Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Owen Sound

For one person, living is cheaper in Owen Sound: $2,042 a month against $2,303 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
99

Cost of Living Index in Owen Sound
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Owen Sound Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Owen Sound

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Owen Sound

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,042 in Owen Sound.

Calgary $2,303
Owen Sound $2,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,127 in Owen Sound.

Calgary $3,366
Owen Sound $3,127

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $4,212 in Owen Sound.

Calgary $4,428
Owen Sound $4,212

Living in Calgary is roughly 13% more expensive than in Owen Sound, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Owen Sound 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.55

$14.32 CA$20.02

22.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.5

$47.61 CA$66.6

47.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$14.95

$9.19 CA$12.86

16.32%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.44

$3.58 CA$5.01

8.66%

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

$2.04 CA$2.85

$2.12 CA$2.97

-3.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.63

$1.75 CA$2.45

7.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.85

$4.33 CA$6.05

13.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.09

$5.76 CA$8.06

0.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.75

$2.43 CA$3.40

-19.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.83

$2.75 CA$3.85

-0.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.64

$3.51 CA$4.92

55.56%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.16

$4.36 CA$6.10

-15.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.73

$9.87 CA$13.80

13.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.14

$16.08 CA$22.49

-28.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.70

$23.97 CA$33.52

-23.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.86

$3.36 CA$4.70

45.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$1.99

$1.85 CA$2.59

-23.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.89

$3.25 CA$4.54

29.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.63

$2.84 CA$3.97

41.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.77

$2.39 CA$3.34

12.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.72

$2.63 CA$3.68

1.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$2.18 CA$3.05

19.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.23

$1.28 CA$1.78

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.58

$13.67 CA$19.13

2.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.54

$13.75 CA$19.24

12.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.49

$4.58 CA$6.41

-45.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.32

$4.88 CA$6.83

-36.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.10

$2.10 CA$2.94

39.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$62.0 CA$86.7

44.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.57

$4.54 CA$6.35

-27.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.31

$25.08 CA$35.07

9.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.64

$1.12 CA$1.56

4.46%

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

$27.9K CA$39.1K

$26.8K CA$37.5K

4.30%

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

$21.0K CA$29.4K

$21.7K CA$30.4K

-3.28%

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

$167 CA$233

$89.7 CA$125

85.83%

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

$38.27 CA$53.5

$29.11 CA$40.72

31.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.2

$47.43 CA$66.3

7.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.3

$116 CA$162

-55.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.42

$41.66 CA$58.3

-56.39%

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.20

$7.77 CA$10.87

85.84%

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

$545 CA$763

$478 CA$669

14.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

$7,258 CA$10.2K

123.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.4

$35.42 CA$49.55

66.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.6

$27.63 CA$38.65

43.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$86.9 CA$122

7.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$108 CA$151

2.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,754

$1,341 CA$1,876

-6.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,478

$903 CA$1,264

16.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,828

$2,200 CA$3,077

-8.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,278

$1,634 CA$2,286

-0.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,036

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,535

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,357

$2,971 CA$4,155

4.86%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Owen Sound: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Owen Sound

$903 44.2% 14.5% $153

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Owen Sound

$417 20.4% 6.2% $24

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Owen Sound

$234 11.4% 13.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Owen Sound

$166 8.1% 35% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Owen Sound

$116 5.7% 14.6% $20

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Owen Sound

$75 * 3.7% 32.5% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Owen Sound

$131 6.4% 64.2% $51

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 $1,254 in Calgary and $1,341 in Owen Sound. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 5% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $48 in Owen Sound. Groceries flip the comparison at $393 vs $417, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Owen Sound

🕒 Local time

20:50 8:50 PM

22:50 10:50 PM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

21,341

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Calgary Owen Sound 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Owen Sound

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 Owen Sound: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Owen Sound is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 5% 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: $1,254 in Calgary versus $1,341 in Owen Sound. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Owen Sound – a meal for two runs $48 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,303 per month in Calgary versus $2,042 in Owen Sound – Owen Sound is about 11% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Owen Sound wins on affordability, Calgary on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.