Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Isabela

For one person, living is cheaper in Isabela: $1,271 a month against $2,223 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Isabela
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Isabela Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Isabela

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,271

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Isabela

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Calgary versus $1,271 in Isabela.

Calgary $2,223
Isabela $1,271

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,301 in Calgary versus $1,989 in Isabela.

Calgary $3,301
Isabela $1,989

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,379 in Calgary versus $2,707 in Isabela.

Calgary $4,379
Isabela $2,707

Living in Calgary is roughly 75% more expensive than in Isabela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calgary is 65% above, Isabela is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.34

$19.06 $19.06

-9.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 CA$100

$82.1 $82.1

-13.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 CA$14.89

$9.24 $9.24

13.96%

Cappuccino

$3.66 CA$5.18

$3.67 $3.67

-0.27%

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

$1.98 CA$2.80

$1.89 $1.89

4.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.47 $1.47

31.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 CA$7.00

$3.09 $3.09

60.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 CA$7.87

$5.07 $5.07

9.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.65

$1.94 $1.94

-3.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.78

$2.89 $2.89

-7.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.32 CA$7.52

$1.22 $1.22

336.07%

Eggs

$3.79 CA$5.35

$2.95 $2.95

28.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 CA$15.68

$11.08 $11.08

0.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 CA$16.05

$6.56 $6.56

73.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.40 CA$26.01

$13.14 $13.14

40.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 CA$6.45

$4.30 $4.30

6.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$2.54 $2.54

-43.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.76

$5.00 $5.00

-18.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.50

$4.89 $4.89

-20.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$3.89 $3.89

-32.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$3.94 $3.94

-32.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 CA$3.54

$3.37 $3.37

-25.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.58 $1.58

-5.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.05 CA$19.86

$12.06 $12.06

16.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.70 CA$22.20

$15.85 $15.85

-0.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$3.14 $3.14

-22.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.37

$3.98 $3.98

-22.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.99

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 CA$125

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$2.55 $2.55

22.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$1.53 $1.53

-11.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.02 CA$38.20

$41.80 $41.80

-35.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$0.82 $0.82

41.46%

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$40.2K $40.2K

-30.50%

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

$20.3K CA$28.8K

$27.7K $27.7K

-26.66%

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

$161 CA$227

$326 $326

-50.68%

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

$38.13 CA$53.9

$68.5 $68.5

-44.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 CA$70.7

$70.6 $70.6

-29.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 CA$72.8

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.64

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 CA$19.54

$10.54 $10.54

31.12%

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

$786 CA$1,111

$814 $814

-3.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K CA$21.8K

$12.5K $12.5K

23.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 CA$82.4

$57.2 $57.2

1.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 CA$55.5

$60.9 $60.9

-35.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$127

$107 $107

-16.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$115 $115

-4.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 CA$1,737

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 CA$1,415

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 CA$2,716

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 CA$2,292

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,549 CA$5,018

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,335 CA$4,715

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 CA$4,474

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

6.55

-31.15%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Last update for Isabela: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45%

Isabela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$385 17.3%

Isabela

$359 28.2% 6.8% $26

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Isabela

$263 20.7% 0.6% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$249 11.2%

Isabela

$465 36.6% 86.8% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Isabela

$153 12% 14.4% $19

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 4.9%

Isabela

$10 * 0.8% 90.7% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$79 3.6%

Isabela

$21 * 1.7% 73.4% $58

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $71.0 in Calgary vs $82.0 in Isabela. Groceries flip the comparison at $385 vs $359, with Isabela cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇵🇷 Isabela

🕒 Local time

14:41 2:41 PM

16:41 4:41 PM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

45,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Calgary Isabela 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Isabela

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 Isabela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isabela is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 75% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,335 in Calgary and $1,907 in Isabela 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.

Childcare runs $786 in Calgary versus $814 in Isabela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Isabela – a meal for two runs $82.0 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,271 in Isabela versus $2,223 in Calgary, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Isabela but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Isabela 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.

Safety-wise, Calgary and Isabela are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Isabela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.