Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Darwin

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $3,073 in Darwin, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Darwin
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Darwin Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Darwin

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Darwin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $3,073 in Darwin.

Calgary $2,303
Darwin $3,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $4,118 in Darwin.

Calgary $3,366
Darwin $4,118

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $5,163 in Darwin.

Calgary $4,428
Darwin $5,163

Living in Calgary costs roughly 25% less than in Darwin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Darwin 126% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.66

$22.40 A$31.85

-21.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.9

$90.7 A$129

-22.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$15.02

$11.36 A$16.16

-5.90%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.46

$4.23 A$6.01

-8.04%

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

$2.04 CA$2.86

$3.46 A$4.92

-41.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.64

$3.01 A$4.28

-37.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.88

$7.57 A$10.76

-35.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.12

$7.57 A$10.77

-23.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.76

$1.54 A$2.19

27.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.85

$3.04 A$4.32

-9.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.68

$2.20 A$3.13

148.18%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.18

$4.47 A$6.35

-17.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.80

$8.92 A$12.68

26.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.21

$8.31 A$11.82

38.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.82

$8.85 A$12.58

107.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.89

$3.85 A$5.47

27.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$2.00

$2.88 A$4.10

-50.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.92

$2.80 A$3.98

50.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.65

$5.03 A$7.15

-20.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.79

$2.55 A$3.62

5.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.74

$2.30 A$3.27

15.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.67

$2.06 A$2.93

26.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.24

$2.17 A$3.09

-26.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.67

$45.35 A$64.5

-69.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.64

$12.15 A$17.28

26.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.51

$10.13 A$14.40

-75.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.34

$7.87 A$11.19

-60.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.12

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$48.37 A$68.8

84.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.59

$3.69 A$5.25

-11.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.90

$1.35 A$1.91

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.48

$48.52 A$69.0

-43.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.65

$1.33 A$1.89

-12.03%

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

$27.9K CA$39.3K

$30.0K A$42.6K

-6.74%

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

$21.0K CA$29.6K

$33.4K A$47.5K

-36.98%

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

$167 CA$234

$215 A$305

-22.29%

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

$38.27 CA$53.8

$33.49 A$47.61

14.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.6

$60.9 A$86.7

-16.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.6

$73.0 A$104

-30.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.53

$28.22 A$40.13

-35.61%

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.29

$16.99 A$24.16

-15.01%

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

$545 CA$766

$1,939 A$2,756

-71.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.8K

$8,442 A$12.0K

92.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.7

$85.2 A$121

-30.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.9

$46.52 A$66.2

-14.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$106 A$150

-11.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$138 A$196

-20.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,762

$1,719 A$2,444

-27.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,484

$1,709 A$2,430

-38.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,841

$2,803 A$3,985

-27.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,288

$2,124 A$3,021

-23.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,059

$3,771 A$5,363

-4.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,556

$3,536 A$5,028

-8.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,377

$4,223 A$6,005

-26.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

6.14

-26.55%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Darwin: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Darwin

$1.7K 55.6% 61.8% $653

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Darwin

$377 12.3% 3.9% $15

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Darwin

$343 11.2% 26.6% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Darwin

$309 10.1% 20.7% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Darwin

$169 5.5% 24.2% $33

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Darwin

$59 * 1.9% 47% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Darwin

$107 3.5% 33.9% $27

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 $1,719 in Darwin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Darwin pays 36% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $91 in Darwin. Groceries flip the comparison at $393 vs $377, with Darwin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇦🇺 Darwin

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

23:31 11:31 PM

15 h 30 min ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

122,207

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.712 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.712 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Calgary Darwin 12,830 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Darwin

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 Darwin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 33% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Calgary. 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: $1,254 in Calgary versus $1,719 in Darwin. 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 $70 versus $91 in Darwin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,303 per month in Calgary versus $3,073 in Darwin – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

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