Vancouver's quality of life continues plummet down ranking of world cities
Vancouver hasn’t had a lot to cheer about lately, from cancellations of major world events to an ever-increasing cost of living.
And now a new ranking has revealed that Vancouver’s quality of life has drastically worsened over the past decade, specifically when compared to other cities around the world.
Cost of living database Numbeo recently released its 2026 quality of life index, ranking how livable 304 cities are worldwide.
Coming in at number 87 is Vancouver, just behind Quebec City and one spot ahead of Auckland, New Zealand.
Ian Ius
Numbeo considered several factors that contribute to urban living standards, including cost of living and purchasing power, housing affordability, pollution, crime rates, health care quality, and traffic and commute times.
According to the database, Vancouver received a score of 180.7 in the quality of life index. It ranked fifth in Canada, behind Ottawa in 28th, Nanaimo in 66th, Victoria in 84th, and Quebec City in 86th.
Vancouver scored 116.17 for purchasing power, 57.3 for safety, 71.7 for health care, 67.5 for cost of living, 11.9 for property price to income ratio, 36 for traffic commute time, 25.5 for pollution, and 91.2 for climate.
In comparison, Ottawa received 162.4 for purchasing power, 69 for safety, 68.7 for healthcare, 61.7 for cost of living, 5.1 for property price to income ratio, 32.7 for traffic commute time, 24.1 for pollution, and 44.5 for climate.
Michael Gordon/Shutterstock
Vancouver has slipped dramatically down Numbeo’s annual ranking since the earliest available data on its database.
In the Quality of Life Index by City 2012, Vancouver placed 16th, beating out New York, Madrid, and Singapore. And in 2016, it still held the same spot.
By 2020, Vancouver had dropped to 56th spot, and in 2025, it fell even further to 84th.
However, it is not the lowest Canadian city on the 2026 list. That ignomious honour goes to Hamilton, Ont., which is in 181st place.
You can view the full Numbeo rankings online.
Do you agree with Vancouver’s place in the quality of life rankings? What does the city need to do to improve? Let us know in the comments.
With files from Isabelle Docto