Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Oakville

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,255 a month against $2,641 in Oakville, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Oakville outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Oakville
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Oakville Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Oakville

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Oakville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,255 in Calgary versus $2,641 in Oakville.

Calgary $2,255
Oakville $2,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,361 in Calgary versus $3,848 in Oakville.

Calgary $3,361
Oakville $3,848

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,468 in Calgary versus $5,054 in Oakville.

Calgary $4,468
Oakville $5,054

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 66% above, Oakville 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 CA$24.85

$14.43 CA$20.39

21.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.6

$71.8 CA$102

-3.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.97

$9.34 CA$13.20

13.38%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.42

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

$1.93 CA$2.72

$2.20 CA$3.10

-12.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.66

$1.74 CA$2.45

8.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.09 CA$7.20

$5.83 CA$8.24

-12.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 CA$7.97

$6.48 CA$9.17

-12.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 CA$2.82

$2.56 CA$3.62

-21.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 CA$3.93

$3.30 CA$4.67

-15.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.59 CA$7.90

$3.50 CA$4.94

59.71%

Eggs

$3.70 CA$5.23

$4.18 CA$5.91

-11.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.48 CA$16.23

$10.42 CA$14.74

10.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 CA$15.84

$11.95 CA$16.90

-6.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.59 CA$26.28

$19.22 CA$27.17

-3.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 CA$6.64

$3.34 CA$4.72

40.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.93 CA$2.72

-24.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 CA$6.13

$3.28 CA$4.64

32.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 CA$5.36

$2.93 CA$4.14

29.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.81

$2.34 CA$3.31

14.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 CA$3.88

$2.60 CA$3.68

5.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 CA$3.62

$2.25 CA$3.18

13.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.73 CA$2.45

-13.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.39 CA$20.34

$14.25 CA$20.14

0.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.81 CA$22.35

$13.23 CA$18.71

19.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 CA$3.49

$3.20 CA$4.52

-22.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CA$4.39

$2.41 CA$3.41

28.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$2.77 CA$3.92

1.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.6 CA$128

$97.2 CA$137

-6.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 CA$4.64

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.45

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.16 CA$1.64

5.17%

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

$28.4K CA$40.1K

$28.1K CA$39.7K

1.04%

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

$20.8K CA$29.5K

$21.3K CA$30.1K

-2.13%

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

$165 CA$233

$91.0 CA$129

81.00%

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

$38.24 CA$54.1

$28.41 CA$40.16

34.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 CA$70.9

$45.95 CA$65.0

9.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 CA$76.1

$42.03 CA$59.4

28.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.04 CA$25.51

Cinema Ticket

$14.04 CA$19.84

$9.76 CA$13.80

43.85%

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

$797 CA$1,126

$1,154 CA$1,632

-31.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K CA$22.3K

$16.6K CA$23.5K

-5.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 CA$83.5

$68.2 CA$96.3

-13.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.20 CA$56.8

$93.2 CA$132

-56.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 CA$128

$128 CA$181

-28.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

$107 CA$152

1.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 CA$1,707

$1,859 CA$2,628

-35.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 CA$1,429

$1,497 CA$2,116

-32.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,949 CA$2,756

$3,590 CA$5,075

-45.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 CA$2,371

$2,384 CA$3,371

-29.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,532 CA$4,993

$4,866 CA$6,879

-27.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,392 CA$4,795

$6,100 CA$8,623

-44.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,152 CA$4,456

$3,090 CA$4,369

2.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

5.26

-14.26%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 18, 2026

Last update for Oakville: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 44.8%

Oakville

$1.5K 56.7% 48.1% $486

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$392 17.4%

Oakville

$383 14.5% 2.1% $8.3

Eating Out

Calgary

$270 12%

Oakville

$247 9.4% 8.6% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$253 11.2%

Oakville

$165 6.3% 34.7% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$135 6%

Oakville

$178 6.8% 32.4% $44

Getting Around

Calgary

$112 5%

Oakville

$108 * 4.1% 3.3% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$82 3.6%

Oakville

$62 2.3% 24.8% $20

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 $1,207 in Calgary and $1,859 in Oakville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69.0 in Calgary vs $72.0 in Oakville. Groceries flip the comparison at $392 vs $383, with Oakville cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Oakville

🕒 Local time

10:57 10:57 AM

12:57 12:57 PM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

193,832

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Calgary Oakville 2,700 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Oakville

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 Oakville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in clothing. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 2% 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: $1,207 in Calgary versus $1,859 in Oakville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $72.0 in Oakville. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,255 per month in Calgary versus $2,641 in Oakville – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,255 in Calgary versus $2,641 in Oakville, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Oakville. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Calgary is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Oakville, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Calgary and Oakville 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 17% less than in Oakville. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.