Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Oshawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,297 a month against $2,370 in Oshawa, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Oshawa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Oshawa
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Oshawa Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,297

/mo nomad

Oshawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,370

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Oshawa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,297 in Calgary versus $2,370 in Oshawa.

Calgary $2,297
Oshawa $2,370

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,378 in Calgary versus $3,414 in Oshawa.

Calgary $3,378
Oshawa $3,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,459 in Calgary versus $4,457 in Oshawa.

Calgary $4,459
Oshawa $4,457

Living in Calgary costs roughly 3% less than in Oshawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 70% above, Oshawa 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 CA$25.05

$14.25 CA$19.90

25.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 CA$96.1

$63.6 CA$88.7

8.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 CA$15.27

$8.33 CA$11.63

31.33%

Cappuccino

$3.70 CA$5.17

$3.54 CA$4.95

4.52%

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

$2.07 CA$2.89

$1.77 CA$2.47

16.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 CA$2.85

$1.36 CA$1.90

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 CA$8.02

$4.86 CA$6.79

18.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 CA$7.96

$6.04 CA$8.43

-5.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 CA$2.76

$2.91 CA$4.06

-31.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 CA$3.70

$2.91 CA$4.06

-8.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.84 CA$8.15

$4.12 CA$5.75

41.75%

Eggs

$3.81 CA$5.33

$2.97 CA$4.14

28.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 CA$15.08

$10.14 CA$14.15

6.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.02 CA$15.38

$13.74 CA$19.19

-19.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.87 CA$24.95

$16.60 CA$23.17

7.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.88 CA$6.81

$4.20 CA$5.87

16.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.03

$1.22 CA$1.70

18.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 CA$5.80

$2.94 CA$4.10

41.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 CA$5.57

$3.84 CA$5.36

3.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 CA$4.09

$3.36 CA$4.69

-12.80%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 CA$4.22

$2.57 CA$3.59

17.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 CA$3.72

$2.35 CA$3.28

13.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.19

$1.73 CA$2.41

-9.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 CA$19.69

$14.29 CA$19.95

-1.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.45 CA$21.57

$12.63 CA$17.63

22.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.50

$3.53 CA$4.92

-29.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CA$4.44

$3.49 CA$4.87

-8.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.85 CA$3.97

$2.82 CA$3.94

1.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.2 CA$126

$87.1 CA$122

3.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 CA$4.41

$2.74 CA$3.82

15.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 CA$1.96

$1.44 CA$2.00

-2.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.46 CA$38.33

$19.58 CA$27.33

40.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.65

$1.24 CA$1.74

-4.84%

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

$27.9K CA$38.9K

$28.8K CA$40.2K

-3.20%

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

$21.1K CA$29.4K

$22.9K CA$32.0K

-8.12%

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

$182 CA$254

$139 CA$194

30.85%

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

$36.01 CA$50.3

$37.94 CA$53.0

-5.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.80 CA$68.1

$54.3 CA$75.9

-10.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 CA$68.1

$22.91 CA$31.98

112.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.15 CA$25.34

$29.28 CA$40.87

-38.01%

Cinema Ticket

$14.52 CA$20.26

$10.86 CA$15.17

33.70%

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

$542 CA$756

$922 CA$1,287

-41.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.2K CA$29.5K

$8,083 CA$11.3K

161.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 CA$82.5

$58.3 CA$81.4

1.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.34 CA$59.1

$57.7 CA$80.5

-26.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 CA$131

$107 CA$150

-12.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$152

$129 CA$180

-15.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,214 CA$1,694

$1,400 CA$1,954

-13.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 CA$1,447

$1,207 CA$1,685

-14.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,045 CA$2,855

$2,003 CA$2,795

2.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,655 CA$2,310

$1,824 CA$2,546

-9.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,653 CA$5,099

$5,158 CA$7,200

-29.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,183 CA$4,443

$10.3K CA$14.4K

-69.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,219 CA$4,493

$3,049 CA$4,256

5.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.43

4.53

-2.21%

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

Last update for Calgary: November 2, 2026

Last update for Oshawa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45.1%

Oshawa

$1.2K 50.9% 16.5% $171

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$390 17%

Oshawa

$390 16.5% 0.1% $0.2

Eating Out

Calgary

$277 12.1%

Oshawa

$230 9.7% 16.9% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$267 11.6%

Oshawa

$231 9.8% 13.3% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$137 6%

Oshawa

$158 6.7% 15.7% $22

Getting Around

Calgary

$112 4.9%

Oshawa

$108 4.6% 3.1% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$78 3.4%

Oshawa

$45 1.9% 42.6% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,214 in Calgary and $1,400 in Oshawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69 in Calgary vs $64 in Oshawa. Groceries flip the comparison at $390 vs $390, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Oshawa

🕒 Local time

13:23 1:23 PM

14:23 2:23 PM

1 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

159,458

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Calgary Oshawa 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Oshawa

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 Oshawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is about 3% cheaper overall, especially in clothing and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 6% 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: $1,214 in Calgary versus $1,400 in Oshawa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $542 in Calgary versus $922 in Oshawa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Oshawa – a meal for two runs $64 versus $69 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.