Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Lexington, KY

For one person, living costs are similar in Calgary and in Lexington, KY: $2,232 and $2,173 a month, rent and utilities included.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lexington, KY
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Lexington, KY Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Lexington, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,173

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Lexington, KY

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,232 in Calgary versus $2,173 in Lexington, KY.

Calgary $2,232
Lexington, KY $2,173

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,363 in Calgary versus $3,265 in Lexington, KY.

Calgary $3,363
Lexington, KY $3,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,493 in Calgary versus $4,356 in Lexington, KY.

Calgary $4,493
Lexington, KY $4,356

Living in Calgary is roughly 3% more expensive than in Lexington, KY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 67% above, Lexington, KY 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.54

$13.14 $13.14

31.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 CA$101

$57.5 $57.5

23.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.06

$9.14 $9.14

15.54%

Cappuccino

$3.77 CA$5.38

$5.13 $5.13

-26.51%

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

$1.91 CA$2.73

$2.53 $2.53

-24.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 CA$2.63

$2.06 $2.06

-10.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 CA$6.93

$4.99 $4.99

-2.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 CA$7.91

$5.97 $5.97

-7.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.68

$0.78 $0.78

141.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 CA$3.89

$2.88 $2.88

-5.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.34 CA$7.61

$3.98 $3.98

34.17%

Eggs

$3.77 CA$5.37

$3.68 $3.68

2.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.29 CA$16.09

$10.19 $10.19

10.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.34

$10.17 $10.17

12.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.26 CA$26.03

$14.52 $14.52

25.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 CA$6.62

$5.49 $5.49

-15.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.05

$1.52 $1.52

-5.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 CA$6.02

$5.49 $5.49

-23.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.50

$4.41 $4.41

-12.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 CA$3.74

$4.14 $4.14

-36.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.79

$3.07 $3.07

-13.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.59 CA$3.69

$2.08 $2.08

24.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 CA$2.19

$3.18 $3.18

-51.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.26 CA$20.32

$8.44 $8.44

68.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 CA$21.76

$13.02 $13.02

17.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 CA$3.44

$2.69 $2.69

-10.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.41

$4.31 $4.31

-28.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 CA$4.11

$1.02 $1.02

182.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.7 CA$126

$29.70 $29.70

198.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.61

$4.92 $4.92

-34.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.68

$1.00 $1.00

18.00%

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

$28.3K CA$40.3K

$37.0K $37.0K

-23.64%

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

$20.7K CA$29.5K

$25.2K $25.2K

-17.90%

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

$159 CA$227

$188 $188

-15.35%

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

$37.61 CA$53.6

$106 $106

-64.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.68 CA$70.8

$74.6 $74.6

-33.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 CA$75.9

$39.07 $39.07

36.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 CA$26.10

$30.41 $30.41

-39.79%

Cinema Ticket

$14.08 CA$20.06

$15.25 $15.25

-7.67%

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

$809 CA$1,154

$2,222 $2,222

-63.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K CA$22.6K

$24.9K $24.9K

-36.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 CA$83.8

$51.3 $51.3

14.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.84 CA$55.4

$31.32 $31.32

24.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 CA$130

$117 $117

-22.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

$151 $151

-27.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,764

$1,147 $1,147

7.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$996 CA$1,420

$929 $929

7.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,908 CA$2,720

$2,058 $2,058

-7.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 CA$2,382

$1,589 $1,589

5.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,530 CA$5,032

$2,118 $2,118

66.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,336 CA$4,755

$2,077 $2,077

60.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,130 CA$4,461

$4,029 $4,029

-22.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

6.82

-33.87%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Last update for Lexington, KY: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$996 44.8%

Lexington, KY

$929 42.3% 6.7% $67

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$387 17.4%

Lexington, KY

$386 17.5% 0.3% $1.4

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Lexington, KY

$249 11.3% 6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$247 11.1%

Lexington, KY

$369 16.8% 49.6% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Lexington, KY

$158 7.2% 17.9% $24

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 5%

Lexington, KY

$39 * 1.8% 64.9% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$81 3.7%

Lexington, KY

$70 3.2% 14.5% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,237 in Calgary and $1,147 in Lexington, KY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lexington, KY pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $71.0 in Calgary vs $57.0 in Lexington, KY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $387 vs $386 per month, with Lexington, KY cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇺🇸 Lexington, KY

🕒 Local time

23:33 11:33 PM

01:33 1:33 AM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

322,570

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Calgary Lexington, KY 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Lexington, KY

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 Lexington, KY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lexington, KY is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Lexington, KY. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,237 in Calgary versus $1,147 in Lexington, KY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lexington, KY – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,232 per month in Calgary versus $2,173 in Lexington, KY – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,173 in Lexington, KY versus $2,232 in Calgary, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lexington, KY but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Lexington, KY 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 Lexington, KY 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 Lexington, KY gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.