Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Aiken, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $2,427 in Aiken, SC, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Aiken, SC outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
118

Cost of Living Index in Aiken, SC
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Aiken, SC Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Aiken, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Aiken, SC

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 Aiken, SC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,427 in Aiken, SC.

Calgary $2,223
Aiken, SC $2,427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,301 in Calgary versus $3,379 in Aiken, SC.

Calgary $3,301
Aiken, SC $3,379

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,379 in Calgary versus $4,330 in Aiken, SC.

Calgary $4,379
Aiken, SC $4,330

Living in Calgary costs roughly 8% less than in Aiken, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 65% above, Aiken, SC 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.34

$14.82 $14.82

16.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 CA$100

$59.7 $59.7

18.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 CA$14.89

$10.67 $10.67

-1.31%

Cappuccino

$3.66 CA$5.18

$3.66 $3.66

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

$1.98 CA$2.80

$2.21 $2.21

-10.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.03 $2.03

-4.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 CA$7.00

$6.08 $6.08

-18.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 CA$7.87

$8.69 $8.69

-35.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.65

$0.92 $0.92

104.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.78

$2.77 $2.77

-3.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.32 CA$7.52

$2.32 $2.32

129.31%

Eggs

$3.79 CA$5.35

$3.60 $3.60

5.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 CA$15.68

$14.26 $14.26

-22.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 CA$16.05

$6.28 $6.28

80.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.40 CA$26.01

$18.20 $18.20

1.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 CA$6.45

$8.81 $8.81

-48.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$2.30 $2.30

-37.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.76

$2.82 $2.82

44.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.50

$3.89 $3.89

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$1.94 $1.94

36.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$2.70 $2.70

-2.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 CA$3.54

$1.93 $1.93

29.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.03 $2.03

-26.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.05 CA$19.86

$7.34 $7.34

91.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.70 CA$22.20

$13.12 $13.12

19.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$1.98 $1.98

23.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.37

$2.89 $2.89

6.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.99

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 CA$125

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$5.06 $5.06

-38.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$5.03 $5.03

-73.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.02 CA$38.20

$49.12 $49.12

-44.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$0.78 $0.78

48.72%

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$37.5K $37.5K

-25.53%

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

$20.3K CA$28.8K

$25.8K $25.8K

-21.28%

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

$161 CA$227

$225 $225

-28.40%

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

$38.13 CA$53.9

$66.4 $66.4

-42.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 CA$70.7

$83.5 $83.5

-40.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 CA$72.8

$56.2 $56.2

-8.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.64

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 CA$19.54

$14.84 $14.84

-6.87%

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

$786 CA$1,111

$943 $943

-16.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K CA$21.8K

$17.9K $17.9K

-13.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 CA$82.4

$65.4 $65.4

-10.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 CA$55.5

$44.48 $44.48

-11.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$127

$115 $115

-21.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$64.3 $64.3

70.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 CA$1,737

$1,313 $1,313

-6.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 CA$1,415

$1,184 $1,184

-15.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 CA$2,716

$1,751 $1,751

9.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 CA$2,292

$1,709 $1,709

-5.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,549 CA$5,018

$1,700 $1,700

108.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,335 CA$4,715

$1,360 $1,360

145.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 CA$4,474

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

6.57

-31.35%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Last update for Aiken, SC: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45%

Aiken, SC

$1.2K 48.8% 18.3% $183

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$385 17.3%

Aiken, SC

$363 15% 5.7% $22

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Aiken, SC

$259 10.7% 2.1% $5.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$249 11.2%

Aiken, SC

$374 15.4% 50.4% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Aiken, SC

$130 5.4% 2.8% $3.7

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 4.9%

Aiken, SC

$30 * 1.3% 72.5% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$79 3.6%

Aiken, SC

$86 3.5% 8.5% $6.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,229 in Calgary and $1,313 in Aiken, SC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $71.0 in Calgary vs $60.0 in Aiken, SC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $363 per month, with Aiken, SC cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇺🇸 Aiken, SC

🕒 Local time

18:02 6:02 PM

20:02 8:02 PM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

28,829

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Calgary Aiken, SC 3,250 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Aiken, SC

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

Calgary vs Aiken, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Aiken, SC. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calgary the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,335 in Calgary and $3,641 in Aiken, SC 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: $1,229 in Calgary versus $1,313 in Aiken, SC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $786 in Calgary versus $943 in Aiken, SC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $60.0 in Aiken, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,427 in Aiken, SC, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Aiken, SC. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Calgary and Aiken, SC are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Aiken, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.