Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Barrie

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,524 in Barrie, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barrie outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Barrie
Learn more

Barrie Living Index

Jump to prices

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Barrie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Barrie

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,524 in Barrie.

Calgary $2,303
Barrie $2,524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,461 in Barrie.

Calgary $3,366
Barrie $3,461

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $4,399 in Barrie.

Calgary $4,428
Barrie $4,399

Living in Calgary costs roughly 9% less than in Barrie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Barrie 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.53

$14.47 CA$20.22

21.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.4

$56.1 CA$78.4

25.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$14.94

$11.27 CA$15.75

-5.15%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.44

$3.75 CA$5.24

3.73%

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

$2.04 CA$2.85

$1.91 CA$2.67

6.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.62

$1.44 CA$2.01

30.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.84

$4.92 CA$6.87

-0.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.08

$5.62 CA$7.85

2.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.74

$2.08 CA$2.90

-5.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.83

$2.45 CA$3.43

11.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.63

$2.69 CA$3.76

102.97%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.15

$3.12 CA$4.36

18.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.72

$10.00 CA$13.98

12.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.13

$14.19 CA$19.83

-18.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.68

$22.64 CA$31.64

-18.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.85

$3.98 CA$5.57

23.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$1.99

$1.19 CA$1.66

19.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.89

$3.18 CA$4.44

32.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.62

$3.86 CA$5.39

4.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.77

$1.11 CA$1.56

142.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.72

$1.37 CA$1.91

94.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.09 CA$2.93

24.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.23

$1.63 CA$2.27

-1.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.57

$11.46 CA$16.02

22.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.52

$10.20 CA$14.26

50.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.49

$2.53 CA$3.53

-1.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.32

$2.16 CA$3.02

43.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.10

$2.45 CA$3.42

19.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$63.6 CA$88.9

40.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.57

$3.64 CA$5.09

-10.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

$1.05 CA$1.46

28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.28

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.64

$1.14 CA$1.59

2.63%

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

$27.9K CA$39.1K

$26.0K CA$36.3K

7.45%

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

$21.0K CA$29.4K

$23.0K CA$32.1K

-8.51%

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

$167 CA$233

$234 CA$327

-28.74%

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

$38.27 CA$53.5

$35.10 CA$49.06

9.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.2

$77.8 CA$109

-34.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.2

$30.88 CA$43.17

64.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.40

$35.49 CA$49.60

-48.80%

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.18

$12.70 CA$17.74

13.70%

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

$545 CA$762

$1,434 CA$2,005

-61.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.3

$63.0 CA$88.1

-6.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.6

$45.09 CA$63.0

-11.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$130

$150 CA$210

-37.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$85.8 CA$120

28.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,753

$1,459 CA$2,039

-14.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,477

$1,272 CA$1,778

-16.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,826

$2,034 CA$2,843

-0.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,276

$1,731 CA$2,420

-5.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,032

$5,201 CA$7,270

-30.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,532

$4,101 CA$5,732

-20.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,354

$3,071 CA$4,292

1.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.68

-3.63%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barrie: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Barrie

$1.3K 50.4% 20.4% $215

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Barrie

$368 14.6% 6.3% $25

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Barrie

$244 9.7% 10% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Barrie

$347 13.7% 35.5% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Barrie

$155 6.1% 14% $19

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Barrie

$82 3.3% 25.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Barrie

$56 2.2% 29.5% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $1,459 in Barrie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $56 in Barrie for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $368 per month, with Barrie cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Barrie

🕒 Local time

07:40 7:40 AM

08:40 8:40 AM

1 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

141,434

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calgary Barrie 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Barrie

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 Barrie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,303 in Calgary and $2,524 in Barrie, so Calgary is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,454 in Calgary and $3,786 in Barrie 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: $1,254 in Calgary versus $1,459 in Barrie. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Barrie runs roughly 29% less than in Calgary. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $545 in Calgary versus $1,434 in Barrie. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

For families, Calgary is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Barrie, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.