Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Kelowna

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,385 in Kelowna, rent and utilities included – about $980 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kelowna outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Kelowna
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Kelowna Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Kelowna

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,385

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Kelowna

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,385 in Kelowna.

Calgary $2,303
Kelowna $2,385

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,545 in Kelowna.

Calgary $3,366
Kelowna $3,545

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $4,706 in Kelowna.

Calgary $4,428
Kelowna $4,706

Living in Calgary costs roughly 3% less than in Kelowna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Kelowna 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.63

$16.69 CA$23.42

5.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.8

$58.4 CA$82.0

20.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$15.00

$11.50 CA$16.14

-7.04%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.46

$4.01 CA$5.62

-2.99%

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

$2.04 CA$2.86

$2.00 CA$2.80

2.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.64

$1.72 CA$2.41

9.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.87

$4.70 CA$6.60

4.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.11

$5.59 CA$7.84

3.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.75

$2.04 CA$2.87

-3.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.84

$2.82 CA$3.95

-2.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.67

$3.59 CA$5.04

52.09%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.17

$3.18 CA$4.46

16.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.78

$9.66 CA$13.56

16.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.19

$13.28 CA$18.64

-13.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.79

$21.55 CA$30.24

-14.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.88

$3.57 CA$5.01

37.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$2.00

$1.49 CA$2.09

-4.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.91

$3.51 CA$4.93

19.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.65

$4.76 CA$6.68

-15.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.78

$3.16 CA$4.43

-14.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.74

$3.13 CA$4.39

-15.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.67

$2.57 CA$3.60

1.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.24

$1.98 CA$2.78

-19.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.65

$14.37 CA$20.17

-2.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.61

$13.81 CA$19.39

11.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.50

$2.54 CA$3.56

-1.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.34

$3.13 CA$4.39

-1.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.11

$2.18 CA$3.06

34.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$49.68 CA$69.7

79.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.59

$2.77 CA$3.89

18.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

$1.81 CA$2.54

-25.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.43

$34.45 CA$48.35

-20.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.65

$1.24 CA$1.74

-5.65%

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

$27.9K CA$39.2K

$28.4K CA$39.9K

-1.78%

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

$21.0K CA$29.5K

$21.1K CA$29.6K

-0.22%

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

$167 CA$234

$128 CA$180

30.01%

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

$38.27 CA$53.7

$44.58 CA$62.6

-14.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.5

$58.4 CA$82.0

-12.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.5

$56.3 CA$78.9

-9.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.50

$30.66 CA$43.03

-40.74%

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.27

$11.59 CA$16.27

24.59%

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

$545 CA$766

$1,054 CA$1,479

-48.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

$16.6K CA$23.3K

-2.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.6

$48.90 CA$68.6

20.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.8

$41.53 CA$58.3

-4.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$84.9 CA$119

10.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$98.1 CA$138

12.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,760

$1,395 CA$1,958

-10.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,483

$1,218 CA$1,710

-13.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,838

$2,455 CA$3,446

-17.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,286

$2,082 CA$2,921

-21.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,053

$4,160 CA$5,838

-13.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,551

$3,129 CA$4,391

3.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,372

$3,093 CA$4,341

0.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.69

-3.84%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kelowna: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Kelowna

$1.2K 51.1% 15.3% $162

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Kelowna

$397 16.6% 1% $4

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Kelowna

$266 11.1% 1.9% $5.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Kelowna

$231 9.7% 9.6% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Kelowna

$123 5.2% 9.5% $13

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Kelowna

$70 2.9% 36.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Kelowna

$79 3.3% 0.5% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $1,395 in Kelowna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $58 in Kelowna. Groceries flip the comparison at $393 vs $397, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Kelowna

🕒 Local time

14:22 2:22 PM

13:22 1:22 PM

1 h behind Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

144,576

💱 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

On the map

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Calgary Kelowna 410 km

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Calgary
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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 Kelowna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is about 3% cheaper overall, especially in utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,454 in Calgary and $3,577 in Kelowna 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,254 in Calgary versus $1,395 in Kelowna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $545 in Calgary versus $1,054 in Kelowna. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kelowna – a meal for two runs $58 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.