Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Kingston

For one person, living costs are similar in Calgary and in Kingston: $2,255 and $2,297 a month, rent and utilities included.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Kingston

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,255 in Calgary versus $2,297 in Kingston.

Calgary $2,255
Kingston $2,297

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,361 in Calgary versus $3,179 in Kingston.

Calgary $3,361
Kingston $3,179

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,468 in Calgary versus $4,062 in Kingston.

Calgary $4,468
Kingston $4,062

Living in Calgary costs roughly 2% less than in Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 66% above, Kingston 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 CA$24.85

$15.68 CA$22.16

12.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.6

$63.5 CA$89.8

8.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.97

$10.52 CA$14.87

0.67%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.42

$3.51 CA$4.96

9.40%

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

$1.93 CA$2.72

$2.10 CA$2.96

-8.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.66

$1.31 CA$1.85

43.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.09 CA$7.20

$5.65 CA$7.98

-9.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 CA$7.97

$6.19 CA$8.75

-8.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 CA$2.82

$2.25 CA$3.18

-11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 CA$3.93

$2.62 CA$3.70

6.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.59 CA$7.90

$3.00 CA$4.24

86.33%

Eggs

$3.70 CA$5.23

$2.93 CA$4.14

26.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.48 CA$16.23

$10.43 CA$14.75

10.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 CA$15.84

$11.77 CA$16.63

-4.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.59 CA$26.28

$11.35 CA$16.04

63.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 CA$6.64

$2.98 CA$4.21

57.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.16 CA$1.64

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 CA$6.13

$3.48 CA$4.92

24.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 CA$5.36

$3.80 CA$5.37

-0.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.81

$2.98 CA$4.21

-9.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 CA$3.88

$2.53 CA$3.57

8.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 CA$3.62

$2.15 CA$3.03

19.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.60 CA$2.27

-6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.39 CA$20.34

$14.24 CA$20.13

1.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.81 CA$22.35

$12.74 CA$18.01

24.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 CA$3.49

$2.24 CA$3.17

10.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CA$4.39

$2.98 CA$4.21

4.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$2.44 CA$3.44

15.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.6 CA$128

$57.8 CA$81.7

56.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 CA$4.64

$3.35 CA$4.74

-2.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.97

$1.41 CA$1.99

-0.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.45

$32.42 CA$45.84

-18.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.13 CA$1.59

7.96%

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

$28.4K CA$40.1K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

1.67%

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

$20.8K CA$29.5K

-0.01%

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

$165 CA$233

$130 CA$184

26.46%

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

$38.24 CA$54.1

$39.13 CA$55.3

-2.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 CA$70.9

$61.6 CA$87.1

-18.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 CA$76.1

$29.11 CA$41.16

84.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.04 CA$25.51

$8.76 CA$12.38

105.94%

Cinema Ticket

$14.04 CA$19.84

$10.66 CA$15.07

31.71%

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

$797 CA$1,126

$525 CA$742

51.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K CA$22.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 CA$83.5

$53.4 CA$75.5

10.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.20 CA$56.8

$31.73 CA$44.86

26.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 CA$128

$78.4 CA$111

15.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

$81.8 CA$116

33.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 CA$1,707

$1,512 CA$2,137

-20.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 CA$1,429

$1,238 CA$1,751

-18.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,949 CA$2,756

$2,329 CA$3,293

-16.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 CA$2,371

$1,684 CA$2,380

-0.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,532 CA$4,993

$3,402 CA$4,810

3.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,392 CA$4,795

$2,433 CA$3,439

39.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,152 CA$4,456

$3,099 CA$4,382

1.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.61

-2.17%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 18, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 44.8%

Kingston

$1.2K 53.9% 22.5% $227

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$392 17.4%

Kingston

$336 14.6% 14.3% $56

Eating Out

Calgary

$270 12%

Kingston

$253 11% 6.3% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$253 11.2%

Kingston

$231 10.1% 8.7% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$135 6%

Kingston

$110 4.8% 18.1% $24

Getting Around

Calgary

$112 5%

Kingston

$78 3.4% 30.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$82 3.6%

Kingston

$50 2.2% 38.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,207 in Calgary and $1,512 in Kingston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69.0 in Calgary vs $64.0 in Kingston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $336 per month, with Kingston cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Kingston

🕒 Local time

17:41 5:41 PM

19:41 7:41 PM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

123,363

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Calgary Kingston 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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 Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in utilities. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 2% 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: $1,207 in Calgary versus $1,512 in Kingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $64.0 in Kingston. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,255 per month in Calgary versus $2,297 in Kingston – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,255 in Calgary versus $2,297 in Kingston, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Kingston. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary 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 Kingston 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 Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Kingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.