Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Fort St John, BC

For one person, living is cheaper in Fort St John, BC: $1,949 a month against $2,255 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Calgary outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Fort St John, BC
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Fort St John, BC Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Fort St John, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Fort St John, BC

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 Fort St John, BC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,255 in Calgary versus $1,949 in Fort St John, BC.

Calgary $2,255
Fort St John, BC $1,949

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,361 in Calgary versus $3,002 in Fort St John, BC.

Calgary $3,361
Fort St John, BC $3,002

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,468 in Calgary versus $4,055 in Fort St John, BC.

Calgary $4,468
Fort St John, BC $4,055

Living in Calgary is roughly 16% more expensive than in Fort St John, BC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 66% above, Fort St John, BC 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 CA$24.85

$17.70 CA$25.02

-0.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.6

$42.02 CA$59.4

64.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.97

$9.35 CA$13.22

13.26%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.42

$3.89 CA$5.49

-1.29%

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

$1.93 CA$2.72

$1.82 CA$2.58

6.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.66

$1.22 CA$1.73

54.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.09 CA$7.20

$6.19 CA$8.75

-17.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 CA$7.97

$4.51 CA$6.38

25.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 CA$2.82

$3.34 CA$4.72

-40.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 CA$3.93

$2.79 CA$3.94

-0.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.59 CA$7.90

$3.66 CA$5.17

52.73%

Eggs

$3.70 CA$5.23

$4.18 CA$5.90

-11.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.48 CA$16.23

$12.02 CA$16.99

-4.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 CA$15.84

$13.69 CA$19.36

-18.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.59 CA$26.28

$18.57 CA$26.26

0.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 CA$6.64

$5.73 CA$8.10

-17.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$0.73 CA$1.03

98.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 CA$6.13

$3.77 CA$5.33

15.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 CA$5.36

$3.61 CA$5.11

4.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.81

$2.82 CA$3.98

-4.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 CA$3.88

$2.76 CA$3.90

-0.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 CA$3.62

$2.14 CA$3.03

19.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.52 CA$3.57

-40.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.39 CA$20.34

$14.36 CA$20.29

0.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.81 CA$22.35

$21.42 CA$30.29

-26.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 CA$3.49

$4.85 CA$6.85

-49.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CA$4.39

$5.60 CA$7.91

-44.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$1.44 CA$2.03

95.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.6 CA$128

$28.86 CA$40.80

213.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 CA$4.64

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.45

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.25 CA$1.76

-2.40%

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

$28.4K CA$40.1K

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

$20.8K CA$29.5K

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

$165 CA$233

$126 CA$178

30.88%

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

$38.24 CA$54.1

$101 CA$142

-61.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 CA$70.9

$61.0 CA$86.2

-17.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 CA$76.1

$13.48 CA$19.06

299.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.04 CA$25.51

Cinema Ticket

$14.04 CA$19.84

$10.56 CA$14.94

32.95%

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

$797 CA$1,126

$697 CA$985

14.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K CA$22.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 CA$83.5

$71.2 CA$101

-17.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.20 CA$56.8

$47.43 CA$67.0

-15.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 CA$128

$105 CA$148

-13.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

$143 CA$202

-23.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 CA$1,707

$733 CA$1,036

64.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 CA$1,429

$709 CA$1,002

42.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,949 CA$2,756

$1,542 CA$2,180

26.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 CA$2,371

$1,394 CA$1,971

20.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,532 CA$4,993

$1,291 CA$1,824

173.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,392 CA$4,795

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,152 CA$4,456

$3,094 CA$4,374

1.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

6.1

-26.07%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 18, 2026

Last update for Fort St John, BC: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 44.8%

Fort St John, BC

$709 36.4% 29.9% $302

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$392 17.4%

Fort St John, BC

$450 23.1% 14.9% $58

Eating Out

Calgary

$270 12%

Fort St John, BC

$268 13.8% 0.7% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$253 11.2%

Fort St John, BC

$287 14.7% 13.5% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$135 6%

Fort St John, BC

$165 8.5% 22.5% $30

Getting Around

Calgary

$112 5%

Fort St John, BC

$35 * 1.8% 69.1% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$82 3.6%

Fort St John, BC

$35 1.8% 57.7% $47

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 $1,207 in Calgary and $733 in Fort St John, BC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 2% 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: $69.0 in Calgary vs $42.00 in Fort St John, BC. Groceries flip the comparison at $392 vs $450, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Fort St John, BC

🕒 Local time

11:00 11:00 AM

10:00 10:00 AM

1 h behind Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

18,609

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Calgary Fort St John, BC 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Fort St John, BC

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 Fort St John, BC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fort St John, BC is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 2% 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: $1,207 in Calgary versus $733 in Fort St John, BC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Fort St John, BC – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $69.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,255 per month in Calgary versus $1,949 in Fort St John, BC – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,949 in Fort St John, BC versus $2,255 in Calgary, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Fort St John, BC but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Fort St John, BC 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 Fort St John, BC gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.