Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, VT and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $3,063 in Burlington, VT, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

150

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

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Burlington, VT

🇺🇸 United States

$3,063

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,063 in Burlington, VT versus $2,223 in Calgary.

Burlington, VT $3,063
Calgary $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,818 in Burlington, VT versus $3,301 in Calgary.

Burlington, VT $4,818
Calgary $3,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,572 in Burlington, VT versus $4,379 in Calgary.

Burlington, VT $6,572
Calgary $4,379

Living in Burlington, VT is roughly 38% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burlington, VT 127% above, Calgary 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.24 $22.24

$17.22 CA$24.34

29.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 $79.3

$71.1 CA$100

11.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 $11.89

$10.53 CA$14.89

12.92%

Cappuccino

$5.21 $5.21

$3.66 CA$5.18

42.35%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$1.98 CA$2.80

51.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.94 CA$2.74

20.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 $7.80

$4.95 CA$7.00

57.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.46 $8.46

$5.57 CA$7.87

51.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.88 CA$2.65

-36.17%

White Bread (500g)

$4.62 $4.62

$2.67 CA$3.78

73.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.27 $5.27

$5.32 CA$7.52

-0.94%

Eggs

$4.50 $4.50

$3.79 CA$5.35

18.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.06 $14.06

$11.09 CA$15.68

26.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.26 $12.26

$11.36 CA$16.05

7.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 $13.07

$18.40 CA$26.01

-28.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.56 CA$6.45

-4.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.44 CA$2.04

27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$4.08 CA$5.76

-45.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.44 $6.44

$3.89 CA$5.50

65.55%

Potato (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.64 CA$3.73

68.94%

Onion (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$2.64 CA$3.73

56.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.50 CA$3.54

21.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.50 CA$2.12

-34.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.95 $11.95

$14.05 CA$19.86

-14.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 $12.60

$15.70 CA$22.20

-19.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.44 CA$3.45

-29.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$3.09 CA$4.37

-36.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.82 CA$3.99

-12.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.11 $49.11

$88.6 CA$125

-44.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.12 CA$4.41

-17.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.35 CA$1.91

31.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.71 $27.71

$27.02 CA$38.20

2.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.16 CA$1.64

-4.31%

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

$35.6K $35.6K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

27.47%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$20.3K CA$28.8K

29.67%

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

$192 $192

$161 CA$227

19.69%

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

$55.7 $55.7

$38.13 CA$53.9

45.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 $63.2

$50.0 CA$70.7

26.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.2 $70.2

$51.5 CA$72.8

36.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.88 $27.88

$18.14 CA$25.64

53.69%

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 $11.79

$13.82 CA$19.54

-14.69%

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

$1,250 $1,250

$786 CA$1,111

59.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K $11.9K

$15.5K CA$21.8K

-22.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 $52.7

$58.3 CA$82.4

-9.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.60 $29.60

$39.27 CA$55.5

-24.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.4 $54.4

$89.8 CA$127

-39.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.9 $89.9

$110 CA$155

-18.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,954 $1,954

$1,229 CA$1,737

58.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,735 $1,735

$1,001 CA$1,415

73.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,414 $4,414

$1,921 CA$2,716

129.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,591 $3,591

$1,621 CA$2,292

121.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,931 $3,931

$3,549 CA$5,018

10.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,321 $3,321

$3,335 CA$4,715

-0.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,573 $4,573

$3,165 CA$4,474

44.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

4.51

47.67%

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

Last update for Burlington, VT: October 12, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burlington, VT

$1.7K 56.7%

Calgary

$1K 45% 42.3% $734

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, VT

$397 13%

Calgary

$385 17.3% 2.9% $12

Eating Out

Burlington, VT

$353 11.5%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 25% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, VT

$311 10.2%

Calgary

$249 11.2% 20% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, VT

$102 3.3%

Calgary

$134 6% 31.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, VT

$94 3.1%

Calgary

$79 3.6% 15.6% $15

Getting Around

Burlington, VT

$70 2.3%

Calgary

$110 4.9% 55.8% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,954 in Burlington, VT and $1,229 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington, VT pays 44% 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: $79.0 in Burlington, VT vs $71.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $397 vs $385 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, VT

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

12:39 12:39 PM

10:39 10:39 AM

2 h behind Burlington, VT

🌤 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 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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Burlington, VT Calgary 3,100 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 38% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 44% higher in Burlington, VT, 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: $1,954 in Burlington, VT versus $1,229 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Calgary runs roughly 80% less than in Burlington, VT. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,250 in Burlington, VT versus $786 in Calgary. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $3,063 in Burlington, VT, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Burlington, VT. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Burlington, VT. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.