Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Milton

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,718 in Milton, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
132

Cost of Living Index in Milton
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Milton Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Milton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Milton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,718 in Milton.

Calgary $2,303
Milton $2,718

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,861 in Milton.

Calgary $3,366
Milton $3,861

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $5,004 in Milton.

Calgary $4,428
Milton $5,004

Living in Calgary costs roughly 15% less than in Milton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Milton 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.52

$14.04 CA$19.61

25.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.3

$71.0 CA$99.2

-0.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$14.93

$8.73 CA$12.20

22.45%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.43

$3.72 CA$5.19

4.57%

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

$2.04 CA$2.85

$2.95 CA$4.12

-30.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.62

$2.36 CA$3.30

-20.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.84

$4.95 CA$6.91

-1.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.08

$6.08 CA$8.50

-4.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.74

$2.02 CA$2.82

-2.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.83

$2.27 CA$3.16

20.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.63

$2.56 CA$3.58

113.28%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.15

$3.20 CA$4.47

15.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.71

$9.04 CA$12.63

24.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.12

$22.57 CA$31.53

-48.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.67

$22.80 CA$31.85

-19.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.85

$4.96 CA$6.93

-1.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$1.99

$1.09 CA$1.53

30.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.88

$2.87 CA$4.01

46.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.62

$4.02 CA$5.61

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.77

$2.43 CA$3.39

10.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.72

$2.22 CA$3.10

19.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.19 CA$3.06

19.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.23

$1.93 CA$2.69

-17.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.56

$11.43 CA$15.98

22.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.51

$13.37 CA$18.67

15.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.49

$2.09 CA$2.91

19.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.32

$2.64 CA$3.69

17.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.09

$2.77 CA$3.86

5.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$56.5 CA$79.0

57.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.57

$3.29 CA$4.59

-0.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

$1.56 CA$2.18

-13.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.26

$28.41 CA$39.69

-3.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.64

$1.08 CA$1.51

8.33%

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

$27.9K CA$39.0K

$23.8K CA$33.2K

17.54%

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

$21.0K CA$29.4K

$18.8K CA$26.3K

11.64%

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

$167 CA$233

$230 CA$321

-27.52%

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

$38.27 CA$53.5

$55.1 CA$77.0

-30.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.2

$53.4 CA$74.6

-4.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.2

$42.90 CA$59.9

18.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.39

$20.76 CA$29.00

-12.48%

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.18

$14.47 CA$20.22

-0.21%

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

$545 CA$762

$401 CA$560

36.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.6K

$10.8K CA$15.1K

50.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.3

$69.6 CA$97.2

-15.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.5

$46.46 CA$64.9

-14.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$130

$91.1 CA$127

2.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$145 CA$202

-23.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,752

$1,529 CA$2,136

-17.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,476

$1,406 CA$1,965

-24.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,825

$2,549 CA$3,561

-20.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,275

$2,110 CA$2,947

-22.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,030

$4,836 CA$6,757

-25.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,530

$4,132 CA$5,772

-21.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,352

$3,138 CA$4,384

-0.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

5.69

-20.74%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Milton: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Milton

$1.4K 51.7% 33.1% $350

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Milton

$423 15.6% 7.8% $31

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Milton

$241 8.9% 10.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Milton

$338 12.5% 32.3% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Milton

$158 5.8% 16.5% $22

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Milton

$79 2.9% 29.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Milton

$72 2.6% 10% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $1,529 in Milton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $71 in Milton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $423 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Milton

🕒 Local time

04:18 4:18 AM

05:18 5:18 AM

1 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

110,128

💱 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

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Between locations

Calgary Milton 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
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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 Milton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is about 15% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,454 in Calgary and $4,077 in Milton 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 $1,529 in Milton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $545 in Calgary versus $401 in Milton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Milton runs roughly 37% 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.