Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asheville, NC and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,232 a month against $3,050 in Asheville, NC, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Asheville, NC
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Asheville, NC Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Asheville, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$3,050

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,050 in Asheville, NC versus $2,232 in Calgary.

Asheville, NC $3,050
Calgary $2,232

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Asheville, NC versus $3,363 in Calgary.

Asheville, NC $4,384
Calgary $3,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,717 in Asheville, NC versus $4,493 in Calgary.

Asheville, NC $5,717
Calgary $4,493

Living in Asheville, NC is roughly 37% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Asheville, NC 128% above, Calgary 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.04 $21.04

$17.22 CA$24.54

22.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.7 $98.7

$71.2 CA$101

38.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 $11.09

$10.56 CA$15.06

5.02%

Cappuccino

$5.89 $5.89

$3.77 CA$5.38

56.23%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$1.91 CA$2.73

29.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.84 CA$2.63

5.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.99 $6.99

$4.86 CA$6.93

43.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.30 $9.30

$5.55 CA$7.91

67.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.88 CA$2.68

-36.70%

White Bread (500g)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.73 CA$3.89

58.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$5.34 CA$7.61

-19.29%

Eggs

$3.95 $3.95

$3.77 CA$5.37

4.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.26 $16.26

$11.29 CA$16.09

44.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.48 $13.48

$11.46 CA$16.34

17.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.15 $15.15

$18.26 CA$26.03

-17.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$4.64 CA$6.62

-11.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.44 CA$2.05

3.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.22 CA$6.02

-1.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$3.86 CA$5.50

20.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.62 CA$3.74

-8.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.66 CA$3.79

9.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.59 CA$3.69

-5.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.53 CA$2.19

41.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.15 $8.15

$14.26 CA$20.32

-42.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.80 $14.80

$15.27 CA$21.76

-3.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.41 CA$3.44

-25.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 $5.25

$3.09 CA$4.41

69.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.88 CA$4.11

-29.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.4 $78.4

$88.7 CA$126

-11.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 $4.47

$3.23 CA$4.61

38.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.38 CA$1.97

128.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.45 $34.45

$26.49 CA$37.75

30.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.18 CA$1.68

-17.80%

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

$31.7K $31.7K

$28.3K CA$40.3K

12.10%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$20.7K CA$29.5K

21.73%

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

$181 $181

$159 CA$227

13.46%

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

$66.1 $66.1

$37.61 CA$53.6

75.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$104 $104

$49.68 CA$70.8

108.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.03 $38.03

$53.3 CA$75.9

-28.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.99 $18.99

$18.31 CA$26.10

3.71%

Cinema Ticket

$13.22 $13.22

$14.08 CA$20.06

-6.11%

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

$2,602 $2,602

$809 CA$1,154

221.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$53.7K $53.7K

$15.9K CA$22.6K

238.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 $63.0

$58.8 CA$83.8

7.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.47 $49.47

$38.84 CA$55.4

27.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$91.4 CA$130

15.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 $160

$109 CA$155

46.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,064 $2,064

$1,237 CA$1,764

66.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 $1,604

$996 CA$1,420

61.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,153 $3,153

$1,908 CA$2,720

65.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,345 $2,345

$1,671 CA$2,382

40.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,290 $4,290

$3,530 CA$5,032

21.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,205 $3,205

$3,336 CA$4,755

-3.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,613 $3,613

$3,130 CA$4,461

15.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.2

4.51

37.47%

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

Last update for Asheville, NC: October 6, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Asheville, NC

$1.6K 52.5%

Calgary

$996 44.8% 37.9% $608

Groceries & Markets

Asheville, NC

$417 13.6%

Calgary

$387 17.4% 7.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asheville, NC

$350 11.5%

Calgary

$247 11.1% 29.6% $104

Eating Out

Asheville, NC

$344 11.2%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 22.8% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Asheville, NC

$170 5.6%

Calgary

$134 6% 21% $36

Getting Around

Asheville, NC

$107 3.5%

Calgary

$110 5% 3.4% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Asheville, NC

$64 2.1%

Calgary

$81 3.7% 26.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,064 in Asheville, NC and $1,237 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Asheville, NC pays 15% 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: $99.0 in Asheville, NC vs $71.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $417 vs $387 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Asheville, NC

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

03:38 3:38 AM

01:38 1:38 AM

2 h behind Asheville, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,789

1,267,344

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Asheville, NC Calgary 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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

Asheville, NC vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Asheville, NC and Calgary differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($3,050 vs $2,232 including rent). Calgary is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 15% higher in Asheville, NC, 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: $2,064 in Asheville, NC versus $1,237 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Calgary runs roughly 13% less than in Asheville, NC. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,602 in Asheville, NC versus $809 in Calgary. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,232 in Calgary versus $3,050 in Asheville, NC, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Asheville, NC. 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 37% less than in Asheville, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.