Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Kamloops

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,402 in Kamloops, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kamloops outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Calgary, Canada
Kamloops, Canada
Calgary
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,303
/mo nomad
Kamloops
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,402
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Kamloops

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,402 in Kamloops.

  • Calgary $2,303
  • Kamloops $2,402

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,510 in Kamloops.

  • Calgary $3,366
  • Kamloops $3,510

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $4,618 in Kamloops.

  • Calgary $4,428
  • Kamloops $4,618

Living in Calgary costs roughly 4% less than in Kamloops, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Kamloops 76% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Calgary
Kamloops
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.55 CA$24.52
$21.11 CA$29.50
-16.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$70.4 CA$98.4
$75.3 CA$105
-6.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.69 CA$14.94
$10.85 CA$15.16
-1.47%
Cappuccino
$3.89 CA$5.43
$3.90 CA$5.45
-0.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 CA$2.85
$2.51 CA$3.50
-18.73%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 CA$2.62
$1.76 CA$2.45
6.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.90 CA$6.84
$5.93 CA$8.29
-17.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.78 CA$8.08
$6.37 CA$8.90
-9.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Calgary
Kamloops
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.96 CA$2.74
$2.42 CA$3.38
-19.01%
White Bread (500g)
$2.74 CA$3.83
$2.47 CA$3.45
10.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.46 CA$7.63
$3.86 CA$5.39
41.45%
Eggs
$3.69 CA$5.15
$4.09 CA$5.72
-9.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.24 CA$15.71
$8.50 CA$11.88
32.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.54 CA$16.12
$12.29 CA$17.17
-6.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.38 CA$25.68
$17.90 CA$25.01
2.68%
Apples (1kg)
$4.90 CA$6.85
$4.10 CA$5.72
19.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 CA$1.99
$1.85 CA$2.59
-23.24%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.21 CA$5.88
$4.13 CA$5.77
1.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.02 CA$5.62
$4.03 CA$5.63
-0.25%
Potato (1kg)
$2.69 CA$3.77
$2.96 CA$4.14
-9.12%
Onion (1kg)
$2.66 CA$3.72
$2.35 CA$3.28
13.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.61 CA$3.65
$2.63 CA$3.68
-0.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 CA$2.23
$1.82 CA$2.54
-12.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.00 CA$19.57
$16.31 CA$22.79
-14.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.40 CA$21.52
$12.88 CA$18.00
19.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.50 CA$3.49
$4.69 CA$6.56
-46.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.09 CA$4.32
$3.96 CA$5.54
-21.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Calgary
Kamloops
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.93 CA$4.09
$1.74 CA$2.43
68.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$89.3 CA$125
$38.12 CA$53.3
134.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.27 CA$4.57
$3.54 CA$4.94
-7.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 CA$1.89
$1.92 CA$2.69
-29.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.39 CA$38.27
$12.26 CA$17.12
123.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.17 CA$1.64
$1.36 CA$1.90
-13.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K CA$39.0K
$28.1K CA$39.2K
-0.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.0K CA$29.4K
$20.7K CA$28.9K
1.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calgary
Kamloops
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 CA$233
$203 CA$284
-17.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$38.27 CA$53.5
$49.46 CA$69.1
-22.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.9 CA$71.2
$67.2 CA$93.8
-24.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Calgary
Kamloops
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 CA$71.2
$42.73 CA$59.7
19.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.17 CA$25.39
$27.16 CA$37.95
-33.10%
Cinema Ticket
$14.44 CA$20.18
$11.99 CA$16.75
20.43%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Calgary
Kamloops
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$545 CA$762
$764 CA$1,067
-28.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.2K CA$22.7K
$3,881 CA$5,423
317.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Calgary
Kamloops
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.9 CA$82.3
$60.3 CA$84.2
-2.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.75 CA$55.6
$57.2 CA$79.9
-30.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.4 CA$130
$81.3 CA$114
14.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 CA$154
$104 CA$145
6.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Calgary
Kamloops
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,254 CA$1,752
$1,389 CA$1,942
-9.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,056 CA$1,476
$1,121 CA$1,566
-5.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,022 CA$2,826
$2,190 CA$3,061
-7.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,629 CA$2,276
$1,771 CA$2,475
-8.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,600 CA$5,031
$5,068 CA$7,082
-28.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,243 CA$4,531
$3,819 CA$5,337
-15.10%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Calgary
Kamloops
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,115 CA$4,353
$3,020 CA$4,219
3.16%
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 26, 2026

Last update for Kamloops: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Calgary
$1.1K
Kamloops
$1.1K 6.1% $65
Groceries & Markets
Calgary
$393
Kamloops
$393 0% $0
Eating Out
Calgary
$271
Kamloops
$308 13.6% $37
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calgary
$256
Kamloops
$320 24.9% $64
Clothing & Footwear
Calgary
$136
Kamloops
$136 0.1% $0.1
Getting Around
Calgary
$111
Kamloops
$58 47.5% $53
Sport & Entertainment
Calgary
$80
Kamloops
$67 16.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $1,389 in Kamloops. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $75 in Kamloops for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $393 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Calgary
🇨🇦 Kamloops
🕒 Local time
04:49 4:49 AM
03:49 3:49 AM
1 h behind Calgary
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,267,344
90,280
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

On the map
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  • Calgary Kamloops 440 km
From you
  • Calgary
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Calgary vs Kamloops: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Calgary cheaper than Kamloops?
Calgary is about 4% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Calgary or Kamloops?
Average pay runs 3% higher in Calgary, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Calgary and Kamloops?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,254 in Calgary versus $1,389 in Kamloops. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $545 in Calgary versus $764 in Kamloops. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Calgary or in Kamloops?
Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $70 versus $75 in Kamloops. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is it better to live in Calgary or in Kamloops?
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.

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