“How much does it cost to go to Vancouver? Prices, budgets, tips

Vancouver is considered one of the most expensive cities in Canada. It’s easy to spend thousands of dollars on hotels, steaks and entertainment here, but it’s also quite possible to have vacation on a budget (and not necessarily in a tent). Read how much it costs to go to Vancouver and how to plan your finances in this article.

*Last updated rates and prices on January 1, 2023

How much do accomodations cost?

Real estate prices in Vancouver are a sore spot for locals and tourists alike. Hotels and rental apartments are expensive, and they are sold out a few months before the season (sometimes even luxury ones)! Book in advance.

A bed in a hostel (4-8 beds) costs $75-95CAD (≈ $63USD) per night. A lot of them provide breakfast included in the price. Best hostels in the city: Samesun Vancouver, HI Vancouver (Central and Downtown)

A budget double room with a bathroom in the city center costs $170-200CAD (≈ 137$USD). Decent options: YWCA Hotel Vancouver, Barclay Hotel

The average hotel price in Vancouver is $250-300CAD (≈ $204USD), five-star hotels are from $500CAD and up in season.

Airbnb is also widely presented in the city. Condos in the center are $250-300CAD/night (≈ $204USD). A room in the house – $ 125-170CAD (≈ $ 109USD), further from the center (by public transport 30-40 minutes) – from 100CAD (≈ $ 74USD).

Prices are valid for the high season (May-September, December). Off-season rates are 10-15% cheaper.

READ MORE: How to save money on accomodations in Vancouver

How much does the food cost?

Vancouver is famous for its cuisine variety. On the same street fast food vans often stand next to chic restaurants presenting cuisines from all over the world. Japanese sushi, gourmet French brunch, hearty Vietnamese dinners, Mexican burritos and expensive steakhouses.

Breakfast and brunch cost an average of $18-25 CAD (≈ $16USD), lunches will cost about the same amount. Dinner at a restaurant – from $25-30CAD (≈$20USD)/person.

The cheapest options are pizza, hot dogs, McDonald’s, A&W, ready-to-eat meals in stores. It’s realistic to eat here for $15CAD (≈$11USD)

A cup of coffee – $5CAD (≈$4USD), beer – $7.5-8.5CAD (≈$6USD)

In Vancouver you are expected to tip 15-20%.

READ MORE:

• How to save money on food in Vancouver
• Where to eat in Vancouver: hearty cheap breakfasts
• Vancouver’s Top 10 Coffee Shops
• Pub Crowling in Vancouver

If you plan to cook on your own, the grocery check for one person will be about $90-110CAD (≈ $74USD) per week (meat, eggs, fruit, vegetables, bread, rice/ pasta). The approximate cost of the basic groceries is here.

• Budget grocery stores: T&T, Superstore
• Mid-priced stores: IGA, Save-on-Foods, Safeway
• Organic and deli: Whole Foods, Urban Fare

How much does transportation cost?

Bicycle rental in Vancouver

The most budget-friendly option is Mobi city bikes for $15CAD/day (≈$11USD). They have to be changed at the nearest stations every 30 minutes so you don’t have to pay extra. It’s not very convenient for Stanley Park, for example, where there are few stations and a lot of competition.

Here are some popular Vancouver stores where you can rent a bike for a few hours or even days. The average cost per hour is $7-11CAD(≈$5.5USD), for a half day – $26CAD(≈$19USD). Helmet, basket, and lock are included. By the way, British Columbia has passed a law that requires everyone (adults included) to wear a helmet when riding a bicycle.

• Freedom Bike Rentals & Repairs: This is the Downtown’s top-rated store with great prices. Address: 1798 W Georgia St.
• Spokes Bicycle Rentals: Expensive to rent for a few days. The store is located near Stanley Park, 1798 W Georgia St.
• Yes Cycle Bike чRental: there are 2 locations in Downtown: 687 Denman St и 1351 Burrard St
• Cycle City Tours And Bike Rentals: address: 648 Hornby St
• English Bay Bike Rentals: Store address: 1754 Davie St
  

Some hotels provide bicycles to guests free of charge (e.g, Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront, Hotel BLU Vancouver, The Burrard). Check with your hotel to see if this is an option.

Renting an electric scooter in Vancouver

While the rent and use of electric scooters in the city are in the experimental phase, there are not many rental companies: Go Scoot (the most popular) – $5CAD + $0.5/min, Yes Cycle – from $25CAD/hr.

