Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Markham

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,410 in Markham, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Markham outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Markham
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Markham Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Markham

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,410

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Markham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,410 in Markham.

Calgary $2,303
Markham $2,410

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,495 in Markham.

Calgary $3,366
Markham $3,495

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $4,580 in Markham.

Calgary $4,428
Markham $4,580

Living in Calgary costs roughly 4% less than in Markham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Markham 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.52

$18.09 CA$25.28

-2.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.4

$54.2 CA$75.8

29.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$14.94

$10.73 CA$15.00

-0.37%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.43

$3.76 CA$5.25

3.46%

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

$2.04 CA$2.85

$1.78 CA$2.49

14.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.62

$1.23 CA$1.72

52.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.84

$3.64 CA$5.08

34.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.08

$5.72 CA$7.99

1.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.74

$2.01 CA$2.81

-2.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.83

$2.30 CA$3.21

19.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.63

$1.92 CA$2.68

184.38%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.15

$3.16 CA$4.42

16.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.71

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.12

$11.99 CA$16.75

-3.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.68

$7.16 CA$10.01

156.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.85

$3.75 CA$5.24

30.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$1.99

$1.30 CA$1.82

9.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.88

$2.36 CA$3.30

78.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.62

$3.31 CA$4.63

21.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.77

$2.01 CA$2.81

33.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.72

$1.99 CA$2.78

33.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.79 CA$3.90

-6.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.23

$1.58 CA$2.20

1.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.57

$13.44 CA$18.77

4.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.52

$14.79 CA$20.67

4.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.49

$2.50 CA$3.50

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.32

$3.15 CA$4.40

-1.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.09

$3.10 CA$4.34

-5.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$101 CA$142

-11.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.57

$3.34 CA$4.66

-2.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.27

$18.58 CA$25.96

47.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.64

$1.20 CA$1.68

-2.50%

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

$27.9K CA$39.0K

$28.5K CA$39.8K

-2.02%

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

$21.0K CA$29.4K

$21.6K CA$30.2K

-2.70%

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

$167 CA$233

$130 CA$182

28.32%

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

$38.27 CA$53.5

$27.48 CA$38.40

39.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.2

$45.49 CA$63.6

11.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.2

$38.54 CA$53.9

32.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.39

$21.40 CA$29.90

-15.09%

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.18

$10.20 CA$14.25

41.57%

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

$545 CA$762

$526 CA$735

3.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

$27.9K CA$38.9K

-41.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.3

$43.18 CA$60.3

36.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.6

$37.46 CA$52.3

6.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$130

$93.7 CA$131

-0.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$107 CA$150

2.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,752

$1,600 CA$2,236

-21.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,476

$1,354 CA$1,893

-22.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,826

$2,679 CA$3,744

-24.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,276

$2,237 CA$3,125

-27.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,031

$6,458 CA$9,024

-44.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,531

$5,229 CA$7,306

-37.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,353

$3,216 CA$4,494

-3.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.56

-1.10%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Markham: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Markham

$1.4K 56.2% 28.2% $298

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Markham

$286 * 11.9% 27.2% $107

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Markham

$264 10.9% 2.6% $7.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Markham

$203 8.4% 20.7% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Markham

$127 5.3% 6.7% $9.1

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Markham

$117 * 4.9% 5.4% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Markham

$59 2.5% 26.2% $21

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 $1,254 in Calgary and $1,600 in Markham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Markham pays 3% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $54 in Markham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $286 per month, with Markham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Markham

🕒 Local time

08:12 8:12 AM

09:12 9:12 AM

1 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

338,503

💱 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 Markham 2,700 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Markham

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 Markham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is about 4% cheaper overall, especially in transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Calgary. 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: $1,254 in Calgary versus $1,600 in Markham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Markham – a meal for two runs $54 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,303 per month in Calgary versus $2,410 in Markham – Calgary is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Calgary wins on affordability, Markham on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.