Canada
Statistics Canada table 18-10-0245-01, monthly average retail prices in CAD for British Columbia or Canada. Prices are averages of what shoppers paid across retailers and brands, not a single store's shelf price.
Statistics Canada source ↗CANADA × JAPAN
The same groceries,
two countries.
How do everyday prices in British Columbia and Canada compare with Tokyo? Official averages from the same month, converted at the same exchange rate.
A FAMILY OF FOUR / LATEST MONTH
Living in Vancouver or Tokyo: what changes each month?
Assumptions and what is not included
- Household: 2 adults and 2 children aged 12 and under, renting a 2-bedroom home, no car.
- Rent: average asking rents for homes listed now, as a family moving today would pay. Vancouver: 2-bedroom units in the City of Vancouver (Rentals.ca and Urbanation National Rent Report). Tokyo: apartments of 50–70 m² in the 23 wards (At Home monthly asking-rent survey). Unit sizes are not matched exactly, and asking rents are updated by hand when new reports are published.
- Groceries: Tokyo uses what a Japanese family of four actually spends on food and drink at home (¥80,213 a month, Family Income and Expenditure Survey 2025, working households of four). Vancouver is the same shopping priced in BC: that amount multiplied by the price ratio of a 26-item basket (milk, eggs, rice, meat, fish, vegetables, fruit and more) bought in both places. Canadian prices are BC averages.
- Eating out (estimate): Tokyo uses the same survey (¥22,278 a month). Canada has no official average restaurant prices, so Vancouver menu prices are estimated with the Big Mac price ratio. GST (5%) and an 18% table-service tip on the pre-tax bill are then added. The tip is applied to all meals out; takeout and fast food usually have no tip, so this part may run slightly high.
- Electricity: 402 kWh a month in both cities, the Tokyo survey standard. Vancouver is calculated from the BC Hydro residential tiered rate with 5% GST; rate riders are not included.
- Transit: two adult monthly passes. Vancouver: TransLink 1-zone pass; children 12 and under ride free. Tokyo: commuter pass for 11 km on a non-JR line, divided into months. Many Japanese employers reimburse commuting costs.
- Not included: income tax, health insurance, childcare, school costs, leisure, natural gas, water, phone and internet, clothing and wages.
- Exchange rate: Bank of Canada monthly average for the same month.
EATING OUT & LEISURE
In Vancouver, the menu price is not what you pay.
In Vancouver, restaurant prices are shown before tax and tip. In Tokyo, the price on the menu is what you pay.
Eating out in Tokyo: official average prices
Tokyo 23 wards, same month as the grocery comparison. Vancouver has no official average restaurant prices, so use the calculator above with a menu price you know.
Sources: The Economist Big Mac index (July 2026); Vancouver Park Board 2026 fees and charges; Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo no Bukka tables 4 and 7; Statistics Canada CPI. GST 5% applies to restaurant meals and admissions in BC; 10% PST also applies to alcohol. Tip shown at 18% of the pre-tax bill, a common amount for table service.
OFFICIAL AVERAGES /
Canada price ÷ Tokyo price
Above 1× means the item costs more in Canada than in Tokyo; below 1× means it costs less. Prices are converted to a common unit (per kg, per litre or per 12 eggs) so different pack sizes can be compared.
THE DETAILS MATTER
What this comparison means.
Japan (Tokyo)
Average retail prices of major items in the Tokyo 23 wards (東京都区部), mid-month survey, published by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in “Tokyo no Bukka” table 7 and based on the national Retail Price Survey (小売物価統計調査). Each item follows a defined product specification.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government statistics ↗Exchange rate
Yen prices are converted with the Bank of Canada monthly average exchange rate for the same month (series FXMJPYCAD). Daily rates and card or bank rates will differ.
Bank of Canada exchange rates ↗Limits
Product specifications are not identical. Japanese rice is a short-grain variety while the Canadian series covers white rice generally; bread, cuts of meat and pack sizes also differ. Tokyo is one city, while BC and Canada are regional averages. Treat the results as an indication of price levels, not a matched-brand comparison or a cost-of-living measure. Wages and taxes are not included.
Independent project. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Statistics Canada, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Statistics Bureau of Japan or the Bank of Canada. Statistics Canada Open Licence.