Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Manizales

For one person, living is cheaper in Manizales: $1,173 a month against $2,297 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Manizales
Learn more

Manizales Living Index

Jump to prices

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,297

/mo nomad

Manizales

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,173

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Manizales

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,297 in Calgary versus $1,173 in Manizales.

Calgary $2,297
Manizales $1,173

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,378 in Calgary versus $1,849 in Manizales.

Calgary $3,378
Manizales $1,849

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,459 in Calgary versus $2,525 in Manizales.

Calgary $4,459
Manizales $2,525

Living in Calgary is roughly 96% more expensive than in Manizales, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calgary is 70% above, Manizales is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 CA$25.15

$7.09 COP 22.9K

153.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 CA$96.5

$42.83 COP 138.4K

60.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 CA$15.33

$10.10 COP 32.6K

8.32%

Cappuccino

$3.70 CA$5.19

$1.68 COP 5,420

120.24%

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

$2.07 CA$2.90

$1.36 COP 4,399

52.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 CA$2.86

$0.91 COP 2,947

124.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 CA$8.05

$1.68 COP 5,438

241.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 CA$7.99

$2.43 COP 7,839

134.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 CA$2.77

$0.75 COP 2,429

164.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 CA$3.71

$2.32 COP 7,498

14.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.84 CA$8.18

$1.89 COP 6,100

208.99%

Eggs

$3.81 CA$5.35

$3.40 COP 11.0K

12.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 CA$15.15

$7.85 COP 25.4K

37.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.02 CA$15.45

$7.34 COP 23.7K

50.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.87 CA$25.06

$10.29 COP 33.2K

73.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.88 CA$6.84

$3.48 COP 11.2K

40.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.03

$1.77 COP 5,720

-18.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 CA$5.82

$1.90 COP 6,123

118.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 CA$5.59

$1.83 COP 5,926

118.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 CA$4.10

$1.43 COP 4,630

104.90%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 CA$4.24

$1.43 COP 4,631

111.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 CA$3.74

$1.32 COP 4,272

102.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.20

$1.20 COP 3,871

30.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 CA$19.77

$4.29 COP 13.9K

228.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.45 CA$21.66

$12.39 COP 40.0K

24.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.51

$1.50 COP 4,861

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CA$4.45

$3.07 COP 9,907

3.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.85 CA$3.99

$0.99 COP 3,195

187.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.2 CA$126

$57.1 COP 184.5K

57.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 CA$4.43

$1.13 COP 3,654

179.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 CA$1.97

$0.55 COP 1,761

156.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.46 CA$38.49

$7.28 COP 23.5K

277.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.66

$1.27 COP 4,105

-7.09%

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

$27.9K CA$39.1K

$34.5K COP 111.4M

-19.26%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$34.9K COP 112.6M

-39.63%

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

$182 CA$255

$127 COP 410.8K

42.92%

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

$36.01 CA$50.5

$11.72 COP 37.9K

207.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.80 CA$68.4

$30.40 COP 98.2K

60.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 CA$68.4

$32.21 COP 104.0K

51.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.15 CA$25.45

Cinema Ticket

$14.52 CA$20.35

$7.68 COP 24.8K

89.06%

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

$542 CA$760

$551 COP 1.8M

-1.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.2K CA$29.7K

$6,609 COP 21.3M

220.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 CA$82.8

$85.1 COP 274.9K

-30.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.34 CA$59.4

$47.46 COP 153.3K

-10.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 CA$132

$144 COP 464.7K

-34.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$152

$105 COP 340.7K

3.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,214 CA$1,702

$398 COP 1.3M

204.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 CA$1,453

$337 COP 1.1M

207.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,045 CA$2,867

$1,089 COP 3.5M

87.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,655 CA$2,319

$687 COP 2.2M

140.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,653 CA$5,121

$2,511 COP 8.1M

45.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,183 CA$4,462

$1,798 COP 5.8M

77.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,219 CA$4,512

$1,226 COP 4.0M

162.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.43

-63.08%

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

Last update for Calgary: November 2, 2026

Last update for Manizales: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45.1%

Manizales

$337 28.7% 67.5% $700

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$390 17%

Manizales

$253 21.6% 35.1% $137

Eating Out

Calgary

$277 12.1%

Manizales

$129 11% 53.3% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$267 11.6%

Manizales

$169 14.4% 36.5% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$137 6%

Manizales

$172 14.7% 25.6% $35

Getting Around

Calgary

$112 4.9%

Manizales

$65 5.5% 41.9% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$78 3.4%

Manizales

$48 4.1% 38.9% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,214 in Calgary and $398 in Manizales. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $69 in Calgary vs $43 in Manizales for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $390 vs $253 per month, with Manizales cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇴 Manizales

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

05:26 5:26 AM

1 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

458,442

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calgary Manizales 6,230 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Manizales

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 Manizales: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manizales is about 49% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Calgary is about 2.6 times higher, 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: $1,214 in Calgary versus $398 in Manizales. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Manizales – a meal for two runs $43 versus $69 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,297 per month in Calgary versus $1,173 in Manizales – Manizales is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,173 in Manizales versus $2,297 in Calgary, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Manizales but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Manizales 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.

Expats usually find Manizales gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.