Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buffalo, NY and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,232 a month against $2,632 in Buffalo, NY, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Buffalo, NY
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Buffalo, NY Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Buffalo, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,632

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,632 in Buffalo, NY versus $2,232 in Calgary.

Buffalo, NY $2,632
Calgary $2,232

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,732 in Buffalo, NY versus $3,363 in Calgary.

Buffalo, NY $3,732
Calgary $3,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,832 in Buffalo, NY versus $4,493 in Calgary.

Buffalo, NY $4,832
Calgary $4,493

Living in Buffalo, NY is roughly 18% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buffalo, NY 96% above, Calgary 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.92 $22.92

$17.22 CA$24.54

33.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.4 $96.4

$71.2 CA$101

35.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.81 $11.81

$10.56 CA$15.06

11.84%

Cappuccino

$6.06 $6.06

$3.77 CA$5.38

60.74%

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

$2.84 $2.84

$1.91 CA$2.73

48.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.84 CA$2.63

18.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 $5.62

$4.86 CA$6.93

15.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 $6.89

$5.55 CA$7.91

24.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.88 CA$2.68

-48.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.82 $3.82

$2.73 CA$3.89

39.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$5.34 CA$7.61

5.81%

Eggs

$4.52 $4.52

$3.77 CA$5.37

19.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$11.29 CA$16.09

14.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.09 $10.09

$11.46 CA$16.34

-11.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 $15.79

$18.26 CA$26.03

-13.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$4.64 CA$6.62

6.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.44 CA$2.05

4.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$4.22 CA$6.02

7.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.27 $5.27

$3.86 CA$5.50

36.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$2.62 CA$3.74

3.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.66 CA$3.79

14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 $2.30

$2.59 CA$3.69

-11.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.53 CA$2.19

52.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.62 $14.62

$14.26 CA$20.32

2.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.64 $17.64

$15.27 CA$21.76

15.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.41 CA$3.44

-14.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 $4.03

$3.09 CA$4.41

30.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.88 CA$4.11

-31.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.2 $75.2

$88.7 CA$126

-15.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 $5.18

$3.23 CA$4.61

60.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.38 CA$1.97

57.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.40 $44.40

$26.49 CA$37.75

67.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.18 CA$1.68

-1.69%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

$28.3K CA$40.3K

25.48%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$20.7K CA$29.5K

23.38%

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

$323 $323

$159 CA$227

103.12%

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

$51.6 $51.6

$37.61 CA$53.6

37.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.9 $65.9

$49.68 CA$70.8

32.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.57 $36.57

$53.3 CA$75.9

-31.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.3 $57.3

$18.31 CA$26.10

213.05%

Cinema Ticket

$13.10 $13.10

$14.08 CA$20.06

-6.96%

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

$1,532 $1,532

$809 CA$1,154

89.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K $32.6K

$15.9K CA$22.6K

105.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 $52.1

$58.8 CA$83.8

-11.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.77 $45.77

$38.84 CA$55.4

17.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$91.4 CA$130

28.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$109 CA$155

5.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,711 $1,711

$1,237 CA$1,764

38.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 $1,100

$996 CA$1,420

10.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,382 $2,382

$1,908 CA$2,720

24.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 $1,586

$1,671 CA$2,382

-5.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,033 $3,033

$3,530 CA$5,032

-14.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,758 $1,758

$3,336 CA$4,755

-47.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,676 $3,676

$3,130 CA$4,461

17.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.52

4.51

44.57%

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

Last update for Buffalo, NY: October 4, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buffalo, NY

$1.1K 42.1%

Calgary

$996 44.8% 9.5% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buffalo, NY

$441 16.9%

Calgary

$247 11.1% 44.1% $194

Groceries & Markets

Buffalo, NY

$409 15.6%

Calgary

$387 17.4% 5.2% $21

Eating Out

Buffalo, NY

$353 13.5%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 25% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Buffalo, NY

$149 5.7%

Calgary

$134 6% 9.8% $15

Getting Around

Buffalo, NY

$99 3.8%

Calgary

$110 5% 11.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Buffalo, NY

$63 2.4%

Calgary

$81 3.7% 29.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,711 in Buffalo, NY and $1,237 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buffalo, NY pays 17% 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: $96.0 in Buffalo, NY vs $71.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $409 vs $387 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Buffalo, NY

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

23:46 11:46 PM

2 h behind Buffalo, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

258,071

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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Buffalo, NY Calgary 2,790 km ≈ 4 h 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

Buffalo, NY vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Buffalo, NY. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calgary the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Buffalo, NY, 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: $1,711 in Buffalo, NY versus $1,237 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,532 in Buffalo, NY versus $809 in Calgary. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Buffalo, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,232 in Calgary versus $2,632 in Buffalo, NY, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Buffalo, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Calgary delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,232 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Calgary hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Buffalo, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.