Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Parksville

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,466 in Parksville, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Parksville outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
118

Cost of Living Index in Parksville
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Parksville Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Parksville

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,466

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Parksville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,466 in Parksville.

Calgary $2,303
Parksville $2,466

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,525 in Parksville.

Calgary $3,366
Parksville $3,525

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $4,584 in Parksville.

Calgary $4,428
Parksville $4,584

Living in Calgary costs roughly 7% less than in Parksville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Parksville 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.52

$17.54 CA$24.51

0.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.4

$56.6 CA$79.1

24.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$14.94

$10.05 CA$14.04

6.37%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.43

$3.53 CA$4.93

10.20%

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

$2.04 CA$2.85

$2.00 CA$2.79

2.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.62

$1.53 CA$2.14

22.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.84

$5.25 CA$7.34

-6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.08

$5.78 CA$8.07

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.74

$2.32 CA$3.24

-15.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.83

$2.06 CA$2.87

33.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.63

$2.82 CA$3.94

93.62%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.15

$3.19 CA$4.46

15.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.71

$9.90 CA$13.83

13.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.12

$10.32 CA$14.41

11.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.68

$19.82 CA$27.69

-7.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.85

$3.29 CA$4.60

48.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$1.99

$1.30 CA$1.81

9.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.88

$2.98 CA$4.17

41.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.62

$3.03 CA$4.23

32.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.77

$2.63 CA$3.67

2.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.72

$2.11 CA$2.95

26.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.08 CA$2.90

25.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.23

$1.73 CA$2.42

-7.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.57

$14.08 CA$19.67

-0.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.52

$14.16 CA$19.79

8.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.49

$2.45 CA$3.43

2.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.32

$3.14 CA$4.39

-1.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.09

$2.00 CA$2.79

46.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$46.06 CA$64.4

93.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.57

$2.65 CA$3.70

23.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

$1.52 CA$2.13

-11.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.27

$15.50 CA$21.66

76.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.64

$1.34 CA$1.87

-12.69%

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

$27.9K CA$39.0K

$26.6K CA$37.2K

4.92%

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

$21.0K CA$29.4K

$21.2K CA$29.7K

-0.90%

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

$167 CA$233

$188 CA$263

-11.28%

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

$38.27 CA$53.5

$36.65 CA$51.2

4.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.2

$65.1 CA$91.0

-21.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.2

$59.4 CA$83.0

-14.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.39

$17.49 CA$24.44

3.89%

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.18

$12.23 CA$17.08

18.07%

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

$545 CA$762

$647 CA$904

-15.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

$12.2K CA$17.1K

32.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.3

$48.54 CA$67.8

21.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.6

$60.9 CA$85.1

-34.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$130

$57.2 CA$79.9

63.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$89.7 CA$125

22.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,752

$1,605 CA$2,243

-21.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,476

$1,300 CA$1,816

-18.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,826

$2,476 CA$3,459

-18.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,276

$2,066 CA$2,886

-21.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,031

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,531

$1,840 CA$2,572

76.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,353

$3,023 CA$4,224

3.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.87

-7.39%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Parksville: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Parksville

$1.3K 52.7% 23.1% $244

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Parksville

$348 14.1% 11.4% $45

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Parksville

$265 10.7% 2.3% $6.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Parksville

$290 11.8% 13.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Parksville

$115 4.7% 15.1% $21

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Parksville

$64 2.6% 42.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Parksville

$84 3.4% 5.1% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $1,605 in Parksville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $57 in Parksville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $348 per month, with Parksville cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Parksville

🕒 Local time

16:39 4:39 PM

15:39 3:39 PM

1 h behind Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

13,642

💱 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 Parksville 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Parksville

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 Parksville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in utilities and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 3% 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 $1,605 in Parksville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Parksville – a meal for two runs $57 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 $2,466 in Parksville – Calgary is about 7% 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.