Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Hamilton

For one person, living costs are similar in Calgary and in Hamilton: $2,232 and $2,237 a month, rent and utilities included.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,237

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Hamilton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,232 in Calgary versus $2,237 in Hamilton.

Calgary $2,232
Hamilton $2,237

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,363 in Calgary versus $3,267 in Hamilton.

Calgary $3,363
Hamilton $3,267

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,493 in Calgary versus $4,297 in Hamilton.

Calgary $4,493
Hamilton $4,297

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 67% above, Hamilton 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.54

$17.65 CA$25.16

-2.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 CA$101

$60.7 CA$86.5

17.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.06

$11.96 CA$17.05

-11.71%

Cappuccino

$3.77 CA$5.38

$3.48 CA$4.96

8.33%

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

$1.91 CA$2.73

$2.15 CA$3.06

-11.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 CA$2.63

$1.64 CA$2.34

12.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 CA$6.93

$4.87 CA$6.95

-0.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 CA$7.91

$6.13 CA$8.74

-9.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.68

$2.17 CA$3.09

-13.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 CA$3.89

$2.23 CA$3.17

22.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.34 CA$7.61

$2.54 CA$3.62

110.24%

Eggs

$3.77 CA$5.37

$3.20 CA$4.55

17.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.29 CA$16.09

$7.91 CA$11.27

42.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.34

$10.76 CA$15.34

6.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.26 CA$26.03

$13.64 CA$19.44

33.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 CA$6.62

$3.82 CA$5.45

21.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.05

$1.21 CA$1.73

19.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 CA$6.02

$4.04 CA$5.76

4.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.50

$3.80 CA$5.42

1.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 CA$3.74

$2.33 CA$3.32

12.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.79

$1.58 CA$2.25

68.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.59 CA$3.69

$2.17 CA$3.09

19.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 CA$2.19

$1.30 CA$1.85

17.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.26 CA$20.32

$12.33 CA$17.58

15.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 CA$21.76

$13.26 CA$18.90

15.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 CA$3.44

$2.45 CA$3.49

-1.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.41

$3.37 CA$4.81

-8.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 CA$4.11

$2.49 CA$3.55

15.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.7 CA$126

$85.6 CA$122

3.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.61

$3.40 CA$4.85

-5.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.97

$1.23 CA$1.75

12.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.75

$23.37 CA$33.32

13.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.68

$1.19 CA$1.70

-0.84%

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

$28.3K CA$40.3K

$27.5K CA$39.2K

2.70%

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

$20.7K CA$29.5K

$19.9K CA$28.3K

4.25%

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

$159 CA$227

$149 CA$212

6.85%

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

$37.61 CA$53.6

$41.14 CA$58.7

-8.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.68 CA$70.8

$49.32 CA$70.3

0.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 CA$75.9

$37.18 CA$53.0

43.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 CA$26.10

$17.33 CA$24.71

5.65%

Cinema Ticket

$14.08 CA$20.06

$10.19 CA$14.52

38.17%

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

$809 CA$1,154

$597 CA$852

35.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K CA$22.6K

$16.2K CA$23.1K

-2.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 CA$83.8

$48.29 CA$68.8

21.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.84 CA$55.4

$30.75 CA$43.83

26.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 CA$130

$86.2 CA$123

6.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

$115 CA$163

-4.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,764

$1,263 CA$1,801

-2.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$996 CA$1,420

$1,135 CA$1,617

-12.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,908 CA$2,720

$2,006 CA$2,859

-4.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 CA$2,382

$1,869 CA$2,664

-10.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,530 CA$5,032

$2,659 CA$3,790

32.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,336 CA$4,755

$2,694 CA$3,840

23.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,130 CA$4,461

$2,896 CA$4,128

8.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.6

-1.96%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Last update for Hamilton: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$996 44.8%

Hamilton

$1.1K 50.2% 13.9% $139

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$387 17.4%

Hamilton

$327 14.5% 15.6% $60

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Hamilton

$271 12% 2.1% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$247 11.1%

Hamilton

$240 10.6% 2.9% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Hamilton

$126 5.6% 6.2% $8.3

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 5%

Hamilton

$105 4.7% 4.8% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$81 3.7%

Hamilton

$58 2.6% 29.3% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,237 in Calgary and $1,263 in Hamilton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 8% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71.0 in Calgary vs $61.0 in Hamilton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $387 vs $327 per month, with Hamilton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🕒 Local time

05:00 5:00 AM

07:00 7:00 AM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

519,949

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Calgary Hamilton 2,700 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Hamilton

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 Hamilton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 8% 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: $1,237 in Calgary versus $1,263 in Hamilton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $809 in Calgary versus $597 in Hamilton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $61.0 in Hamilton. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,232 in Calgary versus $2,237 in Hamilton, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Hamilton. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

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