Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, TX and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $2,439 in Arlington, TX, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, TX
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Arlington, TX Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Arlington, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,439

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,439 in Arlington, TX versus $2,223 in Calgary.

Arlington, TX $2,439
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,647 in Arlington, TX versus $3,301 in Calgary.

Arlington, TX $3,647
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,855 in Arlington, TX versus $4,379 in Calgary.

Arlington, TX $4,855
Calgary $4,379

Living in Arlington, TX is roughly 10% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arlington, TX 81% above, Calgary 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.39 $20.39

$17.22 CA$24.34

18.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 $55.3

$71.1 CA$100

-22.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 $10.11

$10.53 CA$14.89

-3.99%

Cappuccino

$4.86 $4.86

$3.66 CA$5.18

32.79%

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

$2.56 $2.56

$1.98 CA$2.80

29.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.94 CA$2.74

18.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.38 $5.38

$4.95 CA$7.00

8.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 $6.68

$5.57 CA$7.87

19.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.88 CA$2.65

-58.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.67 CA$3.78

36.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$5.32 CA$7.52

-1.13%

Eggs

$2.67 $2.67

$3.79 CA$5.35

-29.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.60 $10.60

$11.09 CA$15.68

-4.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.10 $13.10

$11.36 CA$16.05

15.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.02 $18.02

$18.40 CA$26.01

-2.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$4.56 CA$6.45

-2.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.44 CA$2.04

84.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.12 $5.12

$4.08 CA$5.76

25.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.89 CA$5.50

3.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.64 CA$3.73

-4.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.64 CA$3.73

12.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 $1.90

$2.50 CA$3.54

-24.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.50 CA$2.12

37.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.52 $9.52

$14.05 CA$19.86

-32.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.03 $12.03

$15.70 CA$22.20

-23.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.44 CA$3.45

-17.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 $3.36

$3.09 CA$4.37

8.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.09 $6.09

$2.82 CA$3.99

115.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$88.6 CA$125

-54.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 $2.93

$3.12 CA$4.41

-6.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.35 CA$1.91

25.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.81 $23.81

$27.02 CA$38.20

-11.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.16 CA$1.64

-18.97%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

28.27%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

26.40%

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

$211 $211

$161 CA$227

31.22%

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

$66.4 $66.4

$38.13 CA$53.9

74.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.1 $64.1

$50.0 CA$70.7

28.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.87 $40.87

$51.5 CA$72.8

-20.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.64

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 $14.74

$13.82 CA$19.54

6.66%

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

$1,332 $1,332

$786 CA$1,111

69.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K $28.4K

$15.5K CA$21.8K

83.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.6 $61.6

$58.3 CA$82.4

5.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 $51.0

$39.27 CA$55.5

29.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 $84.9

$89.8 CA$127

-5.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$110 CA$155

-7.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 $1,536

$1,229 CA$1,737

24.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,112 $1,112

$1,001 CA$1,415

11.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 $2,533

$1,921 CA$2,716

31.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,031 $2,031

$1,621 CA$2,292

25.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,173 $2,173

$3,549 CA$5,018

-38.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,217 $2,217

$3,335 CA$4,715

-33.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,699 $3,699

$3,165 CA$4,474

16.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

4.51

44.35%

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

Last update for Arlington, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arlington, TX

$1.1K 45.6%

Calgary

$1K 45% 10% $111

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, TX

$393 16.1%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 1.9% $7.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, TX

$341 14%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 27.1% $93

Eating Out

Arlington, TX

$311 12.8%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 14.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, TX

$135 5.5%

Calgary

$134 6% 0.6% $0.8

Getting Around

Arlington, TX

$76 3.1%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 44% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, TX

$70 2.9%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 12.5% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,536 in Arlington, TX and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arlington, TX pays 17% 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: $55.0 in Arlington, TX vs $71.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $393 vs $385, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, TX

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

11:45 11:45 AM

10:45 10:45 AM

1 h behind Arlington, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,438

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 →

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Arlington, TX Calgary 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Arlington, TX
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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

Arlington, TX vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Arlington, TX. 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 17% higher in Arlington, TX, 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: $1,536 in Arlington, TX versus $1,229 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,439 per month in Arlington, TX versus $2,223 in Calgary – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Calgary runs roughly 119% less than in Arlington, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,439 in Arlington, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Arlington, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Arlington, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.