Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashland, MA and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,255 a month against $3,658 in Ashland, MA, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

177

Cost of Living Index in Ashland, MA
Learn more

Ashland, MA Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index

Jump to prices

Ashland, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,658

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,658 per month in Ashland, MA vs $2,255 in Calgary, rent included.

Ashland, MA $3,658
Calgary $2,255

A couple spends around $4,726 per month in Ashland, MA vs $3,361 in Calgary, rent included.

Ashland, MA $4,726
Calgary $3,361

A family of three spends $5,794 per month in Ashland, MA vs $4,468 in Calgary, rent included.

Ashland, MA $5,794
Calgary $4,468

Ashland, MA costs about 62% more than Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ashland, MA and Calgary sit above the global median – Ashland, MA by 170%, Calgary by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.75 $19.75

$17.58 CA$24.85

12.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 $75.5

$69.1 CA$97.6

9.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 $13.23

$10.59 CA$14.97

24.93%

Cappuccino

$5.16 $5.16

$3.84 CA$5.42

34.38%

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

$2.86 $2.86

$1.93 CA$2.72

48.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.88 CA$2.66

36.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.90 $5.90

$5.09 CA$7.20

15.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.73 $8.73

$5.64 CA$7.97

54.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.00 CA$2.82

-47.50%

White Bread (500g)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.78 CA$3.93

62.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$16.18 $16.18

$5.59 CA$7.90

189.45%

Eggs

$6.13 $6.13

$3.70 CA$5.23

65.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.68 $17.68

$11.48 CA$16.23

54.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 $10.45

$11.20 CA$15.84

-6.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.80 $18.80

$18.59 CA$26.28

1.13%

Apples (1kg)

$5.43 $5.43

$4.70 CA$6.64

15.53%

Banana (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$1.45 CA$2.05

200.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$4.34 CA$6.13

-21.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.79 CA$5.36

-19.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.69 CA$3.81

-17.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.75 CA$3.88

-9.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.56 CA$3.62

5.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.50 CA$2.12

92.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.66 $13.66

$14.39 CA$20.34

-5.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.90 $16.90

$15.81 CA$22.35

6.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.47 CA$3.49

-25.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 $2.85

$3.10 CA$4.39

-8.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 CA$3.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.6 CA$128

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.07 $6.07

$3.28 CA$4.64

85.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.45

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.22 CA$1.72

-15.57%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$28.4K CA$40.1K

-1.96%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$20.8K CA$29.5K

28.25%

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

$180 $180

$165 CA$233

9.63%

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

$37.21 $37.21

$38.24 CA$54.1

-2.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.5 $58.5

$50.1 CA$70.9

16.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 $74.6

$53.8 CA$76.1

38.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.11 $44.11

$18.04 CA$25.51

144.51%

Cinema Ticket

$12.31 $12.31

$14.04 CA$19.84

-12.32%

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

$2,112 $2,112

$797 CA$1,126

165.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K CA$22.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.70 $38.70

$59.1 CA$83.5

-34.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.39 $16.39

$40.20 CA$56.8

-59.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 $98.3

$90.8 CA$128

8.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 $100

$109 CA$155

-8.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 $2,107

$1,207 CA$1,707

74.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,339 $2,339

$1,011 CA$1,429

131.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,923 $2,923

$1,949 CA$2,756

49.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,823 $2,823

$1,677 CA$2,371

68.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,033 $5,033

$3,532 CA$4,993

42.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,385 $4,385

$3,392 CA$4,795

29.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,931 $7,931

$3,152 CA$4,456

151.60%

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 Ashland, MA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashland, MA

$2.3K 64%

Calgary

$1K 44.8% 56.8% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Ashland, MA

$494 13.5%

Calgary

$392 17.4% 20.8% $103

Eating Out

Ashland, MA

$328 9%

Calgary

$270 12% 17.6% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashland, MA

$276 7.6%

Calgary

$253 11.2% 8.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Ashland, MA

$114 3.1%

Calgary

$135 6% 18.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Ashland, MA

$99 2.7%

Calgary

$82 3.6% 17.5% $17

Getting Around

Ashland, MA

$6.1 * 0.2%

Calgary

$112 5% 1747% $106

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,107 in Ashland, MA versus $1,207 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 152% higher in Ashland, MA, 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 $75.0 in Ashland, MA versus $69.0 in Calgary. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $494 vs $392 – making Calgary the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ashland, MA

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

10:05 10:05 AM

2 h behind Ashland, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,684

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ashland, MA Calgary 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ashland, MA
Calgary

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

Ashland, MA vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ashland, MA costs about 62% more than Calgary, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,486 per month in Ashland, MA and $3,382 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,658 in Ashland, MA and $2,255 in Calgary. That's a gap of about 62%.

Kindergarten costs $2,112 per month in Ashland, MA and $797 in Calgary. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Calgary, where all-in costs run around $2,255, than in Ashland, MA at $3,658. In Calgary it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ashland, MA 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Calgary. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ashland, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.