Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Ajax, ON

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,515 in Ajax, ON, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ajax, ON outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Calgary, Canada
Ajax, ON, Canada
Calgary
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,303
/mo nomad
Ajax, ON
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,515
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Ajax, ON

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 Ajax, ON actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,303 per month in Calgary vs $2,515 in Ajax, ON, rent included.

  • Calgary $2,303
  • Ajax, ON $2,515

A couple spends around $3,366 per month in Calgary vs $3,611 in Ajax, ON, rent included.

  • Calgary $3,366
  • Ajax, ON $3,611

A family of three spends $4,428 per month in Calgary vs $4,707 in Ajax, ON, rent included.

  • Calgary $4,428
  • Ajax, ON $4,707

Calgary is about 8% cheaper than Ajax, ON.

Both Calgary and Ajax, ON sit above the global median – Calgary by 69%, Ajax, ON by 85%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Calgary
Ajax, ON
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.55 CA$24.52
$18.19 CA$25.42
-3.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$70.4 CA$98.3
$53.8 CA$75.2
30.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.69 CA$14.93
$10.50 CA$14.67
1.81%
Cappuccino
$3.89 CA$5.43
$3.76 CA$5.25
3.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 CA$2.85
$1.83 CA$2.55
11.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 CA$2.62
$1.52 CA$2.12
23.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.90 CA$6.84
$3.52 CA$4.91
39.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.78 CA$8.08
$5.62 CA$7.85
2.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Calgary
Ajax, ON
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.96 CA$2.74
$2.02 CA$2.82
-2.97%
White Bread (500g)
$2.74 CA$3.83
$2.99 CA$4.18
-8.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.46 CA$7.63
$3.41 CA$4.77
60.12%
Eggs
$3.69 CA$5.15
$3.87 CA$5.41
-4.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.24 CA$15.71
$10.56 CA$14.75
6.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.54 CA$16.12
$11.77 CA$16.44
-1.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.38 CA$25.67
$17.12 CA$23.91
7.36%
Apples (1kg)
$4.90 CA$6.85
$4.14 CA$5.78
18.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 CA$1.99
$1.73 CA$2.42
-17.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.21 CA$5.88
$3.15 CA$4.40
33.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.02 CA$5.62
$3.37 CA$4.70
19.29%
Potato (1kg)
$2.69 CA$3.77
$2.31 CA$3.23
16.45%
Onion (1kg)
$2.66 CA$3.72
$2.46 CA$3.44
8.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.61 CA$3.65
$2.20 CA$3.08
18.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 CA$2.23
$1.94 CA$2.71
-17.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.00 CA$19.56
$14.11 CA$19.72
-0.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.40 CA$21.51
$13.79 CA$19.27
11.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.50 CA$3.49
$2.12 CA$2.97
17.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.09 CA$4.32
$2.55 CA$3.57
21.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Calgary
Ajax, ON
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.93 CA$4.09
$2.47 CA$3.45
18.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$89.3 CA$125
$86.5 CA$121
3.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.27 CA$4.57
$3.38 CA$4.73
-3.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 CA$1.89
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.39 CA$38.26
$24.55 CA$34.29
11.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.17 CA$1.64
$1.18 CA$1.65
-0.85%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K CA$39.0K
$28.2K CA$39.3K
-0.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.0K CA$29.4K
$21.8K CA$30.4K
-3.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calgary
Ajax, ON
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 CA$233
$128 CA$178
30.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$38.27 CA$53.5
$29.35 CA$41.00
30.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.9 CA$71.2
$58.9 CA$82.2
-13.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Calgary
Ajax, ON
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 CA$71.2
$33.96 CA$47.44
50.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.17 CA$25.39
$10.73 CA$14.99
69.34%
Cinema Ticket
$14.44 CA$20.18
$10.33 CA$14.43
39.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Calgary
Ajax, ON
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$545 CA$762
$522 CA$729
4.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.2K CA$22.6K
$16.7K CA$23.4K
-3.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Calgary
Ajax, ON
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.9 CA$82.3
$51.9 CA$72.5
13.41%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.75 CA$55.5
$51.8 CA$72.4
-23.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.4 CA$130
$94.9 CA$133
-1.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 CA$154
$107 CA$150
2.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Calgary
Ajax, ON
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,254 CA$1,752
$1,510 CA$2,109
-16.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,056 CA$1,476
$1,374 CA$1,920
-23.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,022 CA$2,825
$2,351 CA$3,284
-13.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,629 CA$2,275
$2,173 CA$3,037
-25.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,600 CA$5,030
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,243 CA$4,530
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Calgary
Ajax, ON
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,115 CA$4,352
$3,081 CA$4,304
1.12%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.51
4.8
-6.04%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ajax, ON: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Calgary
$1.1K
Ajax, ON
$1.4K 30.1% $318
Groceries & Markets
Calgary
$393
Ajax, ON
$369 6.1% $24
Eating Out
Calgary
$271
Ajax, ON
$264 2.4% $6.5
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calgary
$256
Ajax, ON
$216 15.6% $40
Clothing & Footwear
Calgary
$136
Ajax, ON
$138 1.3% $1.8
Getting Around
Calgary
$111
Ajax, ON
$100 * 10.2% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Calgary
$80
Ajax, ON
$55 31.6% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,254 in Calgary versus $1,510 in Ajax, ON. 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 $70 in Calgary versus $54 in Ajax, ON. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $393 vs $369 – making Ajax, ON the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Calgary
🇨🇦 Ajax, ON
🕒 Local time
22:26 10:26 PM
23:26 11:26 PM
1 h ahead of Calgary
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,267,344
119,677
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Calgary Ajax, ON 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Calgary
  • Ajax, ON

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 Ajax, ON: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is cheaper: Calgary or Ajax, ON?
Ajax, ON costs about 9% more than Calgary, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,454 per month in Calgary and $3,773 in Ajax, ON. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Calgary, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,254 there versus $1,510 in Ajax, ON.
What are total monthly expenses in Calgary and in Ajax, ON?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,303 in Calgary and $2,515 in Ajax, ON. That makes Calgary about 8% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 3% less in Ajax, ON. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Calgary vs other spots: cost of living compared

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