Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Montclair, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $2,923 in Montclair, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
141

Cost of Living Index in Montclair, NJ
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Montclair, NJ Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Montclair, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,923

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Montclair, NJ

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,923 in Montclair, NJ.

Calgary $2,223
Montclair, NJ $2,923

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,301 in Calgary versus $4,274 in Montclair, NJ.

Calgary $3,301
Montclair, NJ $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,379 in Calgary versus $5,626 in Montclair, NJ.

Calgary $4,379
Montclair, NJ $5,626

Living in Calgary costs roughly 24% less than in Montclair, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 65% above, Montclair, NJ 117% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.34

$19.91 $19.91

-13.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 CA$100

$79.4 $79.4

-10.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 CA$14.89

$13.18 $13.18

-20.11%

Cappuccino

$3.66 CA$5.18

$6.44 $6.44

-43.17%

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

$1.98 CA$2.80

$2.48 $2.48

-20.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.48 $1.48

31.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 CA$7.00

$8.66 $8.66

-42.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 CA$7.87

$6.91 $6.91

-19.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.65

$1.27 $1.27

48.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.78

$4.47 $4.47

-40.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.32 CA$7.52

$6.09 $6.09

-12.64%

Eggs

$3.79 CA$5.35

$6.14 $6.14

-38.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 CA$15.68

$13.71 $13.71

-19.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 CA$16.05

$10.37 $10.37

9.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.40 CA$26.01

$18.41 $18.41

-0.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 CA$6.45

$5.87 $5.87

-22.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$2.09 $2.09

-31.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.76

$4.18 $4.18

-2.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.50

$5.45 $5.45

-28.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$3.09 $3.09

-14.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$3.00 $3.00

-12.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 CA$3.54

$2.90 $2.90

-13.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.62 $2.62

-42.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.05 CA$19.86

$17.73 $17.73

-20.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.70 CA$22.20

$14.84 $14.84

5.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$1.76 $1.76

38.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.37

$3.65 $3.65

-15.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.99

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 CA$125

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$2.92 $2.92

6.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$2.11 $2.11

-36.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.02 CA$38.20

$41.91 $41.91

-35.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$1.11 $1.11

4.50%

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$36.2K $36.2K

-22.82%

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

$20.3K CA$28.8K

$25.1K $25.1K

-18.81%

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

$161 CA$227

$170 $170

-5.28%

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

$38.13 CA$53.9

$51.7 $51.7

-26.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 CA$70.7

$49.53 $49.53

1.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 CA$72.8

$79.2 $79.2

-34.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.64

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 CA$19.54

$20.46 $20.46

-32.45%

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

$786 CA$1,111

$2,014 $2,014

-60.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K CA$21.8K

$15.9K $15.9K

-3.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 CA$82.4

$71.1 $71.1

-18.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 CA$55.5

$51.5 $51.5

-23.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$127

$101 $101

-11.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$121 $121

-9.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 CA$1,737

$2,227 $2,227

-44.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 CA$1,415

$1,570 $1,570

-36.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 CA$2,716

$3,763 $3,763

-48.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 CA$2,292

$2,573 $2,573

-37.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,549 CA$5,018

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,335 CA$4,715

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 CA$4,474

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

6.8

-33.68%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Last update for Montclair, NJ: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45%

Montclair, NJ

$1.6K 53.7% 56.8% $568

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$385 17.3%

Montclair, NJ

$444 15.2% 15.3% $59

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Montclair, NJ

$349 11.9% 31.8% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$249 11.2%

Montclair, NJ

$271 9.3% 8.9% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Montclair, NJ

$155 5.3% 16% $21

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 4.9%

Montclair, NJ

$13 * 0.5% 87.7% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$79 3.6%

Montclair, NJ

$120 4.1% 51.8% $41

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 $2,227 in Montclair, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $71.0 in Calgary vs $79.0 in Montclair, NJ for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $444 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇺🇸 Montclair, NJ

🕒 Local time

16:31 4:31 PM

18:31 6:31 PM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

37,669

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Calgary Montclair, NJ 3,240 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Montclair, NJ

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 Montclair, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 31% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,335 in Calgary and $4,384 in Montclair, NJ 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: $1,229 in Calgary versus $2,227 in Montclair, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $786 in Calgary versus $2,014 in Montclair, NJ. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $79.0 in Montclair, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,923 in Montclair, NJ, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Montclair, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary 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 Montclair, NJ 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 Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Montclair, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.