dec 5.2 °C	31 Dec 2020	Canadian Climate Normals — VANCOUVER HARBOUR CS, 1991-2020¹Official
Average precipitation by month	Jan 236.6 · Feb 117 · Mar 162.5 · Apr 117.7 · May 72.6 · Jun 65.7 · Jul 43.5 · Aug 48.6 · Sep 71.4 · Oct 156.8 · Nov 245.2 · Dec 199.9 mm	31 Dec 2020	Canadian Climate Normals — VANCOUVER HARBOUR CS, 1991-2020¹Official

Population and city profile

The city covered 115.2 km² in 2021. Population density was 5,749.9 people per km² in 2021.

How many people live in Vancouver?

The published population was 706,012 people in 2022. Source: Statistics Canada⁹

Foreign residents and their share come from different publications that count different groups (for example citizens of another country, or people born abroad, or of foreign origin), so 112,570 is not 42.2% of the population. Each row names its source.

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport84.1%
Foreign residents15.9%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	115.2 km²	2021	Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Vancouver, CSD 5915020)¹³Official
Foreign-resident share	42.19 %	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹¹Official
Foreign residents	112,570 people	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign population total; it is not immigrant status.¹⁴Official
Population density	5,750 people/km²	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 6: population density per square kilometre at CSD grain. This is the exact CSD value; it is not a CMA or province observation.¹⁴Official
Population	706,012 people	1 Jul 2022	Statistics Canada⁹Official

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents born abroad	50.4 %	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population¹⁵Official
Median age	39.6 years	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹²Official

Alternatives for people set on Vancouver

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Ottawa as a Vancouver alternative in the same country

Better on 3 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 3.

Annual PM2.5: 3.9 µg/m³ Ottawa vs 2.5 µg/m³ Vancouver+55%
Median gross pay, region: €3,246 Ottawa vs €2,702 Vancouver+20%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,298 Ottawa vs 5,438 Vancouver−21%
Foreign residents: 25.9% Ottawa vs 42.2% Vancouver−39%
Median gross pay, city: €4,221 Ottawa vs €3,785 Vancouver+12%
Residents: 1,071,868 Ottawa vs 706,012 Vancouver+52%
Unemployment: 10.3% Ottawa vs 9.0% Vancouver+14%

Full comparison More about Ottawa

Alternative cities in Canada

Other cities in Canada to compare with Vancouver, nearest in population first.

All Canada cities

Mississauga717,961 residents Winnipeg749,607 residents Brampton656,480 residents Surrey633,234 residents Hamilton597,010 residents Québec557,390 residents

How does Vancouver compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Vancouver's.

Open the full comparison

Vancouver in rankings

#7 of 30 in Cities with cleanest air in Canada #8 of 30 in Largest cities in Canada

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Vancouver when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Put Vancouver's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Vancouver?

The published population was 706,012 people in 2022. Source: Statistics Canada.

Is the air quality good in Vancouver?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 2.5 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate..

How safe is Vancouver?

Police recorded 5,438 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024.

What is the typical salary in Vancouver?

The median gross salary is about 3,785 EUR/month (2020). The regional series (home-region basis, 2020) is a separate labelled row in the table. Source: Statistics Canada.

What is the unemployment rate in Vancouver?

The unemployment rate is 9 % (May 2021). Source: Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population.

What is the typical salary around Vancouver?

The median gross salary is 2,702 EUR/month. Source: www150.statcan.gc.ca.

Is Vancouver a good place to live?

Vancouver may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Vancouver, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 859faebff84ae0f0982ef80eee3044a8]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/vancouver/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_vancouver-canada-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_d795f3e786c1,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Vancouver, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {859faebff84ae0f0982ef80eee3044a8},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/vancouver/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Vancouver, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/vancouver/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 859faebff84ae0f0982ef80eee3044a8; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

Canadian Climate Normals — VANCOUVER HARBOUR CS, 1991-2020 Canadian Climate Normals · climate.weather.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-26
CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey — Average Rents in Urban Centres (CSD table), October 2023 CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey · assets.cmhc-schl.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-18
Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate. data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-15
Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate. data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-15
Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 station DMean observation retained at source grain; no place value is asserted because the approved 25 km observation condition is not met. data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-15
OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
Statistics Canada www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-13

Show 10 more sources

Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Vancouver, CSD 5915020) Statistics Canada · www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-14
Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign population total; it is not immigrant status. api.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2021-05-11
Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-16
www150.statcan.gc.ca www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-27
Cost of Living in Vancouver. Jul 2026. Prices in Vancouver numbeo.com · checked 2026-07-27
Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Global Cost of Living · kaggle.com · checked 2026-07-27
Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/ca/vancouver/ Numbeo city cost-of-living page · de.numbeo.com · checked 2026-09-05
Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024 Statistics Canada · www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-26

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.