Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Hickory, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Hickory, NC: $2,070 a month against $2,223 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Hickory, NC
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Hickory, NC Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Hickory, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,070

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Hickory, NC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,070 in Hickory, NC.

Calgary $2,223
Hickory, NC $2,070

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,301 in Calgary versus $2,958 in Hickory, NC.

Calgary $3,301
Hickory, NC $2,958

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,379 in Calgary versus $3,847 in Hickory, NC.

Calgary $4,379
Hickory, NC $3,847

Living in Calgary is roughly 7% more expensive than in Hickory, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 65% above, Hickory, NC 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.34

$14.78 $14.78

16.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 CA$100

$61.7 $61.7

15.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 CA$14.89

$10.82 $10.82

-2.68%

Cappuccino

$3.66 CA$5.18

$4.98 $4.98

-26.51%

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

$1.98 CA$2.80

$2.21 $2.21

-10.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.64 $1.64

18.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 CA$7.00

$5.52 $5.52

-10.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 CA$7.87

$6.93 $6.93

-19.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.65

$0.85 $0.85

121.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.78

$3.72 $3.72

-28.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.32 CA$7.52

$3.12 $3.12

70.51%

Eggs

$3.79 CA$5.35

$3.54 $3.54

7.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 CA$15.68

$10.40 $10.40

6.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 CA$16.05

$8.88 $8.88

27.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.40 CA$26.01

$16.93 $16.93

8.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 CA$6.45

$4.07 $4.07

12.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.69 $1.69

-14.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.76

$2.39 $2.39

70.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.50

$1.73 $1.73

124.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$2.29 $2.29

15.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$3.36 $3.36

-21.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 CA$3.54

$1.87 $1.87

33.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.18 $2.18

-31.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.05 CA$19.86

$8.18 $8.18

71.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.70 CA$22.20

$14.72 $14.72

6.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$1.66 $1.66

46.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.37

$3.08 $3.08

0.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$1.28 $1.28

120.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 CA$125

$45.47 $45.47

94.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$2.05 $2.05

52.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$2.37 $2.37

-43.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.02 CA$38.20

$18.24 $18.24

48.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$0.86 $0.86

34.88%

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$35.7K $35.7K

-21.84%

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

$20.3K CA$28.8K

$25.1K $25.1K

-18.77%

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

$161 CA$227

$139 $139

15.52%

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

$38.13 CA$53.9

$60.8 $60.8

-37.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 CA$70.7

$56.1 $56.1

-10.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 CA$72.8

$27.92 $27.92

84.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.64

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 CA$19.54

$14.20 $14.20

-2.68%

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

$786 CA$1,111

$355 $355

121.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K CA$21.8K

$25.5K $25.5K

-39.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 CA$82.4

$40.13 $40.13

45.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 CA$55.5

$20.28 $20.28

93.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$127

$39.82 $39.82

125.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$49.92 $49.92

120.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 CA$1,737

$1,267 $1,267

-3.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 CA$1,415

$1,020 $1,020

-1.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 CA$2,716

$1,649 $1,649

16.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 CA$2,292

$1,519 $1,519

6.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,549 CA$5,018

$2,198 $2,198

61.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,335 CA$4,715

$2,159 $2,159

54.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 CA$4,474

$4,550 $4,550

-30.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

5.53

-18.44%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Last update for Hickory, NC: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45%

Hickory, NC

$1K 49.3% 1.8% $18

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$385 17.3%

Hickory, NC

$339 16.4% 12.1% $47

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Hickory, NC

$267 12.9% 0.9% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$249 11.2%

Hickory, NC

$256 12.4% 2.9% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Hickory, NC

$68 3.3% 49.5% $66

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 4.9%

Hickory, NC

$65 3.1% 41.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$79 3.6%

Hickory, NC

$56 2.7% 28.8% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,229 in Calgary and $1,267 in Hickory, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hickory, NC pays 44% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $71.0 in Calgary vs $62.0 in Hickory, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $339 per month, with Hickory, NC cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇺🇸 Hickory, NC

🕒 Local time

15:04 3:04 PM

17:04 5:04 PM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

40,374

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Calgary Hickory, NC 3,110 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Hickory, NC

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 Hickory, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hickory, NC is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 44% lower in Hickory, NC. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,229 in Calgary versus $1,267 in Hickory, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Hickory, NC – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Calgary versus $2,070 in Hickory, NC – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,070 in Hickory, NC versus $2,223 in Calgary, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Hickory, NC but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Hickory, NC 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 Hickory, NC gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.