Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Kitchener

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,460 in Kitchener, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kitchener outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Kitchener
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Kitchener Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Kitchener

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,460

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Kitchener

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,460 in Kitchener.

Calgary $2,303
Kitchener $2,460

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,450 in Kitchener.

Calgary $3,366
Kitchener $3,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $4,441 in Kitchener.

Calgary $4,428
Kitchener $4,441

Living in Calgary costs roughly 6% less than in Kitchener, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Kitchener 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.52

$18.05 CA$25.23

-2.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.4

$70.2 CA$98.1

0.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$14.94

$10.75 CA$15.02

-0.56%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.43

$4.11 CA$5.74

-5.35%

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

$2.04 CA$2.85

$2.29 CA$3.19

-10.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.62

$2.13 CA$2.97

-11.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.84

$5.87 CA$8.21

-16.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.08

$5.99 CA$8.37

-3.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.74

$2.25 CA$3.15

-12.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.83

$2.92 CA$4.08

-6.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.63

$3.49 CA$4.87

56.45%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.15

$3.30 CA$4.61

11.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.71

$11.18 CA$15.62

0.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.12

$13.17 CA$18.41

-12.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.68

$14.62 CA$20.43

25.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.85

$4.07 CA$5.69

20.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$1.99

$1.91 CA$2.67

-25.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.88

$4.00 CA$5.59

5.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.62

$4.40 CA$6.15

-8.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.77

$2.64 CA$3.70

1.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.72

$2.57 CA$3.59

3.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.51 CA$3.50

3.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.23

$1.88 CA$2.62

-14.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.57

$15.02 CA$20.98

-6.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.52

$12.56 CA$17.55

22.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.49

$2.65 CA$3.70

-5.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.32

$3.25 CA$4.55

-4.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.09

$2.80 CA$3.91

4.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$72.5 CA$101

23.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.57

$2.46 CA$3.43

32.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

$1.77 CA$2.47

-23.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.27

$28.25 CA$39.47

-3.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.64

$1.21 CA$1.70

-3.31%

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

$27.9K CA$39.0K

$26.9K CA$37.6K

3.78%

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

$21.0K CA$29.4K

$21.4K CA$29.9K

-1.78%

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

$167 CA$233

$158 CA$220

5.80%

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

$38.27 CA$53.5

$39.46 CA$55.1

-3.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.2

$59.1 CA$82.6

-13.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.2

$27.97 CA$39.08

82.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.39

$27.18 CA$37.98

-33.15%

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.18

$16.64 CA$23.26

-13.22%

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

$545 CA$762

$577 CA$807

-5.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

$16.5K CA$23.0K

-1.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.3

$55.1 CA$77.0

6.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.6

$38.51 CA$53.8

3.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$130

$78.5 CA$110

18.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$99.3 CA$139

10.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,752

$1,317 CA$1,841

-4.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,476

$1,258 CA$1,757

-16.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,826

$2,082 CA$2,909

-2.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,276

$1,727 CA$2,413

-5.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,031

$3,956 CA$5,528

-9.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,531

$3,279 CA$4,582

-1.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,353

$3,036 CA$4,242

2.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.67

-3.43%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kitchener: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Kitchener

$1.3K 51.1% 19% $201

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Kitchener

$382 15.6% 2.6% $10

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Kitchener

$285 11.6% 5.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Kitchener

$256 10.4% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Kitchener

$122 5% 10.1% $14

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Kitchener

$95 3.9% 14.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Kitchener

$61 2.5% 23.3% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $1,317 in Kitchener. 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 $70 in Kitchener. Groceries flip the comparison at $393 vs $382, with Kitchener cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Kitchener

🕒 Local time

01:00 1:00 AM

02:00 2:00 AM

1 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

256,855

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Calgary Kitchener 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Kitchener

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 Kitchener: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,454 in Calgary and $3,690 in Kitchener 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 $1,317 in Kitchener. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $545 in Calgary versus $577 in Kitchener. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Kitchener runs roughly 19% less than in Calgary. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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.