Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, VA and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $3,568 in Arlington, VA, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

174

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

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Arlington, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,568

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,568 per month in Arlington, VA vs $2,223 in Calgary, rent included.

Arlington, VA $3,568
Calgary $2,223

A couple spends around $5,411 per month in Arlington, VA vs $3,301 in Calgary, rent included.

Arlington, VA $5,411
Calgary $3,301

A family of three spends $7,255 per month in Arlington, VA vs $4,379 in Calgary, rent included.

Arlington, VA $7,255
Calgary $4,379

Arlington, VA costs about 60% more than Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Arlington, VA and Calgary sit above the global median – Arlington, VA by 164%, Calgary by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.97 $23.97

$17.22 CA$24.34

39.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 $99.0

$71.1 CA$100

39.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.85 $10.85

$10.53 CA$14.89

3.04%

Cappuccino

$5.97 $5.97

$3.66 CA$5.18

63.11%

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

$3.09 $3.09

$1.98 CA$2.80

56.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.94 CA$2.74

24.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.97 $7.97

$4.95 CA$7.00

61.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.93 $8.93

$5.57 CA$7.87

60.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.88 CA$2.65

-33.51%

White Bread (500g)

$4.35 $4.35

$2.67 CA$3.78

62.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$5.32 CA$7.52

2.63%

Eggs

$5.24 $5.24

$3.79 CA$5.35

38.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.58 $21.58

$11.09 CA$15.68

94.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.93 $15.93

$11.36 CA$16.05

40.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.20 $23.20

$18.40 CA$26.01

26.09%

Apples (1kg)

$5.70 $5.70

$4.56 CA$6.45

25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.44 CA$2.04

27.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$4.08 CA$5.76

13.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.87 $5.87

$3.89 CA$5.50

50.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.64 CA$3.73

21.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$2.64 CA$3.73

42.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.50 CA$3.54

-6.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.50 CA$2.12

64.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.36 $10.36

$14.05 CA$19.86

-26.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.94 $16.94

$15.70 CA$22.20

7.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.44 CA$3.45

18.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 $2.90

$3.09 CA$4.37

-6.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.82 CA$3.99

-1.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$122 $122

$88.6 CA$125

37.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 $4.08

$3.12 CA$4.41

30.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.35 CA$1.91

-8.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.15 $25.15

$27.02 CA$38.20

-6.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.16 CA$1.64

-12.93%

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

$34.3K $34.3K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

22.92%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

24.10%

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

$165 $165

$161 CA$227

2.71%

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

$50.7 $50.7

$38.13 CA$53.9

33.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.8 $60.8

$50.0 CA$70.7

21.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.2 $70.2

$51.5 CA$72.8

36.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.96 $18.96

$18.14 CA$25.64

4.52%

Cinema Ticket

$16.37 $16.37

$13.82 CA$19.54

18.45%

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

$1,612 $1,612

$786 CA$1,111

105.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K $35.9K

$15.5K CA$21.8K

132.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 $55.1

$58.3 CA$82.4

-5.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.6 $62.6

$39.27 CA$55.5

59.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$89.8 CA$127

15.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 $161

$110 CA$155

46.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,488 $2,488

$1,229 CA$1,737

102.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,987 $1,987

$1,001 CA$1,415

98.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,810 $4,810

$1,921 CA$2,716

150.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,596 $3,596

$1,621 CA$2,292

121.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,380 $6,380

$3,549 CA$5,018

79.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,983 $4,983

$3,335 CA$4,715

49.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,625 $6,625

$3,165 CA$4,474

109.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.51

50.55%

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

Last update for Arlington, VA: 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, VA

$2K 55.7%

Calgary

$1K 45% 49.6% $985

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, VA

$510 14.3%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 24.5% $125

Eating Out

Arlington, VA

$376 10.5%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 29.5% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, VA

$277 7.8%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 10% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, VA

$172 4.8%

Calgary

$134 6% 22.3% $38

Getting Around

Arlington, VA

$143 4%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 23.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, VA

$103 2.9%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 23.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,488 in Arlington, VA 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 109% higher in Arlington, VA, 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 $99.0 in Arlington, VA versus $71.0 in Calgary. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $510 vs $385 – making Calgary the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, VA

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

18:46 6:46 PM

16:46 4:46 PM

2 h behind Arlington, VA

🌤 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 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, VA Calgary 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Arlington, VA costs about 60% more than Calgary, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,352 per month in Arlington, VA 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.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Arlington, VA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Arlington, VA and $71.0 in Calgary. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Calgary, where all-in costs run around $2,223, than in Arlington, VA at $3,568. In Calgary it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arlington, VA 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, Arlington, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.