Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Merida

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $814 a month against $2,223 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Merida

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Merida

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Calgary versus $814 in Merida.

Calgary $2,223
Merida $814

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,301 in Calgary versus $1,418 in Merida.

Calgary $3,301
Merida $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,379 in Calgary versus $2,021 in Merida.

Calgary $4,379
Merida $2,021

Living in Calgary is roughly 173% more expensive than in Merida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calgary is 65% above, Merida is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.34

$11.90 VES 10.4K

44.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 CA$100

$60.9 VES 53.4K

16.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 CA$14.89

$10.82 VES 9,500

-2.68%

Cappuccino

$3.66 CA$5.18

$2.54 VES 2,226

44.09%

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

$1.98 CA$2.80

$2.13 VES 1,867

-7.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.36 VES 1,195

42.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 CA$7.00

$1.97 VES 1,727

151.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 CA$7.87

$3.01 VES 2,644

85.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.65

$2.04 VES 1,788

-7.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.78

$3.32 VES 2,913

-19.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.32 CA$7.52

$2.00 VES 1,759

166.00%

Eggs

$3.79 CA$5.35

$2.51 VES 2,201

51.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 CA$15.68

$6.79 VES 5,965

63.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 CA$16.05

$7.87 VES 6,912

44.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.40 CA$26.01

$7.31 VES 6,421

151.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 CA$6.45

$5.11 VES 4,488

-10.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.44 VES 1,267

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.76

$2.76 VES 2,426

47.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.50

$2.36 VES 2,070

64.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$1.98 VES 1,735

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$1.36 VES 1,194

94.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 CA$3.54

$1.49 VES 1,307

67.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.53 VES 2,217

-40.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.05 CA$19.86

$3.71 VES 3,258

278.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.70 CA$22.20

$11.18 VES 9,812

40.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$1.40 VES 1,233

74.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.37

$2.21 VES 1,944

39.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$0.29 VES 253

872.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 CA$125

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$3.95 VES 3,469

-21.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$1.48 VES 1,300

-8.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.02 CA$38.20

$5.86 VES 5,144

361.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$0.72 VES 629

61.11%

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$45.7K VES 40.1M

-38.97%

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

$20.3K CA$28.8K

$50.5K VES 44.3M

-59.70%

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

$161 CA$227

$12.37 VES 10.9K

1199.60%

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

$38.13 CA$53.9

$10.13 VES 8,894

276.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 CA$70.7

$29.49 VES 25.9K

69.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 CA$72.8

$29.41 VES 25.8K

75.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.64

$14.79 VES 13.0K

22.65%

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 CA$19.54

$4.93 VES 4,325

180.32%

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

$786 CA$1,111

$88.5 VES 77.7K

788.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K CA$21.8K

$2,399 VES 2.1M

544.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 CA$82.4

$72.6 VES 63.7K

-19.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 CA$55.5

$42.37 VES 37.2K

-7.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$127

$97.4 VES 85.5K

-7.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$98.3 VES 86.3K

11.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 CA$1,737

$132 VES 116.2K

828.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 CA$1,415

$93.6 VES 82.1K

970.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 CA$2,716

$224 VES 196.9K

756.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 CA$2,292

$193 VES 169.8K

738.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,549 CA$5,018

$1,184 VES 1.0M

199.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,335 CA$4,715

$1,211 VES 1.1M

175.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 CA$4,474

$290 VES 254.9K

989.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

-81.96%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Last update for Merida: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45%

Merida

$94 11.5% 90.7% $908

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$385 17.3%

Merida

$289 35.5% 25% $96

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Merida

$188 23.1% 29.1% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$249 11.2%

Merida

$52 6.4% 79.1% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Merida

$140 17.2% 4.5% $6

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 4.9%

Merida

$13 * 1.5% 88.6% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$79 3.6%

Merida

$39 4.8% 50.4% $40

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 $1,229 in Calgary and $132 in Merida. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 990% 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: $71.0 in Calgary vs $61.0 in Merida for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $289 per month, with Merida cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇻🇪 Merida

🕒 Local time

20:06 8:06 PM

22:06 10:06 PM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

250,303

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Calgary Merida 6,130 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Merida

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 Merida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Merida is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 173% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 990% 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: $1,229 in Calgary versus $132 in Merida. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $786 in Calgary versus $88.5 in Merida. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Merida – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $814 in Merida versus $2,223 in Calgary, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Merida but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Merida 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 Merida gentler on the wallet – expenses run 173% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.