Cost of living in Prince George, BC
Home prices, rent, property tax, utilities and the rest, compared with Vancouver and Kelowna.
Detached home
$539,144
average sale, Jan-Sep 2026 (BCNREB)
Average rent
$1,354
per month, CMHC Oct 2025
Property tax
$3,688
a year on a typical house, after the grant
Housing is where Prince George is cheapest, and it’s where most of the difference comes from if you’re moving from the Lower Mainland or the Okanagan. Some things cost a little more here, mainly winter heating and groceries. This page lays out the numbers with their sources so you can run your own version.
Jason Luke has 20 years in BC real estate, 13 of them in Prince George, and helps a lot of families work through this math before a move.
Looking for a city-specific guide? Read about moving from Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Victoria, Kelowna, or Kamloops.
Housing
A detached home in Prince George costs about 71% less than in Greater Vancouver and about 46% less than in the Central Okanagan.
| City | Typical detached price | Example payment |
|---|---|---|
| Prince George | $539,144 | ~$2,630/month |
| Kelowna | ~$1,000,000 | ~$4,880/month |
| Vancouver | ~$1,850,000 | ~$9,030/month |
Data notes: Prince George is the average detached sale price for Jan 1 - Sep 30, 2026 (BCNREB, City of Prince George). Kelowna: Association of Interior REALTORS Central Okanagan single-family benchmark, late 2025. Vancouver: Greater Vancouver REALTORS detached benchmark, early 2026. Those two are benchmark prices, which run a little different from averages. Example payments assume 20% down, a 25-year amortization and a 5.5% rate. That rate is an assumption: the big banks’ posted 5-year fixed was 6.19% in October 2026, and most borrowers get less.
An example
A family that sells a $1,100,000 home in Metro Vancouver and buys at the Prince George average of $539,144 has about $561,000 left before selling costs and any mortgage payout. That can go to paying the new place down, to retirement, or to covering the months while you change jobs.
Property tax
The 2026 residential tax rate in Prince George is 9.7125 per $1,000 of assessed value, with all levies included. The City’s own share is 6.497; the rest goes to schools, the regional hospital district, the regional district and a few small levies. BC Assessment’s typical single-family home in the city was valued at $459,000 for 2026, which works out to about $4,458 a year, or about $3,688 after the $770 northern and rural home owner grant. The grant drops to $570 in 2027 when the northern top-up ends. Water, sewer and garbage are billed separately.
Sources: City of Prince George 2026 tax rates, BC home owner grant, BC Assessment 2026.
- Home insurance: often a little higher than southern BC because of winter claims; bundling helps.
- Heating: the one bill that’s clearly higher here. See utilities below.
Rent
The average purpose-built rental in Prince George rented for $1,354 a month in October 2025, up from $1,186 a year earlier (CMHC). Vacancy rose to 4.3% from 2.6%, so renters have more to choose from than they did, even with higher rents.
| Unit | Avg rent, Oct 2025 | Oct 2024 | Vacancy, Oct 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $940 | $870 | 4.2% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,214 | $1,089 | 5.3% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,422 | $1,268 | 3.7% |
| 3 bedroom + | $1,553 | $1,270 | 4.3% |
| All units | $1,354 | $1,186 | 4.3% |
Townhouses rent for more: CMHC’s average was $1,610 for a two-bedroom and $1,683 for three bedrooms or more.
CMHC surveys purpose-built rentals only. Basement suites and rented condos are not counted, and their asking rents usually run higher. Source: CMHC Rental Market Survey, British Columbia data tables (Prince George). The next survey is due in December 2026.
Utilities and heating
Prince George winters are cold, so heating costs more from October through April. Summers cost less because most homes don’t need air conditioning. The figures below are typical ranges, not quotes.
Natural gas (heating)
$150 to $250 a month in winter; $30 to $50 in summer
Electricity
$80 to $130 a month (BC Hydro)
Water and sewer
$30 to $50 a month (City utility bill)
Internet and TV
$70 to $120 a month for fibre or cable
Worth checking on any older home: insulation, windows and the age of the furnace. Upgrades there usually pay back in lower bills within a few winters.
Groceries and food
Groceries run slightly higher than Metro Vancouver on average because of northern logistics and a smaller wholesale market. Staples track closely; out-of-season fresh produce shows the biggest gap.
- Supermarkets: Save-On-Foods, Costco and Walmart all have stores in town.
- Farmers markets: local produce in summer and fall.
- Eating out: a casual meal generally costs less than the Metro Vancouver equivalent.
Transportation
Gas in Prince George is typically 15 to 25 cents a litre cheaper than the Lower Mainland. The reason is fuel tax: Prince George isn’t on TransLink’s network, so drivers don’t pay TransLink’s fuel tax (about 18.5 cents a litre). The bigger win is the commute: 15 to 20 minutes from most neighbourhoods, against 30 to 45 minutes or more in Metro Vancouver. Plenty of families who move here get by with one vehicle instead of two.
