Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Anchorage, AK and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,232 a month against $3,251 in Anchorage, AK, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

159

Cost of Living Index in Anchorage, AK
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Anchorage, AK Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Anchorage, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$3,251

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,251 in Anchorage, AK versus $2,232 in Calgary.

Anchorage, AK $3,251
Calgary $2,232

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,799 in Anchorage, AK versus $3,363 in Calgary.

Anchorage, AK $4,799
Calgary $3,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,346 in Anchorage, AK versus $4,493 in Calgary.

Anchorage, AK $6,346
Calgary $4,493

Living in Anchorage, AK is roughly 46% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Anchorage, AK 143% above, Calgary 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.37 $25.37

$17.22 CA$24.49

47.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$71.2 CA$101

42.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.88 $14.88

$10.56 CA$15.02

40.91%

Cappuccino

$6.80 $6.80

$3.77 CA$5.37

80.37%

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

$3.28 $3.28

$1.91 CA$2.72

71.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.84 CA$2.62

39.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 $7.83

$4.86 CA$6.92

61.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.73 $9.73

$5.55 CA$7.90

75.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.88 CA$2.67

-36.70%

White Bread (500g)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.73 CA$3.88

75.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.33 $6.33

$5.34 CA$7.60

18.54%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$3.77 CA$5.36

14.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.83 $13.83

$11.29 CA$16.06

22.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.52 $12.52

$11.46 CA$16.30

9.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.84 $21.84

$18.26 CA$25.97

19.61%

Apples (1kg)

$7.99 $7.99

$4.64 CA$6.60

72.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.44 CA$2.04

56.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$4.22 CA$6.01

32.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.23 $6.23

$3.86 CA$5.49

61.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.62 CA$3.73

12.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.66 CA$3.78

14.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.59 CA$3.68

6.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.53 CA$2.18

54.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.79 $12.79

$14.26 CA$20.28

-10.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.74 $17.74

$15.27 CA$21.71

16.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.41 CA$3.43

-29.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.09 CA$4.40

9.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.88 CA$4.10

-31.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.9 $60.9

$88.7 CA$126

-31.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.23 CA$4.60

-13.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.38 CA$1.97

36.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.99 $41.99

$26.49 CA$37.67

58.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.18 CA$1.67

10.17%

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

$33.5K $33.5K

$28.3K CA$40.2K

18.55%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$20.7K CA$29.5K

23.98%

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

$409 $409

$159 CA$227

157.03%

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

$90.2 $90.2

$37.61 CA$53.5

139.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$137 $137

$49.68 CA$70.7

175.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.3 $89.3

$53.3 CA$75.7

67.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.86 $39.86

$18.31 CA$26.04

117.70%

Cinema Ticket

$15.28 $15.28

$14.08 CA$20.02

8.52%

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

$1,227 $1,227

$809 CA$1,151

51.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K $10.6K

$15.9K CA$22.5K

-33.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.59 $49.59

$58.8 CA$83.6

-15.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.89 $45.89

$38.84 CA$55.2

18.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$91.4 CA$130

22.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$109 CA$155

11.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,788 $1,788

$1,237 CA$1,760

44.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 $1,410

$996 CA$1,417

41.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,845 $2,845

$1,908 CA$2,714

49.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,437 $2,437

$1,671 CA$2,377

45.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,006 $4,006

$3,530 CA$5,022

13.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,789 $2,789

$3,336 CA$4,745

-16.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,681 $4,681

$3,130 CA$4,452

49.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

4.51

43.90%

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

Last update for Anchorage, AK: October 3, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Anchorage, AK

$1.4K 42.9%

Calgary

$996 44.8% 29.4% $414

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Anchorage, AK

$637 19.3%

Calgary

$247 11.1% 61.3% $390

Groceries & Markets

Anchorage, AK

$484 14.7%

Calgary

$387 17.4% 20% $97

Eating Out

Anchorage, AK

$411 12.5%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 35.5% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Anchorage, AK

$148 4.5%

Calgary

$134 6% 9.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Anchorage, AK

$120 3.6%

Calgary

$81 3.7% 32.1% $38

Getting Around

Anchorage, AK

$81 2.5%

Calgary

$110 5% 36.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,788 in Anchorage, AK and $1,237 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Anchorage, AK pays 50% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $102 in Anchorage, AK vs $71.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $484 vs $387 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Anchorage, AK

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

01:06 1:06 AM

2 h ahead of Anchorage, AK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

289,600

1,267,344

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Anchorage, AK Calgary 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Anchorage, AK
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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

Anchorage, AK vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Anchorage, AK. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calgary the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 50% higher in Anchorage, AK, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,788 in Anchorage, AK versus $1,237 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $102 in Anchorage, AK. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,251 per month in Anchorage, AK versus $2,232 in Calgary – a 46% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,232 in Calgary versus $3,251 in Anchorage, AK, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Anchorage, AK. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Calgary delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,232 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Calgary hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Anchorage, AK. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.