Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,737 in Burlington, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Burlington
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Burlington Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Burlington

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,737

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,737 per month in Burlington vs $2,303 in Calgary, rent included.

Burlington $2,737
Calgary $2,303

A couple spends around $3,881 per month in Burlington vs $3,366 in Calgary, rent included.

Burlington $3,881
Calgary $3,366

A family of three spends $5,025 per month in Burlington vs $4,428 in Calgary, rent included.

Burlington $5,025
Calgary $4,428

Burlington costs about 19% more than Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Burlington and Calgary sit above the global median – Burlington by 101%, Calgary by 69%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.84 CA$30.51

$17.55 CA$24.52

24.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.3 CA$101

$70.4 CA$98.4

2.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 CA$14.80

$10.69 CA$14.94

-0.84%

Cappuccino

$3.31 CA$4.62

$3.89 CA$5.43

-14.91%

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

$2.00 CA$2.80

$2.04 CA$2.85

-1.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.17

$1.88 CA$2.62

-17.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 CA$7.79

$4.90 CA$6.84

13.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.11 CA$8.53

$5.78 CA$8.08

5.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.60 CA$3.63

$1.96 CA$2.74

32.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 CA$4.00

$2.74 CA$3.83

4.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 CA$5.29

$5.46 CA$7.63

-30.77%

Eggs

$3.76 CA$5.25

$3.69 CA$5.15

1.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.00 CA$13.97

$11.24 CA$15.71

-11.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.59 CA$14.79

$11.54 CA$16.12

-8.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.78 CA$20.65

$18.38 CA$25.68

-19.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 CA$5.36

$4.90 CA$6.85

-21.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 CA$2.07

$1.42 CA$1.99

4.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.67 CA$3.73

$4.21 CA$5.88

-36.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.10

$4.02 CA$5.62

-9.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 CA$2.74

$2.69 CA$3.77

-27.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 CA$2.68

$2.66 CA$3.72

-27.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 CA$2.92

$2.61 CA$3.65

-19.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.06

$1.60 CA$2.23

-8.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.64 CA$19.06

$14.00 CA$19.57

-2.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.79 CA$15.08

$15.40 CA$21.52

-29.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 CA$3.92

$2.50 CA$3.49

12.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 CA$4.09

$3.09 CA$4.32

-5.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.65 CA$3.70

$2.93 CA$4.09

-9.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 CA$140

$89.3 CA$125

11.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 CA$7.12

$3.27 CA$4.57

55.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 CA$3.40

$1.35 CA$1.89

80.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.32 CA$60.5

$27.39 CA$38.27

58.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 CA$1.67

$1.17 CA$1.64

1.71%

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

$27.8K CA$38.8K

$27.9K CA$39.0K

-0.54%

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

$21.7K CA$30.4K

$21.0K CA$29.4K

3.33%

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

$144 CA$201

$167 CA$233

-13.64%

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

$44.16 CA$61.7

$38.27 CA$53.5

15.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.4 CA$94.2

$50.9 CA$71.2

32.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.66 CA$61.0

$51.0 CA$71.2

-14.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.23 CA$42.24

$18.17 CA$25.39

66.37%

Cinema Ticket

$16.13 CA$22.55

$14.44 CA$20.18

11.70%

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

$902 CA$1,261

$545 CA$762

65.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K CA$26.6K

$16.2K CA$22.7K

17.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.3 CA$96.8

$58.9 CA$82.3

17.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.5 CA$91.5

$39.75 CA$55.6

64.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 CA$140

$93.4 CA$130

7.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.8 CA$139

$110 CA$154

-9.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,729 CA$2,416

$1,254 CA$1,752

37.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 CA$2,069

$1,056 CA$1,476

40.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,599 CA$3,632

$2,022 CA$2,826

28.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,176 CA$3,041

$1,629 CA$2,276

33.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,270 CA$7,364

$3,600 CA$5,031

46.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,145 CA$5,791

$3,243 CA$4,531

27.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,285 CA$4,590

$3,115 CA$4,353

5.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.52

4.51

0.22%

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

Last update for Burlington: October 26, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burlington

$1.5K 54.1%

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9% 28.6% $424

Groceries & Markets

Burlington

$346 12.7%

Calgary

$393 17.1% 13.4% $46

Eating Out

Burlington

$300 11%

Calgary

$271 11.8% 9.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington

$256 9.3%

Calgary

$256 11.1% 0.1% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington

$151 5.5%

Calgary

$136 5.9% 9.7% $15

Getting Around

Burlington

$128 4.7%

Calgary

$111 4.8% 13.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington

$76 2.8%

Calgary

$80 3.5% 5.1% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,729 in Burlington versus $1,254 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 5% higher in Burlington, 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 $72 in Burlington versus $70 in Calgary. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Burlington vs $393 in Calgary – so Burlington wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Burlington

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

13:34 1:34 PM

12:34 12:34 PM

1 h behind Burlington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,314

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

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Between locations

Burlington Calgary 2,700 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Burlington
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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 vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Burlington is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,105 per month in Burlington and $3,454 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,254 there versus $1,729 in Burlington.

Kindergarten costs $902 per month in Burlington and $545 in Calgary. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Burlington – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Burlington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.