Gas prices
Typically 15 to 25 cents a litre cheaper than Metro Vancouver.
Average commute
15 to 20 minutes (30 to 45+ in Metro Vancouver)
Public transit
BC Transit Prince George. Check current fares at bctransit.com
Vehicle costs
ICBC insurance and registration work the same across BC.
Childcare and schools
- Licensed daycare: many Prince George centres take part in BC’s $10 a Day ChildCareBC program, so eligible families pay roughly $200 a month per child instead of the full rate. Budget 2026 paused new spaces in the program; existing $10 a day spaces continue.
- Before and after school care: available through SD57 and private providers; rates vary by program.
- Public schools (SD57): French immersion (École College Heights, École Heritage), International Baccalaureate, and career programs at several secondaries: Duchess Park, College Heights, D.P. Todd, Prince George Secondary and Kelly Road (Shas Ti).
- Post-secondary in town: UNBC and the College of New Caledonia (CNC), which matters if you have teenagers.
A year of costs, side by side
An example for a family of four (two adults, two children) buying at each city’s typical detached price. Real numbers swing a lot with the home, the mortgage, daycare and how you live, so treat this as the shape of the gap rather than a quote.
Mortgage rows use the same assumption as the table above (20% down, 25 years, 5.5%). Prince George property tax is the 2026 rate on a home at the average price, after the home owner grant. Lines marked est. are estimates, not sourced figures.
| Category | Prince George | Vancouver | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mortgage (principal and interest) | $31,600 | $108,400 | $76,800 |
| Property tax (Vancouver estimated) | $4,500 | $6,500 | $2,000 |
| Utilities and heating (est.) | $2,000 | $1,800 | ($200) |
| Childcare, BC $10 a day where eligible (est.) | $5,000 | $6,500 | $1,500 |
| Groceries, family (est.) | $8,000 | $7,500 | ($500) |
| Transportation (est.) | $3,600 | $4,200 | $600 |
| Total a year | $54,700 | $134,900 | $80,200 |
The takeaway: in this example the family is about $80,000 a year ahead in Prince George, and $77,000 of that is the mortgage. Heating and groceries cost slightly more here; almost everything else costs less.
Frequently asked questions
Is Prince George cheaper than Vancouver?
Yes, mostly because of housing. The average detached home in Prince George sold for $539,144 between January and September 2026 (BCNREB), about 71% less than the $1,850,000 detached benchmark in Greater Vancouver (Greater Vancouver REALTORS detached benchmark, early 2026). For renters, CMHC's average purpose-built rent in Prince George was $1,354 a month in October 2025. Groceries and winter heating cost a bit more here.
What is the average home price in Prince George?
The average detached (single-family) home in Prince George sold for $539,144 between January and September 2026, across 656 sales (BCNREB). That's down 1.2% on the same months of 2025. The full-year 2025 average was $537,028. Median detached prices by area ran from $400,000 east of the bypass to $590,000 in the Hart and in the Southwest (College Heights).
What is the average rent in Prince George?
CMHC's October 2025 survey put the average rent for a purpose-built apartment or townhouse in Prince George at $1,354 a month: $1,214 for a one-bedroom and $1,422 for a two-bedroom. Vacancy was 4.3%, up from 2.6% a year earlier. CMHC only counts purpose-built rentals, so basement suites and rented condos usually ask more.
How much can I save moving to Prince George from Vancouver?
In the example budget on this page, a family of four comes out about $80,000 a year ahead, and $77,000 of that is the mortgage. It assumes a home at each city's typical price, 20% down and a 5.5% rate. Your numbers depend on what you sell, what you buy and how much equity you carry over.
Is Prince George more expensive than Kelowna?
No. The $539,144 Prince George detached average (BCNREB, Jan-Sep 2026) is about 46% below the roughly $1,000,000 single-family benchmark in the Central Okanagan (Association of Interior REALTORS Central Okanagan single-family benchmark, late 2025).
How much is property tax in Prince George?
The 2026 residential rate is 9.7125 per $1,000 of assessed value, all levies included (City of Prince George). On BC Assessment's typical single-family value of $459,000, that's about $4,458 a year, or about $3,688 after the $770 home owner grant. Utilities are billed separately.
Are groceries more expensive in Prince George?
Slightly. Northern distribution adds cost, and out-of-season produce shows the biggest gap with the Lower Mainland. Staples track closely, and the difference is small next to what most households save on housing.
Thinking about the move?
Jason can run these numbers for your situation: what your current home might sell for, what the same money buys in Prince George, and which neighbourhoods fit how you live.
Fifteen minutes on the phone is usually enough to answer the big questions. No pressure. See the Prince George market report for current prices and sales.
Relocating to Prince George?
Tell Jason where you're moving from.