Subway, buses, SeaBus

One Sky Train trip costs from $3.1CAD (≈$2.3USD), the price depends on the number of zones you need to travel. There are three zones: Zone 1 (Downtown), Zone 2 (Richmond, Burnaby, New Westminster, North Vancouver), and Zone 3 (Delta, Port Moody, Surrey, Coquitlam). For example, if you are going from the airport to Downtown, that’s two zones and you have to buy a ticket accordingly.

You can ride the bus, SkyTrain and SeaBus for 90 minutes on a single ticket, and transfers are free.

An unlimited daily pass for all zones costs $11CAD (≈$8.2USD).

If you plan to stay in Vancouver for several days and actively use public transportation, I recommend buying the Compass Card. A plastic card for $6 saves you about 50 cents per trip (instead of $3CAD you pay $2.5CAD), and it’s quite convenient to refill it at vending machines and online. At the end of the trip, turn in your card at the Stadium-Chinatown station and get $6 back.

READ MORE: How to save money on transportation in Vancouver

How much does a cab cost?

Popular companies:

• Yellow Cab: Call online, by app, or by phone +1 (604)-681-1111
• Vancouver Taxi: Book online, by app, or by phone at +1 (604)-871-1111
• Mac Clure’s Cabs: Book by app or phone +1 (604)-831-1111
• Uber: During rush hour fares go up, but on average, it’s a little cheaper than a regular cab. Download the app here.
• Lyft

Airport cabs have a fixed cost by zone (see photo below)

Ferries

Vancouver – Victoria one way: $18CAD (≈ $13USD) – passenger, $62CAD (≈ $46USD) – car (standard size)

Vancouver – Sunshine Coast one way: $14.3CAD (≈$10.6USD) – passenger, $49CAD (≈$36USD) – car (standard size)

For other destinations fees and types of tickets for 2023, click here

Renting a car in Vancouver

Prices for rental cars depend on the season, the company, the age of the driver (21-25 years – are more expensive), car class and condition. On average, the cost per day with taxes and fees during the season (May – September) is about $130-170CAD (≈$111USD). Other months – from $90CAD. The aggretators such as car rentals, kayak, momondo are very handy to choose and compare the prices.

There are several companies operating at Vancouver Airport: National, Alamo, Hertz, Dollar Thrifty, Avis, Budget, Enterprise Rent-a-Car. Alamo and Enterprise Rent-a-Car have good reviews. Important: when you rent a car at the airport, the cost goes up by $5.75CAD/day airport CFC fee and a one-time additional tax of 19.15% of the base rate for the premium location. It’s cheaper to take a SkyTrain or cab into town and rent a car there.

In Richmond and South Vancouver: Enterprise Rent-a-Car at 11051 Bridgeport Rd #128 or 970 SW Marine Dr #10. It’s a 10-minute cab ride from the airport, costs $20CAD, but the rental car will no longer include the huge airport’s fees.

Downtown: Independent Rent A Car, Pacific Car Rentals, Enterprise Rent-a-Car,Rent A Car Vancouver.

• Средняя стоимость бензина в Ванкувере: $1.8CAD/литр (≈$1.3USD)
• Средняя стоимость дизеля в Ванкувере: $1.9CAD/литр (≈$1.33USD)

Carsharing

There are several carsharing companies in Vancouver. For the tourist this is not the best and easiest option, because you need to register on the website, confirm your documents, and pay a one-time fee:

• Evo Car: if you have a license issued in another country or province, you must provide a 2-year driving record. Entry fee is $35CAD + $2CAD insurance. Hourly rate – $16.99CAD + tax. Gasoline, insurance, and parking are already included. More information here
• Modo: for registration you will also need a driving record for 2 years. Entry fee is $10CAD + $6CAD administrative fee. Hourly rate is $5CAD + tax + $1.5CAD co-op fee per trip.

What’s really worth considering as an alternative to regular car rental companies is p2p carsharing Turo. It is a popular global network where people rent out personal cars. Cars are much cheaper here. One of the disadvantages is that many car owners limit the daily mileage.

How much does entertainment cost?

Vancouver has many free activities and attractions like hikes, skyscrapers, parks, street art, beaches, etc. Some museums have charity days (for example, every Tuesday night at Art Gallery ticket price starts from $5). There are music and art festivals every week during the summer.

The table below shows the cost of the most popular museums and attractions in 2023 (adult ticket, the price is without taxes and extra fees – about + 5-7%):

READ MORE:

• How to save money on entertainment in Vancouver
• What to visit in Vancouver? Top 15: Best of the Best

How much does cell phone service and internet cost?

Canada has quite expensive cell phone service and many areas that are not covered by any provider (especially up north and on the road to the Rocky Mountains). If your phone supports it, I advise to take eSim – the most convenient and inexpensive option. You can also order a pocket wifi router, or buy a local SIM card.

