Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Cochrane

For one person, living is cheaper in Cochrane: $1,074 a month against $2,223 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Cochrane
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Cochrane Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Cochrane

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Cochrane

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Calgary versus $1,074 in Cochrane.

Calgary $2,223
Cochrane $1,074

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,301 in Calgary versus $2,385 in Cochrane.

Calgary $3,301
Cochrane $2,385

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,379 in Calgary versus $3,696 in Cochrane.

Calgary $4,379
Cochrane $3,696

Living in Calgary is roughly 107% more expensive than in Cochrane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calgary is 65% above, Cochrane is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.34

$17.47 CA$24.70

-1.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 CA$100

$70.2 CA$99.3

1.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 CA$14.89

$9.90 CA$14.00

6.36%

Cappuccino

$3.66 CA$5.18

$3.82 CA$5.40

-4.19%

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

$1.98 CA$2.80

$2.33 CA$3.29

-15.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.62 CA$2.29

19.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 CA$7.00

$5.69 CA$8.04

-13.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 CA$7.87

$5.72 CA$8.08

-2.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.65

$1.56 CA$2.20

20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.78

$2.07 CA$2.93

28.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.32 CA$7.52

$2.98 CA$4.21

78.52%

Eggs

$3.79 CA$5.35

$3.22 CA$4.55

17.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 CA$15.68

$8.58 CA$12.13

29.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 CA$16.05

$8.42 CA$11.90

34.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.40 CA$26.01

$8.57 CA$12.12

114.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 CA$6.45

$4.29 CA$6.07

6.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.37 CA$1.94

5.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.76

$4.38 CA$6.19

-6.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.50

$1.43 CA$2.03

172.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$1.37 CA$1.94

92.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$1.77 CA$2.50

49.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 CA$3.54

$2.43 CA$3.44

2.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.75 CA$2.48

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.05 CA$19.86

$13.80 CA$19.51

1.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.70 CA$22.20

$8.16 CA$11.54

92.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$3.08 CA$4.36

-20.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.37

$2.96 CA$4.18

4.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$3.46 CA$4.89

-18.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 CA$125

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$2.92 CA$4.13

6.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$1.38 CA$1.95

-2.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.02 CA$38.20

$21.32 CA$30.15

26.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$1.06 CA$1.50

9.43%

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$27.6K CA$39.0K

1.05%

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

$20.3K CA$28.8K

$19.5K CA$27.6K

4.10%

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

$161 CA$227

$207 CA$292

-22.26%

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

$38.13 CA$53.9

$42.87 CA$60.6

-11.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 CA$70.7

$54.4 CA$76.9

-7.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 CA$72.8

$44.82 CA$63.4

14.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.64

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 CA$19.54

$12.90 CA$18.24

7.13%

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

$786 CA$1,111

$752 CA$1,063

4.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K CA$21.8K

$9,571 CA$13.5K

61.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 CA$82.4

$42.60 CA$60.2

36.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 CA$55.5

$45.15 CA$63.8

-13.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$127

$83.3 CA$118

7.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$94.7 CA$134

15.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 CA$1,737

$1,182 CA$1,671

3.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 CA$1,415

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 CA$2,716

$1,725 CA$2,438

11.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 CA$2,292

$1,344 CA$1,900

20.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,549 CA$5,018

$22.6K CA$31.9K

-84.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,335 CA$4,715

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 CA$4,474

$4,061 CA$5,740

-22.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.32

4.40%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cochrane: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45%

Cochrane

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$385 17.3%

Cochrane

$285 26.5% 26% $100

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Cochrane

$271 25.2% 2.3% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$249 11.2%

Cochrane

$304 28.3% 22.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Cochrane

$120 11.1% 10.5% $14

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 4.9%

Cochrane

$24 * 2.2% 78.5% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$79 3.6%

Cochrane

$71 6.6% 10.7% $8.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,229 in Calgary and $1,182 in Cochrane. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cochrane pays 28% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $71.0 in Calgary vs $70.0 in Cochrane for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $285 per month, with Cochrane cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Cochrane

🕒 Local time

20:17 8:17 PM

Same time as Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

26,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Cochrane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cochrane is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 107% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Cochrane. 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 $1,182 in Cochrane. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $786 in Calgary versus $752 in Cochrane. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cochrane – a meal for two runs $70.0 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,074 in Cochrane versus $2,223 in Calgary, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cochrane but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Cochrane 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 Cochrane gentler on the wallet – expenses run 107% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.