Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Arnhem

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $2,557 in Arnhem, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Arnhem
Learn more

Arnhem Living Index

Jump to prices

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Arnhem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,557

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Arnhem

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,557 in Arnhem.

Calgary $2,223
Arnhem $2,557

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,301 in Calgary versus $3,743 in Arnhem.

Calgary $3,301
Arnhem $3,743

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,379 in Calgary versus $4,930 in Arnhem.

Calgary $4,379
Arnhem $4,930

Living in Calgary costs roughly 13% less than in Arnhem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 65% above, Arnhem 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.34

$21.91 €19.49

-21.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 CA$100

$85.2 €75.8

-16.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 CA$14.89

$14.98 €13.32

-29.71%

Cappuccino

$3.66 CA$5.18

$4.07 €3.62

-10.07%

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

$1.98 CA$2.80

$3.34 €2.97

-40.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.83 €2.52

-31.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 CA$7.00

$5.62 €5.00

-11.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 CA$7.87

$5.47 €4.86

1.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.65

$1.48 €1.32

27.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.78

$1.99 €1.77

34.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.32 CA$7.52

$2.29 €2.04

132.31%

Eggs

$3.79 CA$5.35

$5.21 €4.64

-27.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 CA$15.68

$12.74 €11.33

-12.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 CA$16.05

$14.14 €12.58

-19.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.40 CA$26.01

$15.77 €14.03

16.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 CA$6.45

$2.82 €2.50

61.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$2.54 €2.26

-43.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.76

$1.86 €1.65

119.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.50

$5.39 €4.79

-27.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$1.88 €1.67

40.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$2.39 €2.13

10.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 CA$3.54

$1.22 €1.08

104.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$0.71 €0.63

111.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.05 CA$19.86

$14.23 €12.65

-1.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.70 CA$22.20

$7.15 €6.36

119.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$1.44 €1.28

69.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.37

$2.63 €2.34

17.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$4.35 €3.87

-35.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 CA$125

$113 €100

-21.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$4.00 €3.56

-22.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$2.38 €2.12

-43.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.02 CA$38.20

$32.86 €29.23

-17.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$2.39 €2.12

-51.46%

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$41.8K €37.2K

-33.28%

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

$20.3K CA$28.8K

$39.7K €35.3K

-48.73%

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

$161 CA$227

$276 €245

-41.67%

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

$38.13 CA$53.9

$22.71 €20.20

67.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 CA$70.7

$42.44 €37.75

17.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 CA$72.8

$41.30 €36.73

24.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.64

$10.99 €9.78

65.06%

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 CA$19.54

$14.38 €12.79

-3.89%

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

$786 CA$1,111

$1,259 €1,120

-37.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K CA$21.8K

$5,925 €5,270

160.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 CA$82.4

$95.3 €84.8

-38.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 CA$55.5

$29.13 €25.91

34.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$127

$107 €94.8

-15.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$152 €136

-27.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 CA$1,737

$1,436 €1,278

-14.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 CA$1,415

$1,159 €1,031

-13.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 CA$2,716

$2,228 €1,982

-13.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 CA$2,292

$1,834 €1,632

-11.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,549 CA$5,018

$5,312 €4,725

-33.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,335 CA$4,715

$4,175 €3,714

-20.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 CA$4,474

$3,723 €3,312

-14.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

3.95

14.18%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Last update for Arnhem: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45%

Arnhem

$1.2K 45.3% 15.8% $158

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$385 17.3%

Arnhem

$335 13.1% 13% $50

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Arnhem

$333 13% 25.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$249 11.2%

Arnhem

$341 13.3% 36.9% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Arnhem

$173 6.8% 29% $39

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 4.9%

Arnhem

$146 5.7% 33.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$79 3.6%

Arnhem

$70 2.7% 11.5% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,229 in Calgary and $1,436 in Arnhem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arnhem pays 18% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $71.0 in Calgary vs $85.0 in Arnhem. Groceries flip the comparison at $385 vs $335, with Arnhem cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇳🇱 Arnhem

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

01:45 1:45 AM

8 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

165,770

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calgary Arnhem 7,250 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Arnhem

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 Arnhem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary and Arnhem differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $2,557 including rent). Calgary is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Arnhem. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,229 in Calgary versus $1,436 in Arnhem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Arnhem pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $85.0 in Arnhem. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,557 in Arnhem, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Arnhem. 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 Arnhem 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 15% less than in Arnhem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.