What salary do you need to live in Vancouver?

A single-person moderate lifestyle in Vancouver runs $3,300 per person per month at CostLiving’s benchmark, roughly CAD 4,500. Converting that to gross salary depends on tax band, but a working rule of thumb is CAD 75,000 to CAD 90,000 gross for one person to cover the moderate tier with modest savings room, accounting for BC’s combined federal and provincial tax wedge (effective rate of roughly 23 to 27 percent at that income level). Real Vancouver rental listings push housing higher than the cache reflects: a typical central one-bedroom runs CAD 2,400 to CAD 3,200, so households leaning toward a downtown or West End address realistically need CAD 95,000+ gross for one. A two-person household typically covers comfortable Vancouver on a combined CAD 140,000 to CAD 175,000 gross. For the full breakdown, see our Vancouver cost of living page.