Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burns Lake and Calgary

For one person, living costs are similar in Burns Lake and in Calgary: $2,278 and $2,303 a month, rent and utilities included.

Burns Lake, Canada
Calgary, Canada
Burns Lake
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,278
/mo nomad
Calgary
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,303
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,278 per month in Burns Lake vs $2,303 in Calgary, rent included.

  • Burns Lake $2,278
  • Calgary $2,303

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Burns Lake vs $3,366 in Calgary, rent included.

  • Burns Lake $3,271
  • Calgary $3,366

A family of three spends $4,265 per month in Burns Lake vs $4,428 in Calgary, rent included.

  • Burns Lake $4,265
  • Calgary $4,428

Burns Lake and Calgary have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Burns Lake and Calgary sit above the global median – Burns Lake by 67%, Calgary by 69%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Burns Lake
Calgary
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.06 CA$26.65
$17.55 CA$24.55
8.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.1 CA$88.2
$70.4 CA$98.5
-10.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.14 CA$16.98
$10.69 CA$14.95
13.56%
Cappuccino
$3.21 CA$4.48
$3.89 CA$5.44
-17.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.82 CA$2.55
$2.04 CA$2.85
-10.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 CA$2.01
$1.88 CA$2.63
-23.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.90 CA$6.86
$4.90 CA$6.85
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.38 CA$7.52
$5.78 CA$8.09
-6.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Burns Lake
Calgary
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 CA$3.04
$1.96 CA$2.75
10.71%
White Bread (500g)
$2.57 CA$3.60
$2.74 CA$3.83
-6.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.14 CA$4.39
$5.46 CA$7.64
-42.49%
Eggs
$3.19 CA$4.46
$3.69 CA$5.16
-13.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.00 CA$12.59
$11.24 CA$15.73
-19.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.80 CA$16.51
$11.54 CA$16.14
2.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.17 CA$21.22
$18.38 CA$25.70
-17.46%
Apples (1kg)
$3.78 CA$5.29
$4.90 CA$6.86
-22.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.24 CA$1.73
$1.42 CA$1.99
-12.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.86 CA$5.39
$4.21 CA$5.89
-8.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.36 CA$6.10
$4.02 CA$5.63
8.46%
Potato (1kg)
$2.39 CA$3.34
$2.69 CA$3.77
-11.15%
Onion (1kg)
$2.14 CA$3.00
$2.66 CA$3.72
-19.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.27 CA$3.17
$2.61 CA$3.66
-13.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 CA$2.48
$1.60 CA$2.23
11.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.50 CA$20.29
$14.00 CA$19.58
3.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.28 CA$19.97
$15.40 CA$21.54
-7.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.98 CA$4.16
$2.50 CA$3.49
19.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.41 CA$4.78
$3.09 CA$4.32
10.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Burns Lake
Calgary
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.11 CA$2.95
$2.93 CA$4.10
-27.99%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$69.8 CA$97.6
$89.3 CA$125
-21.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.50 CA$3.49
$3.27 CA$4.57
-23.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.42 CA$1.98
$1.35 CA$1.89
5.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.39 CA$34.11
$27.39 CA$38.31
-10.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 CA$1.52
$1.17 CA$1.64
-6.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K CA$39.5K
$27.9K CA$39.1K
0.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.6K CA$26.0K
$21.0K CA$29.4K
-11.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Burns Lake
Calgary
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$140 CA$196
$167 CA$233
-16.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$38.23 CA$53.5
$38.27 CA$53.5
-0.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.0 CA$76.9
$50.9 CA$71.2
7.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Burns Lake
Calgary
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.67 CA$52.7
$51.0 CA$71.3
-26.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.49 CA$25.86
$18.17 CA$25.42
1.76%
Cinema Ticket
$10.82 CA$15.13
$14.44 CA$20.20
-25.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Burns Lake
Calgary
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$636 CA$889
$545 CA$763
16.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.3K CA$21.4K
$16.2K CA$22.7K
-5.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Burns Lake
Calgary
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.36 CA$67.6
$58.9 CA$82.4
-17.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.52 CA$58.1
$39.75 CA$55.6
4.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.3 CA$122
$93.4 CA$131
-6.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 CA$146
$110 CA$154
-5.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Burns Lake
Calgary
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,309 CA$1,830
$1,254 CA$1,754
4.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,135 CA$1,588
$1,056 CA$1,478
7.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,984 CA$2,774
$2,022 CA$2,828
-1.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,701 CA$2,379
$1,629 CA$2,278
4.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,598 CA$6,431
$3,600 CA$5,036
27.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,249 CA$4,544
$3,243 CA$4,535
0.20%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Burns Lake
Calgary
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$3,115 CA$4,357
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.68
4.51
3.77%

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

Last update for Burns Lake: October 25, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Burns Lake
$1.1K
Calgary
$1.1K 6.9% $79
Groceries & Markets
Burns Lake
$360
Calgary
$393 9.1% $33
Eating Out
Burns Lake
$276
Calgary
$271 1.7% $4.8
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Burns Lake
$233
Calgary
$256 9.8% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Burns Lake
$127
Calgary
$136 7.3% $9.3
Getting Around
Burns Lake
$88
Calgary
$111 26.5% $23
Sport & Entertainment
Burns Lake
$59
Calgary
$80 34.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,309 in Burns Lake 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Burns Lake versus $70 in Calgary. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $393 – making Burns Lake the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Burns Lake
🇨🇦 Calgary
🕒 Local time
17:13 5:13 PM
18:13 6:13 PM
1 h ahead of Burns Lake
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,779
1,267,344
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.642 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Burns Lake Calgary 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Burns Lake
  • 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
Burns Lake vs Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Burns Lake and in Calgary?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,416 per month in Burns Lake and $3,454 in Calgary. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Burns Lake compared to Calgary?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,309 in Burns Lake and $1,254 in Calgary. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
Are groceries more expensive in Burns Lake or in Calgary?
Groceries cost about 9% more in Calgary, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How do childcare costs compare in Burns Lake and in Calgary?
Kindergarten costs $636 per month in Burns Lake and $545 in Calgary. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Burns Lake or in Calgary?
$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,278 in Burns Lake and $2,303 in Calgary. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Burns Lake vs other spots: cost of living compared

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