Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, NC and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,255 a month against $2,604 in Burlington, NC, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Burlington, NC outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

125

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

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Burlington, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,604

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,604 per month in Burlington, NC vs $2,255 in Calgary, rent included.

Burlington, NC $2,604
Calgary $2,255

A couple spends around $3,784 per month in Burlington, NC vs $3,361 in Calgary, rent included.

Burlington, NC $3,784
Calgary $3,361

A family of three spends $4,963 per month in Burlington, NC vs $4,468 in Calgary, rent included.

Burlington, NC $4,963
Calgary $4,468

Burlington, NC costs about 16% more than Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Burlington, NC and Calgary sit above the global median – Burlington, NC by 92%, Calgary by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.93 $18.93

$17.58 CA$24.85

7.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 $74.7

$69.1 CA$97.6

8.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.89 $10.89

$10.59 CA$14.97

2.83%

Cappuccino

$5.23 $5.23

$3.84 CA$5.42

36.20%

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

$2.51 $2.51

$1.93 CA$2.72

30.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.88 CA$2.66

9.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 $6.14

$5.09 CA$7.20

20.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 $6.80

$5.64 CA$7.97

20.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.00 CA$2.82

-48.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.78 CA$3.93

28.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$5.59 CA$7.90

-22.18%

Eggs

$4.22 $4.22

$3.70 CA$5.23

14.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.47 $12.47

$11.48 CA$16.23

8.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.29 $11.29

$11.20 CA$15.84

0.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.63 $15.63

$18.59 CA$26.28

-15.92%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$4.70 CA$6.64

6.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.45 CA$2.05

7.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$4.34 CA$6.13

-3.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$3.79 CA$5.36

26.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.69 CA$3.81

8.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.75 CA$3.88

0.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.56 CA$3.62

-17.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.50 CA$2.12

38.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.37 $9.37

$14.39 CA$20.34

-34.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.08 $14.08

$15.81 CA$22.35

-10.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.47 CA$3.49

-25.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.10 CA$4.39

7.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.81 CA$3.97

-28.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.6 CA$128

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.28 CA$4.64

3.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.40 CA$1.97

17.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.99 $28.99

$26.49 CA$37.45

9.44%

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)

$29.9K $29.9K

$28.4K CA$40.1K

5.26%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$20.8K CA$29.5K

22.18%

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

$191 $191

$165 CA$233

15.77%

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

$52.9 $52.9

$38.24 CA$54.1

38.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.0 $67.0

$50.1 CA$70.9

33.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.35 $42.35

$53.8 CA$76.1

-21.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.04 CA$25.51

Cinema Ticket

$13.34 $13.34

$14.04 CA$19.84

-4.99%

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

$1,282 $1,282

$797 CA$1,126

60.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$15.8K CA$22.3K

50.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$59.1 CA$83.5

-13.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.90 $39.90

$40.20 CA$56.8

-0.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 $85.3

$90.8 CA$128

-6.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$109 CA$155

2.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 $1,632

$1,207 CA$1,707

35.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,378 $1,378

$1,011 CA$1,429

36.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,653 $2,653

$1,949 CA$2,756

36.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 $2,241

$1,677 CA$2,371

33.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,740 $2,740

$3,532 CA$4,993

-22.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,417 $2,417

$3,392 CA$4,795

-28.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,152 CA$4,456

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 Burlington, NC: 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

Burlington, NC

$1.4K 52.9%

Calgary

$1K 44.8% 26.6% $367

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, NC

$388 14.9%

Calgary

$392 17.4% 0.9% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, NC

$310 11.9%

Calgary

$253 11.2% 18.5% $57

Eating Out

Burlington, NC

$309 11.9%

Calgary

$270 12% 12.6% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, NC

$130 5%

Calgary

$135 6% 3.9% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, NC

$69 2.7%

Calgary

$82 3.6% 18.6% $13

Getting Around

Burlington, NC

$20 * 0.8%

Calgary

$112 5% 467% $92

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,632 in Burlington, NC 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Burlington, NC versus $69.0 in Calgary. Groceries tell a different story – $388 in Burlington, NC vs $392 in Calgary – so Burlington, NC wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, NC

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

16:43 4:43 PM

14:43 2:43 PM

2 h behind Burlington, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

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 →

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Between locations

Burlington, NC Calgary 3,200 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Burlington, NC
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,604 in Burlington, NC, $2,255 in Calgary – roughly 16% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,907 per month in Burlington, NC 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 $2,604 in Burlington, NC and $2,255 in Calgary. That's a gap of about 16%.

Kindergarten costs $1,282 per month in Burlington, NC 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 Burlington, NC at $2,604. In Calgary it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burlington, NC 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.

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