Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Burnaby

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,678 in Burnaby, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Burnaby
Learn more

Burnaby Living Index

Jump to prices

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Burnaby

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Burnaby

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,678 in Burnaby.

Calgary $2,303
Burnaby $2,678

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,827 in Burnaby.

Calgary $3,366
Burnaby $3,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $4,976 in Burnaby.

Calgary $4,428
Burnaby $4,976

Living in Calgary costs roughly 14% less than in Burnaby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Burnaby 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.63

$21.23 CA$29.79

-17.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.8

$86.5 CA$121

-18.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$15.00

$9.53 CA$13.37

12.17%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.46

$4.67 CA$6.56

-16.70%

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

$2.04 CA$2.86

$2.45 CA$3.44

-16.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.64

$1.80 CA$2.52

4.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.87

$8.57 CA$12.03

-42.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.11

$6.18 CA$8.67

-6.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.75

$2.34 CA$3.28

-16.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.84

$2.76 CA$3.88

-0.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.67

$3.52 CA$4.95

55.11%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.17

$3.17 CA$4.45

16.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.78

$14.05 CA$19.72

-20.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.19

$14.07 CA$19.75

-17.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.79

$25.31 CA$35.52

-27.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.88

$4.42 CA$6.20

10.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$2.00

$1.28 CA$1.80

10.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.91

$4.61 CA$6.47

-8.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.65

$4.61 CA$6.48

-12.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.78

$2.81 CA$3.95

-4.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.74

$3.54 CA$4.96

-24.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.67

$2.74 CA$3.84

-4.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.24

$2.10 CA$2.95

-23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.65

$14.23 CA$19.96

-1.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.61

$13.39 CA$18.79

15.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.50

$2.05 CA$2.88

21.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.34

$2.33 CA$3.27

32.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.11

$2.54 CA$3.56

15.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$81.6 CA$115

9.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.59

$2.88 CA$4.04

13.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

$1.51 CA$2.12

-10.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.43

$26.45 CA$37.12

3.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.65

$1.37 CA$1.92

-14.60%

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

$27.9K CA$39.2K

$28.5K CA$40.1K

-2.11%

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

$21.0K CA$29.5K

$20.9K CA$29.4K

0.43%

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

$167 CA$234

$126 CA$177

32.04%

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

$38.27 CA$53.7

$44.96 CA$63.1

-14.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.5

$52.7 CA$74.0

-3.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.5

$31.23 CA$43.83

63.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.50

$10.52 CA$14.77

72.72%

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.27

$14.23 CA$19.97

1.48%

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

$545 CA$766

$649 CA$910

-15.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.6

$52.2 CA$73.3

12.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.8

$51.4 CA$72.1

-22.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$103 CA$145

-9.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$79.0 CA$111

39.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,760

$1,693 CA$2,376

-25.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,483

$1,406 CA$1,973

-24.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,838

$2,623 CA$3,681

-22.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,286

$1,985 CA$2,786

-17.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,053

$6,886 CA$9,663

-47.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,551

$5,338 CA$7,491

-39.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,372

$3,149 CA$4,419

-1.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.76

-5.25%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Burnaby: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Burnaby

$1.4K 52.5% 33.1% $350

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Burnaby

$431 16.1% 9.7% $38

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Burnaby

$327 12.2% 20.6% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Burnaby

$224 8.4% 12.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Burnaby

$129 4.8% 5.3% $7.2

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Burnaby

$102 3.8% 7.9% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Burnaby

$60 2.2% 25.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $1,693 in Burnaby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $87 in Burnaby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $431 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Burnaby

🕒 Local time

15:34 3:34 PM

14:34 2:34 PM

1 h behind Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

249,125

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calgary Burnaby 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Burnaby

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 Burnaby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,303 in Calgary and $2,678 in Burnaby, so Calgary is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,454 in Calgary and $4,017 in Burnaby 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 $1,693 in Burnaby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $545 in Calgary versus $649 in Burnaby. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Burnaby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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