Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Creston

For one person, living is cheaper in Creston: $2,156 a month against $2,303 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Calgary, Canada
Creston, Canada
Calgary
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,303
/mo nomad
Creston
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,156
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Creston

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,156 in Creston.

  • Calgary $2,303
  • Creston $2,156

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,178 in Creston.

  • Calgary $3,366
  • Creston $3,178

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $4,200 in Creston.

  • Calgary $4,428
  • Creston $4,200

Living in Calgary is roughly 7% more expensive than in Creston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Creston 58% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Calgary
Creston
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.55 CA$24.53
$17.53 CA$24.49
0.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$70.4 CA$98.4
$63.8 CA$89.1
10.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.69 CA$14.94
$9.79 CA$13.68
9.19%
Cappuccino
$3.89 CA$5.43
$4.17 CA$5.82
-6.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 CA$2.85
$2.07 CA$2.90
-1.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 CA$2.62
$1.41 CA$1.97
33.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.90 CA$6.84
$5.24 CA$7.32
-6.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.78 CA$8.08
$5.44 CA$7.60
6.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Calgary
Creston
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.96 CA$2.74
$2.14 CA$2.99
-8.41%
White Bread (500g)
$2.74 CA$3.83
$2.79 CA$3.90
-1.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.46 CA$7.63
$3.80 CA$5.31
43.68%
Eggs
$3.69 CA$5.15
$4.44 CA$6.20
-16.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.24 CA$15.71
$10.29 CA$14.39
9.23%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.54 CA$16.13
$12.05 CA$16.84
-4.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.38 CA$25.68
$14.85 CA$20.76
23.77%
Apples (1kg)
$4.90 CA$6.85
$3.78 CA$5.28
29.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 CA$1.99
$1.36 CA$1.91
4.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.21 CA$5.89
$3.40 CA$4.75
23.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.02 CA$5.62
$3.28 CA$4.59
22.56%
Potato (1kg)
$2.69 CA$3.77
$2.23 CA$3.12
20.63%
Onion (1kg)
$2.66 CA$3.72
$2.22 CA$3.10
19.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.61 CA$3.65
$2.74 CA$3.82
-4.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 CA$2.23
$1.77 CA$2.47
-9.60%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.00 CA$19.57
$13.96 CA$19.51
0.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.40 CA$21.52
$11.59 CA$16.19
32.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.50 CA$3.49
$2.95 CA$4.13
-15.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.09 CA$4.32
$3.16 CA$4.41
-2.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Calgary
Creston
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.93 CA$4.09
$2.64 CA$3.70
10.98%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$89.3 CA$125
$54.2 CA$75.8
64.69%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.27 CA$4.57
$2.97 CA$4.15
10.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 CA$1.89
$1.48 CA$2.06
-8.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.39 CA$38.27
$23.87 CA$33.36
14.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.17 CA$1.64
$1.17 CA$1.64
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K CA$39.0K
$30.1K CA$42.0K
-7.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.0K CA$29.4K
$21.0K CA$29.3K
0.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calgary
Creston
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 CA$233
$135 CA$188
23.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$38.27 CA$53.5
$39.04 CA$54.6
-1.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.9 CA$71.2
$54.5 CA$76.1
-6.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Calgary
Creston
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 CA$71.2
$41.90 CA$58.6
21.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.17 CA$25.39
$16.08 CA$22.47
13.00%
Cinema Ticket
$14.44 CA$20.18
$10.66 CA$14.90
35.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Calgary
Creston
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$545 CA$762
$696 CA$973
-21.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.2K CA$22.7K
$13.7K CA$19.1K
18.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Calgary
Creston
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.9 CA$82.3
$55.9 CA$78.2
5.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.75 CA$55.6
$33.78 CA$47.20
17.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.4 CA$130
$92.8 CA$130
0.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 CA$154
$99.8 CA$139
10.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Calgary
Creston
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,254 CA$1,753
$1,440 CA$2,012
-12.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,056 CA$1,476
$1,029 CA$1,438
2.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,022 CA$2,826
$1,949 CA$2,724
3.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,629 CA$2,276
$1,656 CA$2,314
-1.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,600 CA$5,031
$4,461 CA$6,234
-19.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,243 CA$4,531
$3,715 CA$5,192
-12.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Calgary
Creston
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,115 CA$4,353
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.51
4.68
-3.63%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Creston: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Calgary
$1.1K
Creston
$1K 2.6% $27
Groceries & Markets
Calgary
$393
Creston
$363 7.7% $30
Eating Out
Calgary
$271
Creston
$271 0.1% $0.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calgary
$256
Creston
$228 10.8% $28
Clothing & Footwear
Calgary
$136
Creston
$127 6.5% $8.9
Getting Around
Calgary
$111
Creston
$75 32.3% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Calgary
$80
Creston
$63 20.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $1,440 in Creston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $64 in Creston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $363 per month, with Creston cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Calgary
🇨🇦 Creston
🕒 Local time
08:10 8:10 AM
07:10 7:10 AM
1 h behind Calgary
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,267,344
5,583
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Calgary Creston 280 km
From you
  • Calgary
  • Creston

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 Creston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Creston cheaper than Calgary?
Creston is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $3,454 in Calgary and $3,234 in Creston to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Calgary and Creston?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,254 in Calgary versus $1,440 in Creston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Calgary or in Creston?
Dining out is cheaper in Creston – a meal for two runs $64 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Calgary and in Creston?
All in, you’ll spend $2,303 per month in Calgary versus $2,156 in Creston – Creston is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Calgary vs other spots: cost of living compared

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