Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barrie and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,524 in Barrie, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barrie outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

122

Cost of Living Index in Barrie
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Barrie Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Barrie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,524

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,524 in Barrie versus $2,303 in Calgary.

Barrie $2,524
Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,461 in Barrie versus $3,366 in Calgary.

Barrie $3,461
Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,399 in Barrie versus $4,428 in Calgary.

Barrie $4,399
Calgary $4,428

Living in Barrie is roughly 10% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barrie 85% above, Calgary 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.47 CA$20.22

$17.55 CA$24.52

-17.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 CA$78.4

$70.4 CA$98.4

-20.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 CA$15.75

$10.69 CA$14.94

5.43%

Cappuccino

$3.75 CA$5.24

$3.89 CA$5.43

-3.60%

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

$1.91 CA$2.67

$2.04 CA$2.85

-6.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$1.88 CA$2.62

-23.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 CA$6.87

$4.90 CA$6.84

0.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 CA$7.85

$5.78 CA$8.08

-2.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 CA$2.90

$1.96 CA$2.74

6.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 CA$3.43

$2.74 CA$3.83

-10.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.76

$5.46 CA$7.63

-50.73%

Eggs

$3.12 CA$4.36

$3.69 CA$5.15

-15.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.00 CA$13.97

$11.24 CA$15.71

-11.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.19 CA$19.83

$11.54 CA$16.12

22.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.64 CA$31.64

$18.38 CA$25.68

23.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 CA$5.56

$4.90 CA$6.85

-18.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 CA$1.66

$1.42 CA$1.99

-16.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.18 CA$4.44

$4.21 CA$5.88

-24.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.39

$4.02 CA$5.62

-3.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 CA$1.56

$2.69 CA$3.77

-58.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 CA$1.91

$2.66 CA$3.72

-48.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 CA$2.92

$2.61 CA$3.65

-19.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.27

$1.60 CA$2.23

1.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.46 CA$16.02

$14.00 CA$19.57

-18.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 CA$14.26

$15.40 CA$21.52

-33.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 CA$3.53

$2.50 CA$3.49

1.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 CA$3.02

$3.09 CA$4.32

-30.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 CA$3.42

$2.93 CA$4.09

-16.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.6 CA$88.9

$89.3 CA$125

-28.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 CA$5.09

$3.27 CA$4.57

11.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 CA$1.46

$1.35 CA$1.89

-22.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.27

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 CA$1.59

$1.17 CA$1.64

-2.56%

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

$26.0K CA$36.3K

$27.9K CA$39.0K

-6.94%

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

$23.0K CA$32.1K

$21.0K CA$29.4K

9.30%

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

$234 CA$327

$167 CA$233

40.32%

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

$35.10 CA$49.04

$38.27 CA$53.5

-8.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.8 CA$109

$50.9 CA$71.2

52.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.88 CA$43.16

$51.0 CA$71.2

-39.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.49 CA$49.59

$18.17 CA$25.39

95.32%

Cinema Ticket

$12.70 CA$17.74

$14.44 CA$20.18

-12.05%

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

$1,434 CA$2,004

$545 CA$762

162.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 CA$88.0

$58.9 CA$82.3

7.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.09 CA$63.0

$39.75 CA$55.6

13.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$150 CA$210

$93.4 CA$130

61.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 CA$120

$110 CA$154

-22.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 CA$2,039

$1,254 CA$1,752

16.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 CA$1,777

$1,056 CA$1,476

20.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,034 CA$2,842

$2,022 CA$2,826

0.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 CA$2,419

$1,629 CA$2,276

6.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,201 CA$7,268

$3,600 CA$5,031

44.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,101 CA$5,731

$3,243 CA$4,531

26.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,071 CA$4,291

$3,115 CA$4,353

-1.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

4.51

3.77%

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

Last update for Barrie: October 24, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barrie

$1.3K 50.4%

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9% 16.9% $215

Groceries & Markets

Barrie

$368 14.6%

Calgary

$393 17.1% 6.7% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barrie

$347 13.7%

Calgary

$256 11.1% 26.2% $91

Eating Out

Barrie

$244 9.7%

Calgary

$271 11.8% 11.1% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Barrie

$155 6.1%

Calgary

$136 5.9% 12.3% $19

Getting Around

Barrie

$82 3.3%

Calgary

$111 4.8% 34.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Barrie

$56 2.2%

Calgary

$80 3.5% 41.8% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,459 in Barrie and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56 in Barrie vs $70 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $393 per month, with Barrie cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Barrie

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

13:59 1:59 PM

1 h behind Barrie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

141,434

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barrie Calgary 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barrie
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

Barrie vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,524 in Barrie and $2,303 in Calgary, so Calgary is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,786 in Barrie and $3,454 in Calgary to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,459 in Barrie versus $1,254 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Barrie runs roughly 29% less than in Calgary. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,434 in Barrie versus $545 in Calgary. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

For families, Calgary is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Barrie, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.