What is eSim?

The most stressful part of the trip was finding a local SIM card, especially since I arrived at the airport at night and all the kiosks were closed. Now this torment is over! Recently, eSim, a virtual SIM card with Internet and calls, appeared on the market. Buying this kind of sim card takes a minute on the website, and the rates are much cheaper – from $7.5USA per 1GB! I recommend the airalo website. Before purchasing, check if your phone supports eSim and download the necessary apps. Instructions for iPhone and for Android.

SIM cards for travel in Canada

There are not many good options for prepaid and contract-free SIM cards. At the Vancouver airport, for example, you can buy only one type of card – the card from 7Eleven Speak Out (reviews are mixed)

I suggest choosing any of the three sim cards below, as they are issued by the major Canadian mobile companies and offer relatively good coverage and rates. All three are prepaid, no contracts.

Plans start at $15CAD. Check in advance that your phone is unlocked and compatible with these networks.

• Lucky Mobile: from Bell, sold at Walmart, Wireless Wave, Mobile Shop and other locations
• Public Mobile: from Telus, sold at London drugs, Koodo and other locations
• Chatr Mobile: from Rogers, sold at Best Buy, Fido, Rogers, and other locations, % of coverage is slightly less

Pocket WiFi router

Pocket WiFi router comes in handy if you are traveling with family or company, bringing a laptop on the road and if you need unlimited internet.

WiFi Cube: unlimited 4G connection 4G from $11USD/day. The coverage is promised to be maximum. It is possible to connect up to 5 devices simultaneously, battery charge lasts 4-6 hours. Minimal rental period is three days, book at least 4 days before arrival (better to book a week in advance). Additional 10%+ discounts from one week of rental. A $150USD deposit is frozen on your account

Take note: you cannot pick up and drop off your router at the airport, you must order delivery to your hotel/apartment, etc. Read more here.

Pocket Wifi: unlimited 4G Internet 4G from $12CAD/day (≈$8.9USD). It is possible to connect up to 5 devices simultaneously, battery charge lasts up to 15 hours. Minimal rental period is three days, book at least 4 days before arrival (better to book a week in advance). Additional 10%+ discounts from one week of rental. Provider takes a deposit of $150CAD (≈ $119USD) from the account and return it 2-3 days after the end of the lease.

Free pickup and drop off at the office, courier delivery to the hotel – from 20CAD

How much does it cost to travel to Vancouver?

Budget for the day

The table below suggests approximate costs, depending on your budget and travel style (of course it may differ for each specific traveler).

The sums are daily averages, in U.S. dollars, per person.

Backpacker: live in a hostel, cook your own food (not organic) or buy fast food. Travel around the city on a bicycle or by public transport. Entertainment choices should be free (museums on charity days for example). Use free public WiFi. Approximate budget for a day: $135CAD (≈$100USD)

Low budget: get a room in an inexpensive 2-3 star hotel, Airbnb or Metro Vancouver, eat breakfast and dinner at home, lunch at inexpensive cafes and food courts + coffee, ride a bike or use public transportation, stick to free entertainment options and visiting 1 museum a day. Use free public WiFi or eSim. Approximate budget for a day: $286CAD (≈$212USD)

Medium budget: get a room in an average Downtown hotel or Airbnb. Choose mid-priced restaurants + coffee/beer. Use public transportation or bicycle, sometimes cab or inexpensive rented car. You can afford museums and 1-2 field trips. Buy eSim, a local sim card or a pocket WiFi router. Approximate budget for a day: $543CAD (≈$403USD)

Luxury: feel free to stay in a 5-star hotel, eat in restaurants and drink whatever you want. Travel around the city on a cab or a rented car, go to museums and take field trips. Use eSim, an unlimited local sim card or a pocket WiFi router. Approximate budget for a day: $1030CAD (≈$762USD)

How much does it cost to go to Vancouver for two people (example)

• Us (husband and wife)
• Going to Vancouver for 3 days
• We will stay in a budget hotel in the center: $137USD*3 nights = $411USD
• We’re going to eat at mid-priced cafes and restaurants, and occasionally stop for coffee: $47USD*2person*3 days = $282USD
• Planning to use public transport and Mobi, from/to the airport by skytrain: $11USD*2person*3days + $4USD*2person*2 trips (additional fare metro to airport) = $82USD
• We will walk around the city, go to Capilano Park, Art Gallery for donation day, FlyOverCanada ride: ($47USD*2person + $4USD*2person + $21*2person)*1.05 (tax) = $151.2USD
• eSim for 3GB – $15USD

Total without airfare: $941USD