Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amherst, NY and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $2,595 in Amherst, NY, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Amherst, NY outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

126

Cost of Living Index in Amherst, NY
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Amherst, NY Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Amherst, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,595

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Amherst, NY 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 Amherst, NY and in Calgary actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,595 per month in Amherst, NY vs $2,223 in Calgary, rent included.

Amherst, NY $2,595
Calgary $2,223

A couple spends around $3,768 per month in Amherst, NY vs $3,301 in Calgary, rent included.

Amherst, NY $3,768
Calgary $3,301

A family of three spends $4,940 per month in Amherst, NY vs $4,379 in Calgary, rent included.

Amherst, NY $4,940
Calgary $4,379

Amherst, NY costs about 17% more than Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Amherst, NY and Calgary sit above the global median – Amherst, NY by 92%, Calgary by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.34 $18.34

$17.22 CA$24.34

6.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.8 $75.8

$71.1 CA$100

6.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 $12.21

$10.53 CA$14.89

15.95%

Cappuccino

$5.97 $5.97

$3.66 CA$5.18

63.11%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$1.98 CA$2.80

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.94 CA$2.74

6.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.05 $7.05

$4.95 CA$7.00

42.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.67 $7.67

$5.57 CA$7.87

37.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.88 CA$2.65

-48.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.67 CA$3.78

23.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$5.32 CA$7.52

-18.23%

Eggs

$4.09 $4.09

$3.79 CA$5.35

7.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 $11.17

$11.09 CA$15.68

0.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$11.36 CA$16.05

-11.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.07 $16.07

$18.40 CA$26.01

-12.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$4.56 CA$6.45

7.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.44 CA$2.04

-4.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$4.08 CA$5.76

13.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.20 $5.20

$3.89 CA$5.50

33.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.64 CA$3.73

1.89%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.64 CA$3.73

14.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 $2.41

$2.50 CA$3.54

-3.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.50 CA$2.12

60.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.28 $14.28

$14.05 CA$19.86

1.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.07 $15.07

$15.70 CA$22.20

-4.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.44 CA$3.45

-15.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 $4.11

$3.09 CA$4.37

33.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.82 CA$3.99

-27.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 CA$125

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.77 $3.77

$3.12 CA$4.41

20.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.35 CA$1.91

61.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.49 $30.49

$27.02 CA$38.20

12.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.16 CA$1.64

-4.31%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

24.77%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

24.51%

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

$230 $230

$161 CA$227

43.26%

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

$51.5 $51.5

$38.13 CA$53.9

35.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.4 $67.4

$50.0 CA$70.7

34.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.68 $40.68

$51.5 CA$72.8

-20.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.95 $19.95

$18.14 CA$25.64

9.98%

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 $12.96

$13.82 CA$19.54

-6.22%

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

$1,491 $1,491

$786 CA$1,111

89.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K $17.8K

$15.5K CA$21.8K

15.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 $52.9

$58.3 CA$82.4

-9.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.32 $44.32

$39.27 CA$55.5

12.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.2 $97.2

$89.8 CA$127

8.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$110 CA$155

4.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,601 $1,601

$1,229 CA$1,737

30.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,306 $1,306

$1,001 CA$1,415

30.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,483 $2,483

$1,921 CA$2,716

29.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,117 $2,117

$1,621 CA$2,292

30.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,696 $2,696

$3,549 CA$5,018

-24.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,376 $2,376

$3,335 CA$4,715

-28.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,054 $4,054

$3,165 CA$4,474

28.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.52

4.51

44.57%

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

Last update for Amherst, NY: October 11, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Amherst, NY

$1.3K 50.3%

Calgary

$1K 45% 23.3% $305

Groceries & Markets

Amherst, NY

$387 14.9%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 0.5% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amherst, NY

$349 13.5%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 28.7% $100

Eating Out

Amherst, NY

$324 12.5%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 18.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Amherst, NY

$139 5.4%

Calgary

$134 6% 3.8% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Amherst, NY

$67 2.6%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 18.8% $13

Getting Around

Amherst, NY

$23 * 0.9%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 381% $87

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,601 in Amherst, NY versus $1,229 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 28% higher in Amherst, NY, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Amherst, NY versus $71.0 in Calgary. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $387 vs $385 – making Calgary the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Amherst, NY

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

06:00 6:00 AM

04:00 4:00 AM

2 h behind Amherst, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,819

1,267,344

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Amherst, NY Calgary 2,790 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Amherst, NY
Calgary

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Amherst, NY vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Amherst, NY costs about 17% more than Calgary, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,893 per month in Amherst, NY and $3,335 in Calgary. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calgary, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Amherst, NY and $71.0 in Calgary. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 0% more in Amherst, NY, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Calgary, where all-in costs run around $2,223, than in Amherst, NY at $2,595. In Calgary it covers expenses comfortably, while in Amherst, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Calgary. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Amherst, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.