Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Fajardo

For one person, living is cheaper in Fajardo: $1,251 a month against $2,223 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Fajardo
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Fajardo Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Fajardo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,251

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Fajardo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Calgary versus $1,251 in Fajardo.

Calgary $2,223
Fajardo $1,251

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,301 in Calgary versus $1,962 in Fajardo.

Calgary $3,301
Fajardo $1,962

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,379 in Calgary versus $2,674 in Fajardo.

Calgary $4,379
Fajardo $2,674

Living in Calgary is roughly 78% more expensive than in Fajardo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calgary is 65% above, Fajardo is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.34

$9.97 $9.97

72.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 CA$100

$80.7 $80.7

-11.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 CA$14.89

$9.09 $9.09

15.84%

Cappuccino

$3.66 CA$5.18

$3.69 $3.69

-0.81%

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

$1.98 CA$2.80

$1.84 $1.84

7.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.45 $1.45

33.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 CA$7.00

$3.02 $3.02

63.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 CA$7.87

$5.13 $5.13

8.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.65

$2.14 $2.14

-12.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.78

$3.72 $3.72

-28.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.32 CA$7.52

$2.34 $2.34

127.35%

Eggs

$3.79 CA$5.35

$7.62 $7.62

-50.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 CA$15.68

$12.30 $12.30

-9.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 CA$16.05

$9.37 $9.37

21.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.40 CA$26.01

$13.16 $13.16

39.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 CA$6.45

$4.97 $4.97

-8.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$2.67 $2.67

-46.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.76

$4.97 $4.97

-17.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.50

$4.91 $4.91

-20.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$3.72 $3.72

-29.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$3.87 $3.87

-31.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 CA$3.54

$3.36 $3.36

-25.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.66 $1.66

-9.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.05 CA$19.86

$11.26 $11.26

24.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.70 CA$22.20

$15.57 $15.57

0.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$3.02 $3.02

-19.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.37

$4.06 $4.06

-23.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.99

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 CA$125

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$2.43 $2.43

28.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$1.46 $1.46

-7.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.02 CA$38.20

$41.97 $41.97

-35.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$1.23 $1.23

-5.69%

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$40.3K $40.3K

-30.76%

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

$20.3K CA$28.8K

$27.5K $27.5K

-25.97%

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

$161 CA$227

$325 $325

-50.48%

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

$38.13 CA$53.9

$70.1 $70.1

-45.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 CA$70.7

$69.4 $69.4

-27.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 CA$72.8

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.64

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 CA$19.54

$10.38 $10.38

33.14%

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

$786 CA$1,111

$809 $809

-2.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K CA$21.8K

$12.4K $12.4K

24.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 CA$82.4

$56.0 $56.0

4.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 CA$55.5

$61.1 $61.1

-35.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$127

$109 $109

-17.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$114 $114

-3.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 CA$1,737

$982 $982

25.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 CA$1,415

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 CA$2,716

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 CA$2,292

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,549 CA$5,018

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,335 CA$4,715

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 CA$4,474

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

6.55

-31.15%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Last update for Fajardo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45%

Fajardo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$385 17.3%

Fajardo

$414 33.1% 7.4% $28

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Fajardo

$190 15.2% 28.3% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$249 11.2%

Fajardo

$464 37.1% 86.4% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Fajardo

$153 12.2% 14.4% $19

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 4.9%

Fajardo

$9.7 * 0.8% 91.2% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$79 3.6%

Fajardo

$21 * 1.7% 73.8% $58

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 $1,229 in Calgary and $982 in Fajardo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $71.0 in Calgary vs $81.0 in Fajardo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $414 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇵🇷 Fajardo

🕒 Local time

13:26 1:26 PM

15:26 3:26 PM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

11,647

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Calgary Fajardo 5,580 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Fajardo

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 Fajardo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fajardo is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 78% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,335 in Calgary and $1,876 in Fajardo 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,229 in Calgary versus $982 in Fajardo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $786 in Calgary versus $809 in Fajardo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Fajardo – a meal for two runs $81.0 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,251 in Fajardo versus $2,223 in Calgary, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fajardo but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Fajardo 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 Fajardo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.