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Vancouver
#35 of 124
North America

Vancouver

Canada

Salary & Cost of Living

View purchasing power ranking

How do salaries and expenses in Vancouver compare to San Francisco?

Purchasing Power Comparison

An engineer in Vancouver is 28% worse off vs in San Francisco

This shows how far a software engineer's salary goes in Vancouver compared to San Francisco, taking into account both salary differences and cost of living.

Median Salary
$116,006
-$156K (-57%) vs San Francisco
Based on 1196 data points from levels.fyi
Net Salary
$81,204
-$91K (-53%) vs San Francisco
Tax Rate: 30%

Community Insights

New

Vancouver offers a stark trade-off between lifestyle and financial optimization. While it is visually one of the most beautiful cities in the world with excellent access to nature and a mild climate, software engineers face a significant purchasing power disadvantage. Salaries are notably lower than in the US and slightly lower than Toronto, yet housing costs are among the highest globally relative to income.

For many, the 'Sunshine Tax' is worth it for the ability to ski and surf in the same day, but for those strictly focused on maximizing net worth or aggressive career climbing, the financial math is often difficult to justify compared to other tech hubs.

Resident Sentiment

Sentiment is deeply divided. Transplants from the US often express shock at the salary cut, frequently warning others that moving here is 'financial suicide' unless you have a specific lifestyle reason. Conversely, residents who prioritize work-life balance and nature often say they wouldn't live anywhere else, accepting the high costs as the price of admission to a world-class outdoor playground. There is a common thread of 'making it work' rather than 'thriving financially', with many noting that the quality of life outside of work is the primary retention factor.

Living Environment

Weather•Safety•Pollution•Events

A quick look at climate, safety, pollution, and tech community compared to San Francisco.

Rankings

Pollution Score

Top 12%

#15

of 124 cities

25.5/100

Current value (lower is better)

Community Events

Top 18%

#22

of 124 cities

13 events on luma

Current value

Purchasing Power

Top 28%

#35

of 124 cities

Housing Affordability

View affordability ranking

How affordable is housing for a software engineer in Vancouver compared to San Francisco?

Avg. Property Price
$8,224 / m²
18% cheaper than San Francisco
View detailed property prices on Numbeo

Salary Converter

Enter your annual gross salary (before taxes) to see what you would need to earn in Vancouver to maintain the same standard of living.

$

Do you have kids?

Cost of Living
34% cheaper than San Francisco
View detailed cost breakdown on Numbeo

Top Paying Companies in Vancouver

Workday logo
Workday
Salesforce logo
Salesforce
ByteDance logo
ByteDance

The Good

  • Unbeatable access to outdoor activities, including skiing, hiking, and kayaking, often reachable within minutes from the city.
  • The mildest climate in Canada, avoiding the freezing winters typical of Toronto or Montreal.
  • A visually stunning scenic beauty with ocean and mountain views that many residents feel compensates for the cost of living.
  • A walkable and transit-friendly urban core, reducing the strict need for a car compared to many North American tech hubs.
  • A generally relaxed work-life balance culture compared to the "grind" often associated with US tech hubs or startups.
  • High air quality and cleanliness, consistently ranked well for pollution levels.

The Bad

  • Significantly lower salaries for software engineers compared to US tech hubs (like Seattle or San Francisco) and slightly lower than Toronto.
  • Extremely high cost of living, particularly housing, which is severely decoupled from local wages (high "sunshine tax").
  • The 'Raincouver' weather, consisting of long stretches of grey, gloomy, and rainy days during the fall and winter months.
  • A smaller tech job market compared to Toronto, meaning fewer opportunities for job hopping or finding niche roles.
  • High income taxes and sales taxes relative to the salaries offered, reducing overall purchasing power.
  • A perceived 'cold' social scene, known locally as the 'Vancouver Freeze', making it harder for transplants to make new friends.

The Verdict

You'll love it if...

The outdoor enthusiast who values hiking, skiing, and ocean air more than maximizing their savings account. It is ideal for senior engineers or those with remote US jobs who can leverage higher external pay while enjoying Vancouver's lifestyle. It also suits those seeking a softer pace of life and a safe, clean environment to raise a family, provided they have dual incomes or substantial equity.

Skip it if...

Junior developers focused on rapid wealth accumulation or those expecting a salary-to-rent ratio similar to US tech cities. It is also a poor fit for people who are sensitive to seasonal affect disorder (SAD) due to the prolonged grey winters, or ambitious career-climbers who need a massive volume of high-frequency job opportunities to advance quickly.

Updated 11/29/2025

Weather4.7/10-46% vs San Francisco
Safety57+45%
Pollution26-48%
Events13-73%
4.7/10TechCities weather score vs 8.7/10 in San Francisco

0–10 composite (higher is better) combining temperature comfort, sunshine hours, rainy-day count, and humid days. See methodology for weighting and data sources.

Weather snapshot

Average High
14°C(vs 19°C in San Francisco)
Average Low
8°C(vs 12°C in San Francisco)
Sunshine Hours
1,938h/yr-1124h/yr(-37%)
Hottest Month High
22°C(same as San Francisco)
Coldest Month Low
2°C(vs 8°C in San Francisco)
Rainy Days
131/yr+83/yr(+170%)

Community & Quality

Vancouver community pulse

Vancouver has 13 Luma events listed.

73% fewer events than San Francisco.

Net Income

Top 32%

#40

of 124 cities

$81,204/yr

Current value

Comfortable Weather

Middle of the pack

#50

of 124 cities

47/100 weather score

Current value

Tax Rate

Middle of the pack

#53

of 124 cities

30%

Current value (lower is better)

Safety Index

Middle of the pack

#56

of 124 cities

57.2/100

Current value

Home Affordability

Middle of the pack

#59

of 124 cities

≈8.1 yrs to buy 80m²

Current value

Cost of Living

Bottom 32%

#85

of 124 cities

59/100

Current value (lower is better)

SWE Affordability
8.1 years
3.4 years longer than San Francisco
Muggy Days
0/yr(same as San Francisco)
Cloud Cover
58%(vs 34% in San Francisco)