Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Penticton

For one person, living is cheaper in Penticton: $1,999 a month against $2,255 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Penticton
Learn more

Penticton Living Index

Jump to prices

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Penticton

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,999

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Penticton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,255 in Calgary versus $1,999 in Penticton.

Calgary $2,255
Penticton $1,999

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,361 in Calgary versus $3,109 in Penticton.

Calgary $3,361
Penticton $3,109

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,468 in Calgary versus $4,220 in Penticton.

Calgary $4,468
Penticton $4,220

Living in Calgary is roughly 13% more expensive than in Penticton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 66% above, Penticton 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 CA$24.85

$14.41 CA$20.37

22.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.6

$59.7 CA$84.4

15.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.97

$10.16 CA$14.36

4.23%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.42

$3.77 CA$5.33

1.86%

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

$1.93 CA$2.72

$1.79 CA$2.53

7.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.66

$1.85 CA$2.61

1.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.09 CA$7.20

$4.94 CA$6.98

3.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 CA$7.97

$8.03 CA$11.35

-29.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 CA$2.82

$2.95 CA$4.17

-32.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 CA$3.93

$2.25 CA$3.18

23.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.59 CA$7.90

$6.27 CA$8.87

-10.85%

Eggs

$3.70 CA$5.23

$4.01 CA$5.67

-7.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.48 CA$16.23

$8.41 CA$11.89

36.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 CA$15.84

$10.35 CA$14.63

8.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.59 CA$26.28

$16.15 CA$22.83

15.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 CA$6.64

$5.28 CA$7.47

-10.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$2.25 CA$3.18

-35.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 CA$6.13

$5.11 CA$7.23

-15.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 CA$5.36

$4.56 CA$6.44

-16.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.81

$3.67 CA$5.18

-26.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 CA$3.88

$3.51 CA$4.96

-21.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 CA$3.62

$2.64 CA$3.73

-3.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.89 CA$2.67

-20.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.39 CA$20.34

$13.12 CA$18.55

9.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.81 CA$22.35

$12.45 CA$17.60

26.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 CA$3.49

$4.72 CA$6.67

-47.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CA$4.39

$5.59 CA$7.90

-44.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$1.60 CA$2.27

75.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.6 CA$128

$31.56 CA$44.61

187.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 CA$4.64

$2.32 CA$3.28

41.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.97

$1.75 CA$2.48

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.45

$37.47 CA$53.0

-29.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.20 CA$1.69

1.67%

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

$28.4K CA$40.1K

$26.0K CA$36.7K

9.29%

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

$20.8K CA$29.5K

$19.6K CA$27.6K

6.54%

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

$165 CA$233

$88.8 CA$125

85.47%

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

$38.24 CA$54.1

$47.32 CA$66.9

-19.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 CA$70.9

$59.8 CA$84.6

-16.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 CA$76.1

$40.00 CA$56.6

34.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.04 CA$25.51

$7.11 CA$10.05

153.73%

Cinema Ticket

$14.04 CA$19.84

$10.81 CA$15.29

29.88%

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

$797 CA$1,126

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K CA$22.3K

$6,679 CA$9,442

136.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 CA$83.5

$39.41 CA$55.7

49.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.20 CA$56.8

$33.33 CA$47.11

20.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 CA$128

$76.9 CA$109

17.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

$148 CA$209

-25.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 CA$1,707

$1,181 CA$1,669

2.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 CA$1,429

$900 CA$1,272

12.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,949 CA$2,756

$2,010 CA$2,841

-3.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 CA$2,371

$1,719 CA$2,430

-2.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,532 CA$4,993

$2,659 CA$3,759

32.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,392 CA$4,795

$3,027 CA$4,279

12.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,152 CA$4,456

$3,054 CA$4,318

3.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.75

-5.05%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 18, 2026

Last update for Penticton: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 44.8%

Penticton

$900 45% 11% $111

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$392 17.4%

Penticton

$413 20.6% 5.3% $21

Eating Out

Calgary

$270 12%

Penticton

$246 12.3% 8.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$253 11.2%

Penticton

$196 9.8% 22.6% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$135 6%

Penticton

$134 6.7% 0.7% $0.9

Getting Around

Calgary

$112 5%

Penticton

$49 2.5% 56.2% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$82 3.6%

Penticton

$62 3.1% 24.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,207 in Calgary and $1,181 in Penticton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 3% 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: $69.0 in Calgary vs $60.0 in Penticton. Groceries flip the comparison at $392 vs $413, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Penticton

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

05:29 5:29 AM

1 h behind Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

43,313

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calgary Penticton 430 km

From you

Calgary
Penticton

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 Penticton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Penticton is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 13% gap 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: $1,207 in Calgary versus $1,181 in Penticton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Penticton – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $69.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Penticton runs roughly 187% less than in Calgary. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,999 in Penticton versus $2,255 in Calgary, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Penticton but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Penticton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Calgary and Penticton 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 Penticton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.