Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burnaby and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,678 in Burnaby, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Burnaby
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Burnaby Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Burnaby

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,678

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,678 in Burnaby versus $2,303 in Calgary.

Burnaby $2,678
Calgary $2,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,827 in Burnaby versus $3,366 in Calgary.

Burnaby $3,827
Calgary $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,976 in Burnaby versus $4,428 in Calgary.

Burnaby $4,976
Calgary $4,428

Living in Burnaby is roughly 16% more expensive than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burnaby 97% above, Calgary 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.23 CA$29.79

$17.55 CA$24.63

20.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 CA$121

$70.4 CA$98.8

22.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.53 CA$13.37

$10.69 CA$15.00

-10.85%

Cappuccino

$4.67 CA$6.56

$3.89 CA$5.46

20.05%

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

$2.45 CA$3.44

$2.04 CA$2.86

20.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 CA$2.52

$1.88 CA$2.64

-4.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.57 CA$12.03

$4.90 CA$6.87

74.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.18 CA$8.67

$5.78 CA$8.11

6.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 CA$3.28

$1.96 CA$2.75

19.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 CA$3.88

$2.74 CA$3.84

0.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.52 CA$4.95

$5.46 CA$7.67

-35.53%

Eggs

$3.17 CA$4.45

$3.69 CA$5.17

-14.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.05 CA$19.72

$11.24 CA$15.78

25.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.07 CA$19.75

$11.54 CA$16.19

21.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.31 CA$35.52

$18.38 CA$25.79

37.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.42 CA$6.20

$4.90 CA$6.88

-9.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 CA$1.80

$1.42 CA$2.00

-9.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.61 CA$6.47

$4.21 CA$5.91

9.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.61 CA$6.48

$4.02 CA$5.65

14.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 CA$3.95

$2.69 CA$3.78

4.46%

Onion (1kg)

$3.54 CA$4.96

$2.66 CA$3.74

33.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 CA$3.84

$2.61 CA$3.67

4.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 CA$2.95

$1.60 CA$2.24

31.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.23 CA$19.96

$14.00 CA$19.65

1.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.39 CA$18.79

$15.40 CA$21.61

-13.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 CA$2.88

$2.50 CA$3.50

-18.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 CA$3.27

$3.09 CA$4.34

-24.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 CA$3.56

$2.93 CA$4.11

-13.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.6 CA$115

$89.3 CA$125

-8.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 CA$4.04

$3.27 CA$4.59

-11.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 CA$2.12

$1.35 CA$1.89

11.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.45 CA$37.12

$27.39 CA$38.43

-3.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 CA$1.92

$1.17 CA$1.65

17.09%

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

$28.5K CA$40.1K

$27.9K CA$39.2K

2.16%

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

$20.9K CA$29.4K

$21.0K CA$29.5K

-0.43%

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

$126 CA$177

$167 CA$234

-24.26%

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

$44.96 CA$63.1

$38.27 CA$53.7

17.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.7 CA$74.0

$50.9 CA$71.5

3.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.23 CA$43.83

$51.0 CA$71.5

-38.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.52 CA$14.77

$18.17 CA$25.50

-42.10%

Cinema Ticket

$14.23 CA$19.97

$14.44 CA$20.27

-1.45%

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

$649 CA$910

$545 CA$766

18.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 CA$73.3

$58.9 CA$82.6

-11.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 CA$72.1

$39.75 CA$55.8

29.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$145

$93.4 CA$131

10.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 CA$111

$110 CA$154

-28.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 CA$2,376

$1,254 CA$1,760

34.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 CA$1,973

$1,056 CA$1,483

33.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,623 CA$3,681

$2,022 CA$2,838

29.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,985 CA$2,786

$1,629 CA$2,286

21.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,886 CA$9,663

$3,600 CA$5,053

91.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,338 CA$7,491

$3,243 CA$4,551

64.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,149 CA$4,419

$3,115 CA$4,372

1.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

4.51

5.54%

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

Last update for Burnaby: 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

Burnaby

$1.4K 52.5%

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9% 24.9% $350

Groceries & Markets

Burnaby

$431 16.1%

Calgary

$393 17.1% 8.9% $38

Eating Out

Burnaby

$327 12.2%

Calgary

$271 11.8% 17.1% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burnaby

$224 8.4%

Calgary

$256 11.1% 14.3% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Burnaby

$129 4.8%

Calgary

$136 5.9% 5.6% $7.2

Getting Around

Burnaby

$102 3.8%

Calgary

$111 4.8% 8.6% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Burnaby

$60 2.2%

Calgary

$80 3.5% 33.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,693 in Burnaby and $1,254 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $87 in Burnaby vs $70 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $431 vs $393 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Burnaby

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

14:47 2:47 PM

1 h ahead of Burnaby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

249,125

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Burnaby Calgary 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Burnaby
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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

Burnaby vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,678 in Burnaby and $2,303 in Calgary, so Calgary is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,017 in Burnaby and $3,454 in Calgary to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,693 in Burnaby versus $1,254 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $649 in Burnaby versus $545 in Calgary. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Burnaby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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