Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arnhem and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $2,557 in Arnhem, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Arnhem
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Arnhem Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Arnhem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,557

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,557 in Arnhem versus $2,223 in Calgary.

Arnhem $2,557
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,743 in Arnhem versus $3,301 in Calgary.

Arnhem $3,743
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,930 in Arnhem versus $4,379 in Calgary.

Arnhem $4,930
Calgary $4,379

Living in Arnhem is roughly 15% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arnhem 89% above, Calgary 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.91 €19.49

$17.22 CA$24.34

27.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 €75.8

$71.1 CA$100

19.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.98 €13.32

$10.53 CA$14.89

42.26%

Cappuccino

$4.07 €3.62

$3.66 CA$5.18

11.20%

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

$3.34 €2.97

$1.98 CA$2.80

68.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 €2.52

$1.94 CA$2.74

45.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.00

$4.95 CA$7.00

13.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.47 €4.86

$5.57 CA$7.87

-1.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.88 CA$2.65

-21.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.67 CA$3.78

-25.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$5.32 CA$7.52

-56.95%

Eggs

$5.21 €4.64

$3.79 CA$5.35

37.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 €11.33

$11.09 CA$15.68

14.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.14 €12.58

$11.36 CA$16.05

24.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.77 €14.03

$18.40 CA$26.01

-14.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 €2.50

$4.56 CA$6.45

-38.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.44 CA$2.04

76.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$4.08 CA$5.76

-54.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.39 €4.79

$3.89 CA$5.50

38.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$2.64 CA$3.73

-28.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$2.64 CA$3.73

-9.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 €1.08

$2.50 CA$3.54

-51.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$1.50 CA$2.12

-52.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.23 €12.65

$14.05 CA$19.86

1.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.15 €6.36

$15.70 CA$22.20

-54.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.44 CA$3.45

-40.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.09 CA$4.37

-14.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.35 €3.87

$2.82 CA$3.99

54.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$113 €100

$88.6 CA$125

27.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.56

$3.12 CA$4.41

28.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.35 CA$1.91

76.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.86 €29.23

$27.02 CA$38.20

21.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 €2.12

$1.16 CA$1.64

106.03%

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

$41.8K €37.2K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

49.89%

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

$39.7K €35.3K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

95.05%

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

$276 €245

$161 CA$227

71.44%

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

$22.71 €20.20

$38.13 CA$53.9

-40.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.44 €37.75

$50.0 CA$70.7

-15.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.30 €36.73

$51.5 CA$72.8

-19.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 €9.78

$18.14 CA$25.64

-39.42%

Cinema Ticket

$14.38 €12.79

$13.82 CA$19.54

4.05%

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

$1,259 €1,120

$786 CA$1,111

60.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,925 €5,270

$15.5K CA$21.8K

-61.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 €84.8

$58.3 CA$82.4

63.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.13 €25.91

$39.27 CA$55.5

-25.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €94.8

$89.8 CA$127

18.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 €136

$110 CA$155

38.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,436 €1,278

$1,229 CA$1,737

16.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 €1,031

$1,001 CA$1,415

15.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,228 €1,982

$1,921 CA$2,716

15.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,834 €1,632

$1,621 CA$2,292

13.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,312 €4,725

$3,549 CA$5,018

49.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,175 €3,714

$3,335 CA$4,715

25.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,723 €3,312

$3,165 CA$4,474

17.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

4.51

-12.42%

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

Last update for Arnhem: 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

Arnhem

$1.2K 45.3%

Calgary

$1K 45% 13.6% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arnhem

$341 13.3%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 26.9% $92

Groceries & Markets

Arnhem

$335 13.1%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 15% $50

Eating Out

Arnhem

$333 13%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 20.4% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Arnhem

$173 6.8%

Calgary

$134 6% 22.5% $39

Getting Around

Arnhem

$146 5.7%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 24.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Arnhem

$70 2.7%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 13% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,436 in Arnhem and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arnhem pays 18% 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: $85.0 in Arnhem vs $71.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $335 vs $385, with Arnhem cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Arnhem

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

01:08 1:08 AM

17:08 5:08 PM

8 h behind Arnhem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,770

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Arnhem vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arnhem and Calgary differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,557 vs $2,223 including rent). Calgary is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Arnhem, 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: $1,436 in Arnhem versus $1,229 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Arnhem pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $85.0 in Arnhem. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,557 in Arnhem, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Arnhem. 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.

Safety-wise, Arnhem and Calgary are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Arnhem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.