Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Cali

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,214 a month against $2,297 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Cali
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Cali Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,297

/mo nomad

Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Cali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,297 in Calgary versus $1,214 in Cali.

Calgary $2,297
Cali $1,214

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,378 in Calgary versus $1,827 in Cali.

Calgary $3,378
Cali $1,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,459 in Calgary versus $2,439 in Cali.

Calgary $4,459
Cali $2,439

Living in Calgary is roughly 89% more expensive than in Cali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calgary is 70% above, Cali is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 CA$25.15

$5.20 COP 16.8K

245.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 CA$96.5

$56.3 COP 181.8K

22.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 CA$15.33

$6.03 COP 19.5K

81.43%

Cappuccino

$3.70 CA$5.19

$3.15 COP 10.2K

17.46%

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

$2.07 CA$2.90

$2.37 COP 7,643

-12.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 CA$2.86

$2.25 COP 7,253

-9.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 CA$8.05

$3.36 COP 10.8K

70.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 CA$7.99

$3.51 COP 11.3K

62.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 CA$2.77

$1.67 COP 5,394

18.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 CA$3.71

$1.75 COP 5,642

51.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.84 CA$8.18

$1.74 COP 5,624

235.63%

Eggs

$3.81 CA$5.35

$3.05 COP 9,838

24.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 CA$15.15

$8.80 COP 28.4K

22.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.02 CA$15.45

$9.46 COP 30.6K

16.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.87 CA$25.06

$10.84 COP 35.0K

64.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.88 CA$6.84

$3.75 COP 12.1K

30.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.03

$1.16 COP 3,752

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 CA$5.82

$1.32 COP 4,279

214.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 CA$5.59

$2.04 COP 6,596

95.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 CA$4.10

$1.66 COP 5,372

76.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 CA$4.24

$1.60 COP 5,183

88.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 CA$3.74

$0.92 COP 2,967

190.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.20

$0.86 COP 2,785

82.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 CA$19.77

$4.51 COP 14.6K

212.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.45 CA$21.66

$15.11 COP 48.8K

2.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.51

$1.51 COP 4,893

65.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CA$4.45

$1.88 COP 6,072

69.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.85 CA$3.99

$1.07 COP 3,445

166.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.2 CA$126

$65.6 COP 211.8K

37.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 CA$4.43

$1.19 COP 3,840

165.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 CA$1.97

$0.57 COP 1,837

147.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.46 CA$38.49

$3.29 COP 10.6K

734.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.66

$1.28 COP 4,143

-7.81%

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

$27.9K CA$39.1K

$34.8K COP 112.3M

-19.90%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$34.4K COP 111.0M

-38.70%

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

$182 CA$255

$104 COP 335.0K

75.28%

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

$36.01 CA$50.5

$14.63 COP 47.3K

146.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.80 CA$68.4

$27.06 COP 87.4K

80.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 CA$68.4

$30.34 COP 98.0K

60.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.15 CA$25.45

$10.18 COP 32.9K

78.29%

Cinema Ticket

$14.52 CA$20.35

$4.92 COP 15.9K

195.12%

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

$542 CA$760

$414 COP 1.3M

30.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.2K CA$29.7K

$11.1K COP 35.8M

91.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 CA$82.8

$81.6 COP 263.4K

-27.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.34 CA$59.4

$43.07 COP 139.1K

-1.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 CA$132

$116 COP 373.9K

-18.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$152

$100.0 COP 322.9K

8.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,214 CA$1,702

$703 COP 2.3M

72.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 CA$1,453

$397 COP 1.3M

160.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,045 CA$2,867

$1,501 COP 4.8M

36.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,655 CA$2,319

$543 COP 1.8M

204.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,653 CA$5,121

$1,720 COP 5.6M

112.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,183 CA$4,462

$1,429 COP 4.6M

122.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,219 CA$4,512

$598 COP 1.9M

438.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.43

13.88

-68.08%

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

Last update for Calgary: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cali: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45.1%

Cali

$397 32.7% 61.7% $639

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$390 17%

Cali

$265 21.8% 32.1% $125

Eating Out

Calgary

$277 12.1%

Cali

$140 11.5% 49.6% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$267 11.6%

Cali

$145 12% 45.5% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$137 6%

Cali

$153 12.6% 11.9% $16

Getting Around

Calgary

$112 4.9%

Cali

$74 6.1% 33.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$78 3.4%

Cali

$40 3.3% 48.4% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,214 in Calgary and $703 in Cali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $69 in Calgary vs $56 in Cali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $390 vs $265 per month, with Cali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇴 Cali

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

03:44 3:44 AM

1 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

2,568,609

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Calgary Cali 6,340 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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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 Cali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cali is about 47% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Calgary is about 5.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,214 in Calgary versus $703 in Cali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cali – a meal for two runs $56 versus $69 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,297 per month in Calgary versus $1,214 in Cali – Cali is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,214 in Cali versus $2,297 in Calgary, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cali but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Cali 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 Cali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.