Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Abbotsford

For one person, living costs are similar in Calgary and in Abbotsford: $2,255 and $2,276 a month, rent and utilities included.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Abbotsford
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Abbotsford Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Abbotsford

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,276

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Abbotsford

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Calgary and in Abbotsford actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,255 per month in Calgary vs $2,276 in Abbotsford, rent included.

Calgary $2,255
Abbotsford $2,276

A couple spends around $3,361 per month in Calgary vs $3,324 in Abbotsford, rent included.

Calgary $3,361
Abbotsford $3,324

A family of three spends $4,468 per month in Calgary vs $4,371 in Abbotsford, rent included.

Calgary $4,468
Abbotsford $4,371

Calgary is about 1% cheaper than Abbotsford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Calgary and Abbotsford sit above the global median – Calgary by 66%, Abbotsford by 68%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 CA$24.85

$14.97 CA$21.17

17.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.6

$48.86 CA$69.1

41.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.97

$10.18 CA$14.39

4.03%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.42

$3.94 CA$5.57

-2.54%

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

$1.93 CA$2.72

$1.84 CA$2.60

4.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.66

$1.57 CA$2.22

19.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.09 CA$7.20

$6.16 CA$8.72

-17.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 CA$7.97

$5.51 CA$7.80

2.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 CA$2.82

$1.86 CA$2.62

7.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 CA$3.93

$2.11 CA$2.98

31.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.59 CA$7.90

$4.45 CA$6.30

25.62%

Eggs

$3.70 CA$5.23

$3.20 CA$4.53

15.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.48 CA$16.23

$12.33 CA$17.43

-6.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 CA$15.84

$18.43 CA$26.06

-39.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.59 CA$26.28

$30.98 CA$43.79

-39.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 CA$6.64

$6.06 CA$8.56

-22.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.47 CA$2.08

-1.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 CA$6.13

$4.95 CA$6.99

-12.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 CA$5.36

$3.67 CA$5.18

3.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.81

$4.18 CA$5.90

-35.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 CA$3.88

$2.49 CA$3.52

10.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 CA$3.62

$2.61 CA$3.70

-1.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.83 CA$2.59

-18.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.39 CA$20.34

$14.68 CA$20.75

-1.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.81 CA$22.35

$10.66 CA$15.07

48.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 CA$3.49

$4.04 CA$5.71

-38.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CA$4.39

$3.75 CA$5.30

-17.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$2.61 CA$3.69

7.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.6 CA$128

$45.22 CA$63.9

100.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 CA$4.64

$3.56 CA$5.03

-7.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.97

$1.45 CA$2.04

-3.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.45

$25.28 CA$35.74

4.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.34 CA$1.90

-8.96%

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

$28.4K CA$40.1K

$25.6K CA$36.2K

10.97%

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

$20.8K CA$29.5K

$21.4K CA$30.2K

-2.63%

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

$165 CA$233

$113 CA$159

46.23%

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

$38.24 CA$54.1

$43.03 CA$60.8

-11.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 CA$70.9

$68.8 CA$97.2

-27.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 CA$76.1

$30.25 CA$42.77

77.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.04 CA$25.51

$15.89 CA$22.47

13.53%

Cinema Ticket

$14.04 CA$19.84

$11.33 CA$16.02

23.92%

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

$797 CA$1,126

$370 CA$522

115.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K CA$22.3K

$8,503 CA$12.0K

85.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 CA$83.5

$53.0 CA$74.9

11.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.20 CA$56.8

$40.82 CA$57.7

-1.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 CA$128

$81.3 CA$115

11.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

$97.4 CA$138

12.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 CA$1,707

$1,257 CA$1,776

-3.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 CA$1,429

$1,088 CA$1,539

-7.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,949 CA$2,756

$1,944 CA$2,748

0.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 CA$2,371

$1,731 CA$2,447

-3.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,532 CA$4,993

$4,713 CA$6,662

-25.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,392 CA$4,795

$2,859 CA$4,042

18.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,152 CA$4,456

$3,041 CA$4,299

3.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.72

-4.45%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 18, 2026

Last update for Abbotsford: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 44.8%

Abbotsford

$1.1K 47.8% 7.6% $77

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$392 17.4%

Abbotsford

$469 20.6% 19.6% $77

Eating Out

Calgary

$270 12%

Abbotsford

$253 11.1% 6.4% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$253 11.2%

Abbotsford

$224 9.9% 11.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$135 6%

Abbotsford

$123 5.4% 9% $12

Getting Around

Calgary

$112 5%

Abbotsford

$66 2.9% 40.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$82 3.6%

Abbotsford

$53 2.3% 35.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,207 in Calgary versus $1,257 in Abbotsford. 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 4% higher in Calgary, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Calgary versus $49.00 in Abbotsford. Groceries tell a different story – $392 in Calgary vs $469 in Abbotsford – so Calgary wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Abbotsford

🕒 Local time

20:14 8:14 PM

19:14 7:14 PM

1 h behind Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

141,397

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Calgary Abbotsford 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Calgary vs Abbotsford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,255 in Calgary, $2,276 in Abbotsford – roughly 1% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,382 per month in Calgary and $3,415 in Abbotsford. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Calgary and $49.00 in Abbotsford. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,255 in Calgary and $2,276 in Abbotsford. That's a gap of about 1%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Calgary, where all-in costs run around $2,255, than in Abbotsford at $2,276. In Calgary it covers expenses comfortably, while in Abbotsford 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, Abbotsford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.