Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashburn, VA and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $3,327 in Ashburn, VA, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

163

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

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Ashburn, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,327

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,327 in Ashburn, VA versus $2,223 in Calgary.

Ashburn, VA $3,327
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,551 in Ashburn, VA versus $3,301 in Calgary.

Ashburn, VA $4,551
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,776 in Ashburn, VA versus $4,379 in Calgary.

Ashburn, VA $5,776
Calgary $4,379

Living in Ashburn, VA is roughly 50% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ashburn, VA 146% above, Calgary 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.37 $28.37

$17.22 CA$24.34

64.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.4 $89.4

$71.1 CA$100

25.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.16 $13.16

$10.53 CA$14.89

24.98%

Cappuccino

$6.11 $6.11

$3.66 CA$5.18

66.94%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$1.98 CA$2.80

50.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.94 CA$2.74

38.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$4.95 CA$7.00

62.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.95 $9.95

$5.57 CA$7.87

78.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.88 CA$2.65

-39.89%

White Bread (500g)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.67 CA$3.78

53.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$5.32 CA$7.52

-1.32%

Eggs

$5.60 $5.60

$3.79 CA$5.35

47.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.93 $16.93

$11.09 CA$15.68

52.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.24 $15.24

$11.36 CA$16.05

34.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.88 $18.88

$18.40 CA$26.01

2.61%

Apples (1kg)

$5.59 $5.59

$4.56 CA$6.45

22.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.44 CA$2.04

55.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.49 $6.49

$4.08 CA$5.76

59.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.92 $5.92

$3.89 CA$5.50

52.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.64 CA$3.73

9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.64 CA$3.73

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.50 CA$3.54

-9.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.50 CA$2.12

84.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$14.05 CA$19.86

-30.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.11 $16.11

$15.70 CA$22.20

2.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.44 CA$3.45

-7.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.09 CA$4.37

46.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.82 CA$3.99

-21.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.0 $73.0

$88.6 CA$125

-17.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.12 CA$4.41

-5.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.35 CA$1.91

8.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.68 $22.68

$27.02 CA$38.20

-16.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.16 CA$1.64

-14.66%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

27.85%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

24.45%

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

$161 $161

$161 CA$227

-0.02%

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

$68.0 $68.0

$38.13 CA$53.9

78.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.6 $77.6

$50.0 CA$70.7

55.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 $62.2

$51.5 CA$72.8

20.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 $11.99

$18.14 CA$25.64

-33.90%

Cinema Ticket

$17.98 $17.98

$13.82 CA$19.54

30.10%

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

$1,641 $1,641

$786 CA$1,111

108.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.8K $31.8K

$15.5K CA$21.8K

105.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 $53.7

$58.3 CA$82.4

-7.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.74 $44.74

$39.27 CA$55.5

13.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$89.8 CA$127

11.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$110 CA$155

15.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 $1,980

$1,229 CA$1,737

61.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,773 $1,773

$1,001 CA$1,415

77.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,102 $4,102

$1,921 CA$2,716

113.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,246 $2,246

$1,621 CA$2,292

38.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,006 $3,006

$3,549 CA$5,018

-15.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,079 $3,079

$3,335 CA$4,715

-7.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,570 $7,570

$3,165 CA$4,474

139.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

4.51

51.22%

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

Last update for Ashburn, 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

Ashburn, VA

$1.8K 53.3%

Calgary

$1K 45% 43.5% $772

Groceries & Markets

Ashburn, VA

$488 14.7%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 21% $102

Eating Out

Ashburn, VA

$423 12.7%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 37.3% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashburn, VA

$306 9.2%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 18.7% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Ashburn, VA

$147 4.4%

Calgary

$134 6% 8.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Ashburn, VA

$98 3%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 19.4% $19

Getting Around

Ashburn, VA

$92 2.8%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 19.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,980 in Ashburn, VA and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashburn, VA pays 139% 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: $89.0 in Ashburn, VA vs $71.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $488 vs $385 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ashburn, VA

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

15:25 3:25 PM

13:25 1:25 PM

2 h behind Ashburn, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,511

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 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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Ashburn, VA Calgary 3,130 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ashburn, VA
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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

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

Ashburn, VA and Calgary differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($3,327 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 139% higher in Ashburn, VA, 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: $1,980 in Ashburn, VA versus $1,229 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,641 in Ashburn, VA versus $786 in Calgary. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Ashburn, VA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $3,327 in Ashburn, VA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Ashburn, VA. 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 50% less than in Ashburn, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.