Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Cranbrook

For one person, living is cheaper in Cranbrook: $2,231 a month against $2,303 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $860 less a year. The total is higher in Calgary despite lower rent and utilities.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Cranbrook
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Cranbrook Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Cranbrook

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,231

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Cranbrook

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,231 in Cranbrook.

Calgary $2,303
Cranbrook $2,231

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,017 in Cranbrook.

Calgary $3,366
Cranbrook $3,017

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $3,804 in Cranbrook.

Calgary $4,428
Cranbrook $3,804

Living in Calgary is roughly 3% more expensive than in Cranbrook, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Cranbrook 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.63

$14.16 CA$19.87

23.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.8

$67.2 CA$94.3

4.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$15.00

$10.12 CA$14.20

5.63%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.46

$3.99 CA$5.60

-2.51%

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

$2.04 CA$2.86

$1.83 CA$2.57

11.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.64

$1.77 CA$2.48

6.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.87

$5.12 CA$7.19

-4.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.11

$5.67 CA$7.95

1.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.75

$1.84 CA$2.58

6.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.84

$2.43 CA$3.41

12.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.67

$4.47 CA$6.27

22.15%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.17

$3.54 CA$4.97

4.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.78

$10.04 CA$14.09

11.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.19

$12.51 CA$17.56

-7.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.79

$13.03 CA$18.29

41.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.88

$3.44 CA$4.83

42.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$2.00

$1.29 CA$1.80

10.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.91

$2.78 CA$3.90

51.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.65

$4.56 CA$6.40

-11.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.78

$3.67 CA$5.15

-26.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.74

$3.13 CA$4.40

-15.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.67

$3.18 CA$4.46

-17.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.24

$1.77 CA$2.48

-9.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.65

$11.89 CA$16.69

17.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.61

$14.25 CA$20.00

8.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.50

$3.14 CA$4.41

-20.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.34

$3.82 CA$5.36

-19.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.11

$1.41 CA$1.98

107.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.59

$3.55 CA$4.99

-7.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

$2.88 CA$4.05

-53.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.43

$42.89 CA$60.2

-36.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.65

$1.12 CA$1.57

4.46%

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

$27.9K CA$39.2K

$25.0K CA$35.1K

11.80%

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

$21.0K CA$29.5K

-0.04%

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

$167 CA$234

$176 CA$248

-5.47%

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

$38.27 CA$53.7

$18.11 CA$25.42

111.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.5

$60.3 CA$84.7

-15.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.5

$28.38 CA$39.83

79.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.50

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.27

$14.24 CA$19.98

1.40%

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

$545 CA$766

$863 CA$1,211

-36.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

$3,601 CA$5,054

350.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.6

$43.66 CA$61.3

34.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.8

$50.8 CA$71.3

-21.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$77.2 CA$108

20.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$120 CA$168

-8.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,760

$1,063 CA$1,492

17.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,483

$1,153 CA$1,618

-8.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,838

$1,679 CA$2,356

20.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,286

$1,422 CA$1,996

14.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,053

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,551

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,372

$2,933 CA$4,116

6.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.85

-7.01%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cranbrook: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Cranbrook

$1.2K 51.7% 9.1% $97

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Cranbrook

$368 16.5% 6.2% $24

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Cranbrook

$243 10.9% 10.4% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Cranbrook

$255 11.4% 0.4% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Cranbrook

$131 5.9% 3.4% $4.7

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Cranbrook

$24 * 1.1% 78.7% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Cranbrook

$57 2.6% 28.8% $23

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 $1,254 in Calgary and $1,063 in Cranbrook. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 6% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $67 in Cranbrook for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $368 per month, with Cranbrook cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Cranbrook

🕒 Local time

15:34 3:34 PM

Same time as Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

20,047

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Calgary Cranbrook 210 km

From you

Calgary
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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 Cranbrook: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cranbrook is about 3% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 6% 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: $1,254 in Calgary versus $1,063 in Cranbrook. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $545 in Calgary versus $863 in Cranbrook. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cranbrook – a meal for two runs $67 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Cranbrook is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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