Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Columbia, SC

For one person, living costs are similar in Calgary and in Columbia, SC: $2,232 and $2,257 a month, rent and utilities included.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, SC
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Columbia, SC Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Columbia, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,257

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Columbia, 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 Columbia, SC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,232 in Calgary versus $2,257 in Columbia, SC.

Calgary $2,232
Columbia, SC $2,257

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,363 in Calgary versus $3,448 in Columbia, SC.

Calgary $3,363
Columbia, SC $3,448

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,493 in Calgary versus $4,639 in Columbia, SC.

Calgary $4,493
Columbia, SC $4,639

Living in Calgary costs roughly 1% less than in Columbia, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 67% above, Columbia, SC 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.54

$20.25 $20.25

-14.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 CA$101

$59.0 $59.0

20.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.06

$12.14 $12.14

-13.01%

Cappuccino

$3.77 CA$5.38

$5.26 $5.26

-28.33%

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

$1.91 CA$2.73

$2.84 $2.84

-32.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 CA$2.63

$2.20 $2.20

-16.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 CA$6.93

$5.63 $5.63

-13.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 CA$7.91

$6.68 $6.68

-16.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.68

$0.78 $0.78

141.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 CA$3.89

$2.47 $2.47

10.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.34 CA$7.61

$4.69 $4.69

13.86%

Eggs

$3.77 CA$5.37

$4.17 $4.17

-9.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.29 CA$16.09

$10.26 $10.26

10.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.34

$11.10 $11.10

3.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.26 CA$26.03

$16.12 $16.12

13.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 CA$6.62

$5.01 $5.01

-7.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.05

$1.56 $1.56

-7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 CA$6.02

$6.57 $6.57

-35.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.50

$6.22 $6.22

-37.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 CA$3.74

$3.16 $3.16

-17.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.79

$4.17 $4.17

-36.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.59 CA$3.69

$1.90 $1.90

36.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 CA$2.19

$1.74 $1.74

-12.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.26 CA$20.32

$8.27 $8.27

72.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 CA$21.76

$16.20 $16.20

-5.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 CA$3.44

$1.89 $1.89

27.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.41

$2.68 $2.68

15.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 CA$4.11

$2.04 $2.04

41.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.7 CA$126

$40.05 $40.05

121.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.61

$1.98 $1.98

63.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.97

$1.56 $1.56

-11.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.75

$17.90 $17.90

47.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.68

$0.98 $0.98

20.41%

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

$28.3K CA$40.3K

$34.4K $34.4K

-17.91%

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

$20.7K CA$29.5K

$24.9K $24.9K

-16.65%

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

$159 CA$227

$270 $270

-40.96%

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

$37.61 CA$53.6

$59.5 $59.5

-36.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.68 CA$70.8

$65.3 $65.3

-23.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 CA$75.9

$36.84 $36.84

44.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 CA$26.10

$17.87 $17.87

2.46%

Cinema Ticket

$14.08 CA$20.06

$15.21 $15.21

-7.43%

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

$809 CA$1,154

$1,122 $1,122

-27.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K CA$22.6K

$22.6K $22.6K

-29.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 CA$83.8

$51.3 $51.3

14.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.84 CA$55.4

$40.48 $40.48

-4.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 CA$130

$83.8 $83.8

9.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

$115 $115

-5.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,764

$1,270 $1,270

-2.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$996 CA$1,420

$855 $855

16.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,908 CA$2,720

$2,183 $2,183

-12.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 CA$2,382

$1,776 $1,776

-5.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,530 CA$5,032

$2,102 $2,102

67.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,336 CA$4,755

$1,639 $1,639

103.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,130 CA$4,461

$3,253 $3,253

-3.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

6.56

-31.25%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Last update for Columbia, SC: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$996 44.8%

Columbia, SC

$855 38.6% 14.2% $141

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$387 17.4%

Columbia, SC

$388 17.5% 0.2% $0.7

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Columbia, SC

$323 14.6% 21.9% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$247 11.1%

Columbia, SC

$395 17.8% 60% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Columbia, SC

$131 5.9% 2.5% $3.3

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 5%

Columbia, SC

$58 2.6% 47.4% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$81 3.7%

Columbia, SC

$67 3% 17.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,237 in Calgary and $1,270 in Columbia, SC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Columbia, SC pays 4% 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 $59.0 in Columbia, SC. Groceries flip the comparison at $387 vs $388, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇺🇸 Columbia, SC

🕒 Local time

04:12 4:12 AM

06:12 6:12 AM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

139,698

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Calgary Columbia, SC 3,260 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Columbia, 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 Columbia, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Columbia, 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: $1,237 in Calgary versus $1,270 in Columbia, 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 $59.0 in Columbia, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,232 per month in Calgary versus $2,257 in Columbia, SC – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,232 in Calgary versus $2,257 in Columbia, SC, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Columbia, SC. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Calgary is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Columbia, SC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Columbia, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.