Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Joliette

For one person, living is cheaper in Joliette: $1,717 a month against $2,303 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
83

Cost of Living Index in Joliette
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Joliette Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Joliette

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,717

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Joliette

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $1,717 in Joliette.

Calgary $2,303
Joliette $1,717

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $2,639 in Joliette.

Calgary $3,366
Joliette $2,639

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $3,562 in Joliette.

Calgary $4,428
Joliette $3,562

Living in Calgary is roughly 34% more expensive than in Joliette, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Joliette 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.63

$18.02 CA$25.30

-2.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.8

$52.9 CA$74.2

33.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$15.00

$10.71 CA$15.03

-0.19%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.46

$2.53 CA$3.56

53.75%

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

$2.04 CA$2.86

$2.06 CA$2.90

-0.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.64

$1.74 CA$2.44

8.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.87

$4.22 CA$5.93

16.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.11

$6.44 CA$9.04

-10.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.75

$2.39 CA$3.35

-17.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.84

$2.55 CA$3.58

7.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.67

$3.02 CA$4.23

80.79%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.17

$2.54 CA$3.56

45.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.78

$11.79 CA$16.54

-4.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.19

$11.90 CA$16.69

-3.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.79

$18.70 CA$26.24

-1.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.88

$3.63 CA$5.10

34.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$2.00

$1.33 CA$1.86

6.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.91

$3.88 CA$5.44

8.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.65

$3.43 CA$4.81

17.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.78

$2.60 CA$3.64

3.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.74

$2.40 CA$3.37

10.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.67

$1.61 CA$2.26

62.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.24

$1.48 CA$2.08

8.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.65

$14.09 CA$19.78

-0.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.61

$12.46 CA$17.49

23.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.50

$2.53 CA$3.55

-1.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.34

$3.11 CA$4.36

-0.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.11

$2.20 CA$3.08

33.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$58.0 CA$81.4

53.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.59

$2.72 CA$3.82

20.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

$1.46 CA$2.05

-7.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.43

$19.01 CA$26.68

44.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.65

$0.97 CA$1.37

20.62%

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

$27.9K CA$39.2K

$27.4K CA$38.5K

1.81%

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

$21.0K CA$29.5K

$22.5K CA$31.6K

-6.71%

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

$167 CA$234

$141 CA$198

18.30%

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

$38.27 CA$53.7

$36.90 CA$51.8

3.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.5

$50.7 CA$71.2

0.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.5

$42.60 CA$59.8

19.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.50

$19.19 CA$26.93

-5.32%

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.27

$13.01 CA$18.25

10.99%

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

$545 CA$766

$809 CA$1,136

-32.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

$16.0K CA$22.5K

1.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.6

$50.5 CA$70.9

16.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.8

$37.12 CA$52.1

7.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$87.0 CA$122

7.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$100 CA$141

9.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,760

$652 CA$915

92.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,483

$602 CA$844

75.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,838

$1,302 CA$1,827

55.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,286

$1,087 CA$1,525

49.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,053

$3,928 CA$5,512

-8.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,551

$3,688 CA$5,175

-12.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,372

$2,709 CA$3,802

14.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.16

8.41%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Joliette: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Joliette

$602 35% 43.1% $455

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Joliette

$362 21.1% 7.8% $31

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Joliette

$256 14.9% 5.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Joliette

$229 13.3% 10.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Joliette

$124 7.2% 8.9% $12

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Joliette

$77 4.5% 30.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Joliette

$69 4% 14.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $652 in Joliette. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 15% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $53 in Joliette for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $362 per month, with Joliette cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Joliette

🕒 Local time

13:31 1:31 PM

15:31 3:31 PM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

20,484

💱 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 Joliette 3,000 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Joliette: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Joliette is about 25% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 15% 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 $652 in Joliette. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Joliette – a meal for two runs $53 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,303 per month in Calgary versus $1,717 in Joliette – Joliette is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Joliette gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.