Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and New Westminster

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,536 in New Westminster, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
123

Cost of Living Index in New Westminster
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New Westminster Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

New Westminster

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,536

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in New Westminster

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,536 in New Westminster.

Calgary $2,303
New Westminster $2,536

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,772 in New Westminster.

Calgary $3,366
New Westminster $3,772

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $5,008 in New Westminster.

Calgary $4,428
New Westminster $5,008

Living in Calgary costs roughly 9% less than in New Westminster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, New Westminster 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.52

$19.53 CA$27.29

-10.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.4

$49.69 CA$69.4

41.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$14.94

$10.26 CA$14.33

4.19%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.43

$3.55 CA$4.96

9.58%

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

$2.04 CA$2.85

$1.88 CA$2.63

8.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.62

$1.65 CA$2.31

13.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.84

$6.14 CA$8.58

-20.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.08

$5.56 CA$7.77

3.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.74

$1.79 CA$2.50

9.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.83

$2.37 CA$3.32

15.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.63

$3.49 CA$4.88

56.45%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.15

$3.23 CA$4.51

14.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.71

$10.95 CA$15.30

2.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.12

$15.61 CA$21.81

-26.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.68

$27.23 CA$38.05

-32.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.85

$3.91 CA$5.46

25.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$1.99

$1.48 CA$2.07

-4.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.88

$3.78 CA$5.29

11.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.62

$3.71 CA$5.18

8.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.77

$2.46 CA$3.44

9.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.72

$2.20 CA$3.07

20.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.29 CA$3.20

13.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.23

$1.85 CA$2.59

-13.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.57

$15.50 CA$21.65

-9.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.52

$10.88 CA$15.21

41.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.49

$2.04 CA$2.85

22.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.32

$2.81 CA$3.93

9.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.09

$2.46 CA$3.44

19.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$91.0 CA$127

-1.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.57

$2.17 CA$3.04

50.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

$1.81 CA$2.52

-25.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.27

$22.72 CA$31.75

20.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.64

$1.32 CA$1.84

-11.36%

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

$27.9K CA$39.0K

$24.4K CA$34.1K

14.64%

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

$21.0K CA$29.4K

$20.9K CA$29.2K

0.51%

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

$167 CA$233

$141 CA$196

18.58%

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

$38.27 CA$53.5

$43.47 CA$60.7

-11.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.2

$65.0 CA$90.9

-21.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.2

$33.49 CA$46.80

52.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.39

$17.69 CA$24.72

2.71%

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.18

$11.52 CA$16.09

25.35%

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

$545 CA$762

$794 CA$1,109

-31.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

$8,694 CA$12.1K

86.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.3

$52.4 CA$73.2

12.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.6

$41.09 CA$57.4

-3.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$130

$80.0 CA$112

16.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$98.8 CA$138

11.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,752

$1,624 CA$2,269

-22.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,476

$1,306 CA$1,824

-19.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,826

$2,668 CA$3,729

-24.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,276

$2,310 CA$3,228

-29.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,031

$4,751 CA$6,639

-24.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,531

$4,037 CA$5,641

-19.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,353

$3,171 CA$4,431

-1.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.72

-4.45%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for New Westminster: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

New Westminster

$1.3K 51.5% 23.6% $249

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

New Westminster

$404 15.9% 2.9% $11

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

New Westminster

$286 11.3% 5.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

New Westminster

$249 9.8% 2.7% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

New Westminster

$122 4.8% 9.9% $13

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

New Westminster

$112 4.4% 1% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

New Westminster

$57 2.2% 29.2% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $1,624 in New Westminster. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $50 in New Westminster. Groceries flip the comparison at $393 vs $404, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 New Westminster

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

08:45 8:45 AM

1 h behind Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

58,000

💱 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 New Westminster 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
New Westminster

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 New Westminster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is about 9% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,454 in Calgary and $3,803 in New Westminster 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 $1,624 in New Westminster. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $545 in Calgary versus $794 in New Westminster. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in New Westminster – a meal for two runs $50 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.