Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Grande Prairie

For one person, living costs are similar in Calgary and in Grande Prairie: $2,303 and $2,282 a month, rent and utilities included.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Grande Prairie
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Grande Prairie Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Grande Prairie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,282

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Grande Prairie

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,282 in Grande Prairie.

Calgary $2,303
Grande Prairie $2,282

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,167 in Grande Prairie.

Calgary $3,366
Grande Prairie $3,167

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $4,053 in Grande Prairie.

Calgary $4,428
Grande Prairie $4,053

Monthly costs are close between Calgary and Grande Prairie; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Grande Prairie 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.63

$17.92 CA$25.15

-2.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.8

$57.8 CA$81.1

21.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$15.00

$12.79 CA$17.95

-16.42%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.46

$3.86 CA$5.42

0.78%

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

$2.04 CA$2.86

$2.38 CA$3.34

-14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.64

$2.20 CA$3.08

-14.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.87

$4.92 CA$6.91

-0.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.11

$6.35 CA$8.91

-8.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.75

$1.76 CA$2.48

11.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.84

$2.35 CA$3.30

16.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.67

$3.10 CA$4.34

76.13%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.17

$3.61 CA$5.07

2.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.78

$11.95 CA$16.77

-5.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.19

$10.88 CA$15.27

6.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.79

$18.92 CA$26.56

-2.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.88

$4.32 CA$6.06

13.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$2.00

$1.44 CA$2.02

-1.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.91

$4.38 CA$6.14

-3.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.65

$3.81 CA$5.35

5.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.78

$1.63 CA$2.28

65.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.74

$2.12 CA$2.97

25.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.67

$2.21 CA$3.10

18.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.24

$1.29 CA$1.80

24.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.65

$16.15 CA$22.67

-13.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.61

$14.90 CA$20.92

3.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.50

$3.25 CA$4.55

-23.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.34

$2.64 CA$3.71

17.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.11

$2.34 CA$3.29

25.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$53.0 CA$74.3

68.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.59

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.43

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.65

$1.09 CA$1.52

7.34%

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

$27.9K CA$39.2K

$28.4K CA$39.9K

-1.68%

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

$21.0K CA$29.5K

$20.0K CA$28.1K

5.22%

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

$167 CA$234

$341 CA$479

-51.18%

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

$38.27 CA$53.7

$78.5 CA$110

-51.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.5

$74.6 CA$105

-31.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.5

$39.49 CA$55.4

29.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.50

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.27

$10.91 CA$15.31

32.36%

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

$545 CA$766

$470 CA$660

15.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.6

$70.0 CA$98.2

-15.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.8

$17.57 CA$24.66

126.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$71.5 CA$100

30.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$71.3 CA$100.0

54.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,760

$1,078 CA$1,512

16.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,483

$910 CA$1,277

16.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,838

$1,359 CA$1,907

48.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,286

$1,298 CA$1,822

25.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,053

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,551

$1,705 CA$2,393

90.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,372

$3,021 CA$4,240

3.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.62

-2.38%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Grande Prairie: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Grande Prairie

$910 39.9% 13.9% $147

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Grande Prairie

$366 16.1% 6.7% $26

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Grande Prairie

$284 12.4% 4.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Grande Prairie

$495 21.7% 93.2% $239

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Grande Prairie

$104 4.5% 23.7% $32

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Grande Prairie

$62 * 2.7% 43.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Grande Prairie

$61 2.7% 23.2% $19

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 $1,078 in Grande Prairie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 3% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $58 in Grande Prairie for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $366 per month, with Grande Prairie cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Grande Prairie

🕒 Local time

16:58 4:58 PM

Same time as Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

63,166

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Calgary Grande Prairie 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
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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 Grande Prairie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 3% 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: $1,254 in Calgary versus $1,078 in Grande Prairie. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $545 in Calgary versus $470 in Grande Prairie. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Grande Prairie – a meal for two runs $58 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Grande Prairie is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

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