Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Charleston, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $3,314 in Charleston, SC, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
160

Cost of Living Index in Charleston, SC
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Charleston, SC Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Charleston, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$3,314

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Charleston, SC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Calgary versus $3,314 in Charleston, SC.

Calgary $2,223
Charleston, SC $3,314

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,301 in Calgary versus $4,834 in Charleston, SC.

Calgary $3,301
Charleston, SC $4,834

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,379 in Calgary versus $6,355 in Charleston, SC.

Calgary $4,379
Charleston, SC $6,355

Living in Calgary costs roughly 33% less than in Charleston, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 65% above, Charleston, SC 145% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.34

$19.88 $19.88

-13.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 CA$100

$131 $131

-45.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 CA$14.89

$11.91 $11.91

-11.59%

Cappuccino

$3.66 CA$5.18

$5.90 $5.90

-37.97%

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

$1.98 CA$2.80

$2.91 $2.91

-31.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.37 $2.37

-18.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 CA$7.00

$6.68 $6.68

-25.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 CA$7.87

$7.88 $7.88

-29.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.65

$1.15 $1.15

63.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.78

$4.13 $4.13

-35.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.32 CA$7.52

$4.57 $4.57

16.41%

Eggs

$3.79 CA$5.35

$5.25 $5.25

-27.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 CA$15.68

$22.51 $22.51

-50.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 CA$16.05

$14.38 $14.38

-21.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.40 CA$26.01

$20.97 $20.97

-12.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 CA$6.45

$7.97 $7.97

-42.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.86 $1.86

-22.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.76

$4.98 $4.98

-18.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.50

$7.09 $7.09

-45.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$5.08 $5.08

-48.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$3.65 $3.65

-27.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 CA$3.54

$2.85 $2.85

-12.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$3.30 $3.30

-54.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.05 CA$19.86

$9.84 $9.84

42.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.70 CA$22.20

$20.33 $20.33

-22.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$2.74 $2.74

-10.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.37

$3.04 $3.04

1.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$1.99 $1.99

41.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 CA$125

$57.8 $57.8

53.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$3.06 $3.06

1.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$1.23 $1.23

9.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.02 CA$38.20

$31.67 $31.67

-14.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$0.96 $0.96

20.83%

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$35.7K $35.7K

-21.88%

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

$20.3K CA$28.8K

$25.8K $25.8K

-21.17%

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

$161 CA$227

$233 $233

-31.03%

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

$38.13 CA$53.9

$78.3 $78.3

-51.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 CA$70.7

$85.8 $85.8

-41.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 CA$72.8

$45.77 $45.77

12.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.64

$19.74 $19.74

-8.11%

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 CA$19.54

$14.14 $14.14

-2.26%

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

$786 CA$1,111

$1,274 $1,274

-38.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K CA$21.8K

$27.2K $27.2K

-43.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 CA$82.4

$78.9 $78.9

-26.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 CA$55.5

$45.52 $45.52

-13.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$127

$114 $114

-21.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$136 $136

-19.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 CA$1,737

$2,353 $2,353

-47.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 CA$1,415

$1,728 $1,728

-42.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 CA$2,716

$3,610 $3,610

-46.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 CA$2,292

$2,630 $2,630

-38.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,549 CA$5,018

$5,673 $5,673

-37.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,335 CA$4,715

$3,048 $3,048

9.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 CA$4,474

$4,858 $4,858

-34.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

6.51

-30.72%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Last update for Charleston, SC: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45%

Charleston, SC

$1.7K 52.2% 72.6% $727

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$385 17.3%

Charleston, SC

$535 16.1% 38.8% $150

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Charleston, SC

$336 10.1% 26.8% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$249 11.2%

Charleston, SC

$397 12% 59.6% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Charleston, SC

$169 5.1% 26.1% $35

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 4.9%

Charleston, SC

$75 2.3% 31.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$79 3.6%

Charleston, SC

$74 2.2% 6.4% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,229 in Calgary and $2,353 in Charleston, SC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Charleston, SC pays 54% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $71.0 in Calgary vs $131 in Charleston, SC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $535 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇺🇸 Charleston, SC

🕒 Local time

11:39 11:39 AM

13:39 1:39 PM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

150,227

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Calgary Charleston, SC 3,430 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Charleston, SC

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 Charleston, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 49% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 54% lower in Charleston, SC. 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: $1,229 in Calgary versus $2,353 in Charleston, SC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $131 in Charleston, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Calgary versus $3,314 in Charleston, SC – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $3,314 in Charleston, SC, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Charleston, SC. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary 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 Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Charleston, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.