Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Guelph

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,693 in Guelph, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
128

Cost of Living Index in Guelph
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Guelph Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Guelph

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Guelph

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,693 in Guelph.

Calgary $2,303
Guelph $2,693

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,753 in Guelph.

Calgary $3,366
Guelph $3,753

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $4,814 in Guelph.

Calgary $4,428
Guelph $4,814

Living in Calgary costs roughly 14% less than in Guelph, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Guelph 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.55

$21.26 CA$29.73

-17.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.5

$70.7 CA$98.9

-0.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$14.95

$11.61 CA$16.24

-7.92%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.44

$3.49 CA$4.88

11.46%

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

$2.04 CA$2.85

$1.44 CA$2.01

41.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.63

$1.31 CA$1.83

43.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.85

$5.10 CA$7.14

-3.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.09

$5.85 CA$8.18

-1.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.75

$2.16 CA$3.02

-9.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.83

$2.78 CA$3.89

-1.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.64

$3.78 CA$5.29

44.44%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.16

$3.06 CA$4.28

20.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.73

$10.04 CA$14.05

11.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.14

$16.01 CA$22.39

-27.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.70

$22.09 CA$30.90

-16.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.86

$3.54 CA$4.95

38.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$1.99

$1.32 CA$1.84

7.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.89

$4.34 CA$6.08

-3.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.63

$4.74 CA$6.63

-15.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.77

$3.48 CA$4.87

-22.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.72

$2.34 CA$3.27

13.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$3.02 CA$4.22

-13.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.23

$1.48 CA$2.07

8.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.58

$10.86 CA$15.18

28.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.54

$10.94 CA$15.30

40.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.49

$3.50 CA$4.90

-28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.32

$3.11 CA$4.35

-0.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.10

$2.28 CA$3.20

28.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$65.9 CA$92.2

35.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.57

$2.34 CA$3.27

39.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

$1.83 CA$2.57

-26.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.31

$23.94 CA$33.48

14.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.64

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

$27.9K CA$39.1K

$28.4K CA$39.7K

-1.53%

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

$21.0K CA$29.4K

$22.9K CA$32.0K

-7.97%

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

$167 CA$233

$122 CA$171

36.64%

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

$38.27 CA$53.5

$42.99 CA$60.1

-10.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.2

$56.3 CA$78.7

-9.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.3

$47.50 CA$66.4

7.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.42

$14.55 CA$20.36

24.88%

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.20

$10.55 CA$14.76

36.87%

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

$545 CA$763

$832 CA$1,163

-34.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

$17.2K CA$24.0K

-5.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.4

$62.9 CA$88.0

-6.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.6

$36.51 CA$51.1

8.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$84.9 CA$119

9.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$124 CA$174

-11.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,754

$1,515 CA$2,119

-17.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,478

$1,472 CA$2,059

-28.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,828

$2,164 CA$3,027

-6.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,278

$2,008 CA$2,808

-18.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,036

$4,967 CA$6,947

-27.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,535

$4,356 CA$6,093

-25.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,357

$3,053 CA$4,270

2.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.99

-9.62%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Guelph: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Guelph

$1.5K 54.7% 39.3% $415

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Guelph

$410 15.2% 4.5% $18

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Guelph

$295 11% 8.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Guelph

$221 8.2% 13.5% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Guelph

$139 5.2% 2.1% $2.9

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Guelph

$87 3.2% 22% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Guelph

$69 2.6% 14.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $1,515 in Guelph. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $71 in Guelph for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $410 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Guelph

🕒 Local time

00:51 12:51 AM

02:51 2:51 AM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

131,794

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Calgary Guelph 2,660 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
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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 Guelph: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,454 in Calgary and $4,039 in Guelph 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: $1,254 in Calgary versus $1,515 in Guelph. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $545 in Calgary versus $832 in Guelph. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Guelph runs roughly 26% less than in Calgary. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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