Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Canberra

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,886 in Canberra, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
138

Cost of Living Index in Canberra
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Canberra Living Index

Jump to prices

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Canberra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Canberra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,886 in Canberra.

Calgary $2,303
Canberra $2,886

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $4,020 in Canberra.

Calgary $3,366
Canberra $4,020

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $5,153 in Canberra.

Calgary $4,428
Canberra $5,153

Living in Calgary costs roughly 20% less than in Canberra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Canberra 112% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.63

$20.77 A$29.51

-15.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.8

$89.8 A$128

-21.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$15.00

$10.43 A$14.82

2.49%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.46

$3.99 A$5.66

-2.51%

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

$2.04 CA$2.86

$3.12 A$4.43

-34.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.64

$2.64 A$3.75

-28.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.87

$8.32 A$11.82

-41.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.11

$10.11 A$14.36

-42.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.75

$1.49 A$2.12

31.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.84

$3.14 A$4.47

-12.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.67

$2.53 A$3.59

115.81%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.17

$5.32 A$7.56

-30.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.78

$13.15 A$18.68

-14.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.19

$9.98 A$14.18

15.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.79

$15.08 A$21.43

21.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.88

$4.03 A$5.72

21.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$2.00

$3.17 A$4.50

-55.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.91

$3.54 A$5.03

18.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.65

$5.13 A$7.29

-21.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.78

$3.22 A$4.57

-16.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.74

$2.83 A$4.02

-6.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.67

$2.48 A$3.52

5.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.24

$1.40 A$2.00

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.65

$44.06 A$62.6

-68.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.61

$14.26 A$20.26

7.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.50

$4.81 A$6.84

-48.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.34

$5.68 A$8.07

-45.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.11

$2.53 A$3.60

15.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$94.8 A$135

-5.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.59

$3.99 A$5.67

-18.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

$1.65 A$2.35

-18.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.43

$42.56 A$60.5

-35.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.65

$1.33 A$1.89

-12.03%

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

$27.9K CA$39.2K

$28.0K A$39.8K

-0.15%

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

$21.0K CA$29.5K

$26.3K A$37.4K

-19.99%

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

$167 CA$234

$184 A$262

-9.52%

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

$38.27 CA$53.7

$26.57 A$37.75

44.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.5

$55.9 A$79.5

-8.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.5

$79.4 A$113

-35.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.50

$27.81 A$39.52

-34.66%

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.27

$16.02 A$22.76

-9.86%

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

$545 CA$766

$2,460 A$3,496

-77.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

$20.6K A$29.3K

-21.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.6

$76.1 A$108

-22.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.8

$57.4 A$81.6

-30.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$107 A$153

-13.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$133 A$189

-17.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,760

$1,749 A$2,485

-28.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,483

$1,495 A$2,125

-29.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,838

$3,065 A$4,355

-34.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,286

$1,978 A$2,811

-17.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,053

$11.1K A$15.8K

-67.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,551

$7,790 A$11.1K

-58.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,372

$4,317 A$6,134

-27.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

5.95

-24.20%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Canberra: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Canberra

$1.5K 51.8% 41.5% $439

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Canberra

$397 13.8% 1.2% $4.6

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Canberra

$330 11.4% 21.9% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Canberra

$267 9.2% 4.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Canberra

$168 5.8% 23.8% $32

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Canberra

$117 4.1% 5.5% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Canberra

$111 3.9% 39.6% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $1,749 in Canberra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Canberra pays 39% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $90 in Canberra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $397 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇦🇺 Canberra

🕒 Local time

12:39 12:39 PM

05:39 5:39 AM

17 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

466,566 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Calgary Canberra 13,420 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Canberra

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 Canberra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Calgary. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,254 in Calgary versus $1,749 in Canberra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $545 in Calgary versus $2,460 in Canberra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $70 versus $90 in Canberra. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Calgary wins on affordability, Canberra on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.