Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Cold Lake

For one person, living is cheaper in Cold Lake: $1,912 a month against $2,223 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Cold Lake
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Cold Lake Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Cold Lake

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Cold Lake

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Calgary versus $1,912 in Cold Lake.

Calgary $2,223
Cold Lake $1,912

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,301 in Calgary versus $2,791 in Cold Lake.

Calgary $3,301
Cold Lake $2,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,379 in Calgary versus $3,670 in Cold Lake.

Calgary $4,379
Cold Lake $3,670

Living in Calgary is roughly 16% more expensive than in Cold Lake, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 65% above, Cold Lake 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.34

$19.96 CA$28.21

-13.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 CA$100

$57.5 CA$81.2

23.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 CA$14.89

$9.67 CA$13.68

8.89%

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

$2.26 CA$3.19

-12.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.42 CA$2.01

36.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 CA$7.00

$5.57 CA$7.87

-11.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 CA$7.87

$6.14 CA$8.68

-9.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.65

$1.16 CA$1.64

62.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.78

$2.18 CA$3.09

22.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.32 CA$7.52

$2.87 CA$4.06

85.37%

Eggs

$3.79 CA$5.35

$3.07 CA$4.35

23.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 CA$15.68

$10.61 CA$14.99

4.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 CA$16.05

$11.16 CA$15.77

1.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.40 CA$26.01

$18.77 CA$26.53

-1.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 CA$6.45

$3.50 CA$4.94

30.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.16 CA$1.64

24.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.76

$2.81 CA$3.97

45.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.50

$2.48 CA$3.50

56.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$2.15 CA$3.04

22.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$1.06 CA$1.50

149.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 CA$3.54

$2.33 CA$3.30

7.30%

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

$11.94 CA$16.88

17.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.70 CA$22.20

$11.41 CA$16.14

37.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$3.57 CA$5.05

-31.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.37

$2.85 CA$4.03

8.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.99

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

$20.67 CA$29.22

30.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$1.03 CA$1.45

12.62%

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$28.3K CA$40.0K

-1.26%

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

$20.3K CA$28.8K

$19.4K CA$27.4K

4.98%

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

$161 CA$227

$225 CA$318

-28.55%

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

$38.13 CA$53.9

$43.04 CA$60.8

-11.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 CA$70.7

$54.3 CA$76.7

-7.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 CA$72.8

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.64

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 CA$19.54

$12.61 CA$17.82

9.60%

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

$786 CA$1,111

$761 CA$1,075

3.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K CA$21.8K

$9,434 CA$13.3K

63.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 CA$82.4

$28.35 CA$40.08

105.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 CA$55.5

$35.05 CA$49.55

12.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$127

$51.5 CA$72.8

74.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$85.9 CA$121

27.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 CA$1,737

$860 CA$1,216

42.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 CA$1,415

$840 CA$1,188

19.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 CA$2,716

$1,544 CA$2,183

24.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 CA$2,292

$1,397 CA$1,975

16.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,549 CA$5,018

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,335 CA$4,715

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 CA$4,474

$3,084 CA$4,359

2.63%

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 Cold Lake: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45%

Cold Lake

$840 44% 16.1% $161

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$385 17.3%

Cold Lake

$335 17.5% 13.2% $51

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Cold Lake

$289 15.1% 9.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$249 11.2%

Cold Lake

$322 16.9% 29.5% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Cold Lake

$90 4.7% 32.4% $43

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 4.9%

Cold Lake

$9.8 * 0.5% 91% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$79 3.6%

Cold Lake

$25 * 1.3% 68.1% $54

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 $860 in Cold Lake. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 3% 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 $57.0 in Cold Lake for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $335 per month, with Cold Lake cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Cold Lake

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

Same time as Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

11,595

💱 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)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Calgary vs Cold Lake: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cold Lake is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Calgary, 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: $1,229 in Calgary versus $860 in Cold Lake. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $786 in Calgary versus $761 in Cold Lake. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cold Lake – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,912 in Cold Lake versus $2,223 in Calgary, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Cold Lake but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Cold Lake 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 Cold Lake gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.