Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Airdrie and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,297 a month against $2,579 in Airdrie, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Airdrie
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Airdrie Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Airdrie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,579

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Airdrie and in Calgary

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Airdrie and in Calgary actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,579 per month in Airdrie vs $2,297 in Calgary, rent included.

Airdrie $2,579
Calgary $2,297

A couple spends around $3,704 per month in Airdrie vs $3,378 in Calgary, rent included.

Airdrie $3,704
Calgary $3,378

A family of three spends $4,829 per month in Airdrie vs $4,459 in Calgary, rent included.

Airdrie $4,829
Calgary $4,459

Airdrie costs about 12% more than Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Airdrie and Calgary sit above the global median – Airdrie by 91%, Calgary by 70%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.37 CA$25.96

$17.94 CA$25.35

2.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.4 CA$111

$68.9 CA$97.3

13.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 CA$15.05

$10.94 CA$15.45

-2.65%

Cappuccino

$3.92 CA$5.53

$3.70 CA$5.23

5.95%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 CA$3.26

$2.07 CA$2.93

11.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 CA$2.87

$2.04 CA$2.89

-0.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.87 CA$8.29

$5.74 CA$8.12

2.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.23 CA$8.80

$5.70 CA$8.05

9.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 CA$2.80

$1.98 CA$2.79

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 CA$3.75

$2.65 CA$3.74

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.64 CA$5.15

$5.84 CA$8.25

-37.67%

Eggs

$3.71 CA$5.24

$3.81 CA$5.39

-2.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.98 CA$15.51

$10.81 CA$15.27

1.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.27 CA$15.92

$11.02 CA$15.57

2.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.11 CA$26.99

$17.87 CA$25.25

6.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.75 CA$6.71

$4.88 CA$6.90

-2.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 CA$1.93

$1.45 CA$2.05

-6.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.38 CA$6.19

$4.15 CA$5.87

5.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 CA$5.47

$3.99 CA$5.64

-3.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.04

$2.93 CA$4.14

-2.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 CA$4.18

$3.02 CA$4.27

-1.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.71 CA$3.83

$2.67 CA$3.77

1.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.66

$1.57 CA$2.22

19.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.38 CA$20.31

$14.11 CA$19.93

1.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.40 CA$16.10

$15.45 CA$21.83

-26.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 CA$4.99

$2.50 CA$3.54

41.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 CA$4.48

$3.18 CA$4.49

-0.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.10 CA$2.97

$2.85 CA$4.02

-26.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$181 CA$255

$90.2 CA$127

100.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 CA$4.65

$3.16 CA$4.47

4.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 CA$1.96

$1.41 CA$1.99

-1.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.17 CA$29.91

$27.46 CA$38.79

-22.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.66

$1.18 CA$1.67

-0.85%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.9K CA$39.4K

-0.02%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$20.9K CA$29.5K

$21.1K CA$29.7K

-0.74%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$223 CA$315

$182 CA$257

22.76%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$44.70 CA$63.2

$36.01 CA$50.9

24.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 CA$78.4

$48.80 CA$69.0

13.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$87.4 CA$124

$48.78 CA$68.9

79.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.08 CA$49.57

$18.15 CA$25.65

93.28%

Cinema Ticket

$14.09 CA$19.91

$14.52 CA$20.51

-2.96%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$646 CA$913

$542 CA$766

19.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,848 CA$13.9K

$21.2K CA$29.9K

-53.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.68 CA$61.7

$59.1 CA$83.5

-26.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.16 CA$61.0

$42.34 CA$59.8

1.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 CA$121

$94.2 CA$133

-9.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$156

$109 CA$153

1.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 CA$1,795

$1,214 CA$1,715

4.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 CA$1,614

$1,036 CA$1,464

10.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,765 CA$2,494

$2,045 CA$2,890

-13.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,655 CA$2,338

-0.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,073 CA$8,581

$3,653 CA$5,161

66.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,230 CA$8,802

$3,183 CA$4,497

95.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,961 CA$4,183

$3,219 CA$4,547

-8.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.32

4.43

-2.48%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Airdrie: November 1, 2026

Last update for Calgary: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Airdrie

$1.1K 44.3%

Calgary

$1K 45.1% 9.3% $106

Groceries & Markets

Airdrie

$386 15%

Calgary

$390 17% 1% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Airdrie

$323 12.5%

Calgary

$267 11.6% 17.5% $57

Eating Out

Airdrie

$285 11.1%

Calgary

$277 12.1% 2.7% $7.7

Getting Around

Airdrie

$199 7.7%

Calgary

$112 4.9% 44% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Airdrie

$127 4.9%

Calgary

$137 6% 7.6% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Airdrie

$116 4.5%

Calgary

$78 3.4% 32.7% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,271 in Airdrie versus $1,214 in Calgary. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 9% higher in Calgary, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Airdrie versus $69 in Calgary. Groceries tell a different story – $386 in Airdrie vs $390 in Calgary – so Airdrie wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Airdrie

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

Same time as Airdrie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,891

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.708 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

1 CAD = 0.708 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Airdrie Calgary 27 km

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Airdrie
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Airdrie vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,579 in Airdrie, $2,297 in Calgary – Calgary comes out roughly 11% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,869 per month in Airdrie and $3,445 in Calgary. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,271 in Airdrie and $1,214 in Calgary. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,579 in Airdrie and $2,297 in Calgary. That makes Calgary about 11% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $646 per month in Airdrie and $542 in Calgary. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Calgary – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.