Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Cambridge Bay

For one person, living costs are similar in Calgary and in Cambridge Bay: $2,303 and $2,251 a month, rent and utilities included.

Calgary, Canada
Cambridge Bay, Canada
Calgary
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,303
/mo nomad
Cambridge Bay
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,251
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Cambridge Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,251 in Cambridge Bay.

  • Calgary $2,303
  • Cambridge Bay $2,251

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,293 in Cambridge Bay.

  • Calgary $3,366
  • Cambridge Bay $3,293

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $4,335 in Cambridge Bay.

  • Calgary $4,428
  • Cambridge Bay $4,335

Monthly costs are close between Calgary and Cambridge Bay; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Cambridge Bay 65% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Calgary
Cambridge Bay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.55 CA$24.55
$22.62 CA$31.64
-22.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$70.4 CA$98.5
$65.0 CA$90.9
8.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.69 CA$14.95
$11.52 CA$16.11
-7.20%
Cappuccino
$3.89 CA$5.44
$3.80 CA$5.32
2.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 CA$2.85
$2.00 CA$2.80
2.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 CA$2.63
$1.61 CA$2.26
16.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.90 CA$6.85
$4.79 CA$6.69
2.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.78 CA$8.09
$4.96 CA$6.94
16.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Calgary
Cambridge Bay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.96 CA$2.75
$2.11 CA$2.95
-7.11%
White Bread (500g)
$2.74 CA$3.83
$2.52 CA$3.53
8.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.46 CA$7.64
$2.99 CA$4.19
82.61%
Eggs
$3.69 CA$5.16
$3.42 CA$4.79
7.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.24 CA$15.73
$9.98 CA$13.95
12.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.54 CA$16.14
$12.86 CA$17.98
-10.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.38 CA$25.70
$13.94 CA$19.50
31.85%
Apples (1kg)
$4.90 CA$6.86
$3.76 CA$5.26
30.32%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 CA$1.99
$1.32 CA$1.85
7.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.21 CA$5.89
$3.15 CA$4.40
33.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.02 CA$5.63
$3.84 CA$5.37
4.69%
Potato (1kg)
$2.69 CA$3.77
$2.72 CA$3.80
-1.10%
Onion (1kg)
$2.66 CA$3.72
$2.22 CA$3.10
19.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.61 CA$3.66
$2.67 CA$3.74
-2.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 CA$2.23
$1.74 CA$2.43
-8.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.00 CA$19.58
$14.67 CA$20.52
-4.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.40 CA$21.54
$14.54 CA$20.33
5.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.50 CA$3.49
$2.41 CA$3.37
3.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.09 CA$4.32
$2.79 CA$3.90
10.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Calgary
Cambridge Bay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.93 CA$4.10
$2.32 CA$3.25
26.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$89.3 CA$125
$64.0 CA$89.5
39.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.27 CA$4.57
$3.00 CA$4.19
9.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 CA$1.89
$1.46 CA$2.04
-7.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.39 CA$38.31
$20.90 CA$29.23
31.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.17 CA$1.64
$1.17 CA$1.64
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K CA$39.1K
$26.3K CA$36.8K
6.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.0K CA$29.4K
$18.6K CA$26.0K
13.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calgary
Cambridge Bay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 CA$233
$129 CA$181
29.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$38.27 CA$53.5
$38.55 CA$53.9
-0.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.9 CA$71.2
$54.1 CA$75.7
-5.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Calgary
Cambridge Bay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 CA$71.3
$42.99 CA$60.1
18.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.17 CA$25.42
$16.17 CA$22.61
12.37%
Cinema Ticket
$14.44 CA$20.20
$9.48 CA$13.26
52.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Calgary
Cambridge Bay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$545 CA$763
$558 CA$781
-2.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.2K CA$22.7K
$14.9K CA$20.8K
8.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Calgary
Cambridge Bay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.9 CA$82.4
$52.0 CA$72.8
13.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.75 CA$55.6
$42.63 CA$59.6
-6.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.4 CA$131
$79.4 CA$111
17.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 CA$154
$92.6 CA$129
18.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Calgary
Cambridge Bay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,254 CA$1,754
$1,153 CA$1,613
8.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,056 CA$1,478
$1,097 CA$1,534
-3.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,022 CA$2,828
$1,867 CA$2,611
8.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,629 CA$2,278
$1,722 CA$2,408
-5.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,600 CA$5,036
$4,906 CA$6,862
-26.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,243 CA$4,535
$3,094 CA$4,327
4.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Calgary
Cambridge Bay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,115 CA$4,357
-
-
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 Cambridge Bay: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Calgary
$1.1K
Cambridge Bay
$1.1K 3.8% $40
Groceries & Markets
Calgary
$393
Cambridge Bay
$357 9% $35
Eating Out
Calgary
$271
Cambridge Bay
$310 14.3% $39
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calgary
$256
Cambridge Bay
$222 13.3% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Calgary
$136
Cambridge Bay
$120 11.7% $16
Getting Around
Calgary
$111
Cambridge Bay
$84 24.8% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Calgary
$80
Cambridge Bay
$62 22.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $1,153 in Cambridge Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $65 in Cambridge Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $357 per month, with Cambridge Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Calgary
🇨🇦 Cambridge Bay
🕒 Local time
02:59 2:59 AM
02:59 2:59 AM
Same time as Calgary
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,267,344
1,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Calgary Cambridge Bay 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Calgary
  • Cambridge Bay

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 Cambridge Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $3,454 in Calgary and $3,376 in Cambridge Bay 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.
What is the rent difference between Calgary and Cambridge Bay?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,254 in Calgary versus $1,153 in Cambridge Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $545 in Calgary versus $558 in Cambridge Bay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Calgary or in Cambridge Bay?
Dining out is cheaper in Cambridge Bay – a meal for two runs $65 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $3,000 enough for either Calgary or Cambridge Bay?
Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Cambridge Bay gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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