Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Arviat

For one person, living costs are similar in Calgary and in Arviat: $2,255 and $2,200 a month, rent and utilities included.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Arviat
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Arviat Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Arviat

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,200

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Arviat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,255 in Calgary versus $2,200 in Arviat.

Calgary $2,255
Arviat $2,200

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,361 in Calgary versus $3,190 in Arviat.

Calgary $3,361
Arviat $3,190

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,468 in Calgary versus $4,180 in Arviat.

Calgary $4,468
Arviat $4,180

Living in Calgary is roughly 2% more expensive than in Arviat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 66% above, Arviat 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 CA$24.85

$17.16 CA$24.25

2.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.6

$64.5 CA$91.2

7.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.97

$10.37 CA$14.66

2.12%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.42

$3.69 CA$5.22

4.07%

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

$1.93 CA$2.72

$2.02 CA$2.86

-4.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.66

$1.56 CA$2.21

20.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.09 CA$7.20

$5.17 CA$7.31

-1.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 CA$7.97

$5.76 CA$8.15

-2.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 CA$2.82

$2.01 CA$2.85

-0.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 CA$3.93

$2.42 CA$3.42

14.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.59 CA$7.90

$3.28 CA$4.64

70.43%

Eggs

$3.70 CA$5.23

$3.34 CA$4.72

10.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.48 CA$16.23

$9.60 CA$13.57

19.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 CA$15.84

$11.40 CA$16.12

-1.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.59 CA$26.28

$14.37 CA$20.32

29.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 CA$6.64

$3.65 CA$5.16

28.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.27 CA$1.79

14.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 CA$6.13

$3.58 CA$5.06

21.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 CA$5.36

$3.65 CA$5.16

3.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.81

$2.50 CA$3.53

7.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 CA$3.88

$2.23 CA$3.16

23.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 CA$3.62

$2.46 CA$3.48

4.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.57 CA$2.22

-4.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.39 CA$20.34

$14.23 CA$20.12

1.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.81 CA$22.35

$12.45 CA$17.60

26.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 CA$3.49

$2.55 CA$3.61

-3.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CA$4.39

$2.98 CA$4.21

4.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$2.34 CA$3.31

20.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.6 CA$128

$62.4 CA$88.3

45.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 CA$4.64

$2.95 CA$4.17

11.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.97

$1.43 CA$2.02

-2.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.45

$22.51 CA$31.82

17.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.13 CA$1.60

7.96%

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

$28.4K CA$40.1K

$27.4K CA$38.8K

3.47%

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

$20.8K CA$29.5K

$18.7K CA$26.4K

11.44%

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

$165 CA$233

$132 CA$186

24.84%

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

$38.24 CA$54.1

$38.55 CA$54.5

-0.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 CA$70.9

$54.2 CA$76.6

-7.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 CA$76.1

$39.67 CA$56.1

35.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.04 CA$25.51

$17.88 CA$25.27

0.89%

Cinema Ticket

$14.04 CA$19.84

$11.15 CA$15.77

25.92%

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

$797 CA$1,126

$734 CA$1,037

8.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K CA$22.3K

$12.9K CA$18.2K

22.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 CA$83.5

$51.8 CA$73.3

13.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.20 CA$56.8

$38.19 CA$54.0

5.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 CA$128

$83.2 CA$118

9.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

$101 CA$143

8.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 CA$1,707

$1,261 CA$1,783

-4.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 CA$1,429

$1,101 CA$1,557

-8.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,949 CA$2,756

$1,962 CA$2,774

-0.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 CA$2,371

$1,692 CA$2,391

-0.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,532 CA$4,993

$4,168 CA$5,892

-15.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,392 CA$4,795

$3,518 CA$4,974

-3.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,152 CA$4,456

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.66

-3.22%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 18, 2026

Last update for Arviat: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 44.8%

Arviat

$1.1K 50.1% 8.9% $90

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$392 17.4%

Arviat

$342 15.6% 12.6% $49

Eating Out

Calgary

$270 12%

Arviat

$264 12% 2.2% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$253 11.2%

Arviat

$225 10.2% 11.2% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$135 6%

Arviat

$124 5.6% 8.4% $11

Getting Around

Calgary

$112 5%

Arviat

$82 3.7% 26.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$82 3.6%

Arviat

$62 2.8% 24.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,207 in Calgary and $1,261 in Arviat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69.0 in Calgary vs $65.0 in Arviat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $342 per month, with Arviat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Arviat

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

08:27 8:27 AM

1 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

2,800

💱 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 Arviat 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
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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 Arviat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary and Arviat differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($2,255 vs $2,200 including rent). Arviat is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,382 in Calgary and $3,300 in Arviat 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: $1,207 in Calgary versus $1,261 in Arviat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Calgary versus $734 in Arviat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Calgary. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,200 in Arviat versus $2,255 in Calgary, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Arviat but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Arviat 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.

Expats usually find Arviat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.