Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bristol, VA and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Bristol, VA: $2,038 a month against $2,255 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

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

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Bristol, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,038

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,038 in Bristol, VA versus $2,255 in Calgary.

Bristol, VA $2,038
Calgary $2,255

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,040 in Bristol, VA versus $3,361 in Calgary.

Bristol, VA $3,040
Calgary $3,361

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,041 in Bristol, VA versus $4,468 in Calgary.

Bristol, VA $4,041
Calgary $4,468

Living in Bristol, VA costs roughly 10% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bristol, VA 50% above, Calgary 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.76 $17.76

$17.58 CA$24.85

1.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 $63.9

$69.1 CA$97.6

-7.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 $10.82

$10.59 CA$14.97

2.17%

Cappuccino

$4.03 $4.03

$3.84 CA$5.42

4.95%

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

$1.93 $1.93

$1.93 CA$2.72

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.88 CA$2.66

-6.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 $4.59

$5.09 CA$7.20

-9.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.90 $5.90

$5.64 CA$7.97

4.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.00 CA$2.82

-52.00%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.78 CA$3.93

43.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$5.59 CA$7.90

-40.43%

Eggs

$3.69 $3.69

$3.70 CA$5.23

-0.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.25 $16.25

$11.48 CA$16.23

41.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.92 $15.92

$11.20 CA$15.84

42.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.05 $18.05

$18.59 CA$26.28

-2.90%

Apples (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$4.70 CA$6.64

11.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.45 CA$2.05

-12.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$4.34 CA$6.13

8.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$3.79 CA$5.36

21.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$2.69 CA$3.81

42.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.75 CA$3.88

5.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$2.56 CA$3.62

-21.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.50 CA$2.12

56.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.54 $8.54

$14.39 CA$20.34

-40.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.55 $15.55

$15.81 CA$22.35

-1.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.47 CA$3.49

-0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 $3.67

$3.10 CA$4.39

18.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 CA$3.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.6 CA$128

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.28 CA$4.64

-7.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.40 CA$1.97

36.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.46 $29.46

$26.49 CA$37.45

11.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.22 CA$1.72

-27.05%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$28.4K CA$40.1K

21.56%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$20.8K CA$29.5K

21.96%

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

$171 $171

$165 CA$233

4.06%

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

$67.4 $67.4

$38.24 CA$54.1

76.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$50.1 CA$70.9

40.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.37 $31.37

$53.8 CA$76.1

-41.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.04 CA$25.51

Cinema Ticket

$15.98 $15.98

$14.04 CA$19.84

13.82%

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

$1,465 $1,465

$797 CA$1,126

83.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K $24.8K

$15.8K CA$22.3K

56.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 $50.7

$59.1 CA$83.5

-14.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.93 $36.93

$40.20 CA$56.8

-8.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.5 $65.5

$90.8 CA$128

-27.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 $90.6

$109 CA$155

-17.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 $1,107

$1,207 CA$1,707

-8.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$831 $831

$1,011 CA$1,429

-17.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,786 $1,786

$1,949 CA$2,756

-8.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,389 $1,389

$1,677 CA$2,371

-17.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,788 $1,788

$3,532 CA$4,993

-49.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,800 $1,800

$3,392 CA$4,795

-46.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,025 $3,025

$3,152 CA$4,456

-4.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

4.51

43.68%

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

Last update for Bristol, VA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bristol, VA

$831 40.8%

Calgary

$1K 44.8% 21.7% $180

Groceries & Markets

Bristol, VA

$440 21.6%

Calgary

$392 17.4% 10.9% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bristol, VA

$309 15.2%

Calgary

$253 11.2% 18.2% $56

Eating Out

Bristol, VA

$272 13.4%

Calgary

$270 12% 0.8% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Bristol, VA

$110 5.4%

Calgary

$135 6% 22.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Bristol, VA

$63 3.1%

Calgary

$82 3.6% 29.3% $19

Getting Around

Bristol, VA

$13 * 0.6%

Calgary

$112 5% 790% $99

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,107 in Bristol, VA and $1,207 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 4% 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: $64.0 in Bristol, VA vs $69.0 in Calgary. Groceries flip the comparison at $440 vs $392, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bristol, VA

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

15:28 3:28 PM

13:28 1:28 PM

2 h behind Bristol, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,141

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

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Between locations

Bristol, VA Calgary 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bristol, VA
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

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

Bristol, VA and Calgary differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,038 vs $2,255 including rent). Bristol, VA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Calgary. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,107 in Bristol, VA versus $1,207 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,465 in Bristol, VA versus $797 in Calgary. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bristol, VA – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $69.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,038 in Bristol, VA versus $2,255 in Calgary, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Bristol, VA but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Bristol, VA 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 Bristol, VA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.