Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Fairbanks, AK

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,232 a month against $2,975 in Fairbanks, AK, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
146

Cost of Living Index in Fairbanks, AK
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Fairbanks, AK Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Fairbanks, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$2,975

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Fairbanks, AK

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,232 in Calgary versus $2,975 in Fairbanks, AK.

Calgary $2,232
Fairbanks, AK $2,975

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,363 in Calgary versus $4,357 in Fairbanks, AK.

Calgary $3,363
Fairbanks, AK $4,357

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,493 in Calgary versus $5,739 in Fairbanks, AK.

Calgary $4,493
Fairbanks, AK $5,739

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 67% above, Fairbanks, AK 122% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.54

$25.15 $25.15

-31.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 CA$101

$102 $102

-29.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.06

$15.25 $15.25

-30.75%

Cappuccino

$3.77 CA$5.38

$6.12 $6.12

-38.40%

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

$1.91 CA$2.73

$2.74 $2.74

-30.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 CA$2.63

$1.95 $1.95

-5.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 CA$6.93

$6.79 $6.79

-28.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 CA$7.91

$9.85 $9.85

-43.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.68

$1.13 $1.13

66.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 CA$3.89

$5.37 $5.37

-49.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.34 CA$7.61

$4.68 $4.68

14.10%

Eggs

$3.77 CA$5.37

$4.23 $4.23

-10.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.29 CA$16.09

$21.64 $21.64

-47.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.34

$9.08 $9.08

26.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.26 CA$26.03

$20.45 $20.45

-10.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 CA$6.62

$7.64 $7.64

-39.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.05

$2.09 $2.09

-31.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 CA$6.02

$5.91 $5.91

-28.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.50

$6.18 $6.18

-37.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 CA$3.74

$3.70 $3.70

-29.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.79

$3.64 $3.64

-26.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.59 CA$3.69

$2.75 $2.75

-5.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 CA$2.19

$1.95 $1.95

-21.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.26 CA$20.32

$12.17 $12.17

17.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 CA$21.76

$12.01 $12.01

27.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 CA$3.44

$1.75 $1.75

37.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.41

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 CA$4.11

$1.54 $1.54

87.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.7 CA$126

$39.97 $39.97

121.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.61

$3.60 $3.60

-10.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.97

$2.13 $2.13

-35.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.75

$45.48 $45.48

-41.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.68

$1.28 $1.28

-7.81%

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

$28.3K CA$40.3K

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

$20.7K CA$29.5K

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

$159 CA$227

$209 $209

-23.93%

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

$37.61 CA$53.6

$63.2 $63.2

-40.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.68 CA$70.8

$142 $142

-65.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 CA$75.9

$98.7 $98.7

-46.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 CA$26.10

Cinema Ticket

$14.08 CA$20.06

$18.05 $18.05

-21.99%

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

$809 CA$1,154

$1,826 $1,826

-55.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K CA$22.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 CA$83.8

$59.1 $59.1

-0.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.84 CA$55.4

$40.69 $40.69

-4.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 CA$130

$119 $119

-23.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

$119 $119

-8.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,764

$1,596 $1,596

-22.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$996 CA$1,420

$1,379 $1,379

-27.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,908 CA$2,720

$2,605 $2,605

-26.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 CA$2,382

$2,197 $2,197

-23.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,530 CA$5,032

$1,984 $1,984

77.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,336 CA$4,755

$2,029 $2,029

64.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,130 CA$4,461

$3,943 $3,943

-20.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

6.71

-32.79%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Last update for Fairbanks, AK: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$996 44.8%

Fairbanks, AK

$1.4K 46% 38.4% $383

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$387 17.4%

Fairbanks, AK

$463 * 15.5% 19.6% $76

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Fairbanks, AK

$393 13.1% 48.1% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$247 11.1%

Fairbanks, AK

$415 13.8% 68.2% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Fairbanks, AK

$152 5.1% 13.2% $18

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 5%

Fairbanks, AK

$60 2% 45.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$81 3.7%

Fairbanks, AK

$135 4.5% 65.6% $53

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 $1,237 in Calgary and $1,596 in Fairbanks, AK. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fairbanks, AK pays 26% 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 $102 in Fairbanks, AK for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $387 vs $463 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇺🇸 Fairbanks, AK

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

04:16 4:16 AM

2 h behind Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

32,515

💱 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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Between locations

Calgary Fairbanks, AK 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Fairbanks, AK

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 Fairbanks, AK: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Fairbanks, AK. 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 $1,596 in Fairbanks, AK. 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 $102 in Fairbanks, AK. 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 $2,975 in Fairbanks, AK – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,232 in Calgary versus $2,975 in Fairbanks, AK, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Fairbanks, AK. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary 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 Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Fairbanks, AK. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.