Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Peterborough, Canada

For one person, living is cheaper in Peterborough: $2,160 a month against $2,303 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Calgary despite lower rent and utilities.

Calgary, Canada
Peterborough, Canada
Calgary
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,303
/mo nomad
Peterborough
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,160
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Peterborough

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,160 in Peterborough.

  • Calgary $2,303
  • Peterborough $2,160

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,020 in Peterborough.

  • Calgary $3,366
  • Peterborough $3,020

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $3,879 in Peterborough.

  • Calgary $4,428
  • Peterborough $3,879

Living in Calgary is roughly 7% more expensive than in Peterborough, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Peterborough 59% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Calgary
Peterborough
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.55 CA$24.54
$13.34 CA$18.65
31.56%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$70.4 CA$98.4
$70.3 CA$98.3
0.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.69 CA$14.95
$10.63 CA$14.87
0.56%
Cappuccino
$3.89 CA$5.44
$3.64 CA$5.09
6.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 CA$2.85
$1.68 CA$2.35
21.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 CA$2.63
$1.30 CA$1.82
44.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.90 CA$6.85
$5.75 CA$8.04
-14.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.78 CA$8.09
$5.82 CA$8.13
-0.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Calgary
Peterborough
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.96 CA$2.74
$2.45 CA$3.42
-20.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.74 CA$3.83
$2.36 CA$3.29
16.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.46 CA$7.64
$2.47 CA$3.46
121.05%
Eggs
$3.69 CA$5.16
$3.26 CA$4.55
13.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.24 CA$15.72
$11.08 CA$15.49
1.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.54 CA$16.14
$11.43 CA$15.98
0.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.38 CA$25.70
$12.94 CA$18.10
42.04%
Apples (1kg)
$4.90 CA$6.85
$3.35 CA$4.68
46.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 CA$1.99
$1.42 CA$1.99
-
Oranges (1kg)
$4.21 CA$5.89
$3.32 CA$4.64
26.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.02 CA$5.62
$4.04 CA$5.64
-0.50%
Potato (1kg)
$2.69 CA$3.77
$1.68 CA$2.34
60.12%
Onion (1kg)
$2.66 CA$3.72
$2.24 CA$3.13
18.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.61 CA$3.65
$2.29 CA$3.20
13.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 CA$2.23
$1.54 CA$2.15
3.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.00 CA$19.58
$11.26 CA$15.75
24.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.40 CA$21.53
$12.79 CA$17.88
20.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.50 CA$3.49
$2.33 CA$3.26
7.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.09 CA$4.32
$1.57 CA$2.20
96.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Calgary
Peterborough
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.93 CA$4.10
$2.57 CA$3.60
14.01%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$89.3 CA$125
$55.3 CA$77.3
61.45%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.27 CA$4.57
$2.98 CA$4.16
9.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 CA$1.89
$1.25 CA$1.74
8.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.39 CA$38.30
$21.47 CA$30.02
27.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.17 CA$1.64
$1.15 CA$1.60
1.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K CA$39.1K
$26.6K CA$37.1K
5.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.0K CA$29.4K
$20.9K CA$29.2K
0.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calgary
Peterborough
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 CA$233
$137 CA$192
21.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$38.27 CA$53.5
$35.01 CA$48.96
9.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.9 CA$71.2
$44.89 CA$62.8
13.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Calgary
Peterborough
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 CA$71.3
$36.58 CA$51.2
39.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.17 CA$25.41
$14.34 CA$20.06
26.71%
Cinema Ticket
$14.44 CA$20.20
$11.35 CA$15.87
27.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Calgary
Peterborough
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$545 CA$763
$351 CA$491
55.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.2K CA$22.7K
$10.6K CA$14.8K
53.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Calgary
Peterborough
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.9 CA$82.3
$44.16 CA$61.8
33.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.75 CA$55.6
$38.20 CA$53.4
4.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.4 CA$131
$86.1 CA$120
8.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 CA$154
$74.2 CA$104
48.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Calgary
Peterborough
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,254 CA$1,754
$1,325 CA$1,853
-5.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,056 CA$1,477
$1,129 CA$1,578
-6.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,022 CA$2,828
$2,005 CA$2,804
0.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,629 CA$2,278
$1,507 CA$2,107
8.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,600 CA$5,035
$6,583 CA$9,205
-45.31%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,243 CA$4,534
$6,316 CA$8,832
-48.66%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Calgary
Peterborough
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,115 CA$4,356
$3,045 CA$4,258
2.30%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.51
4.55
-0.88%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Peterborough: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Calgary
$1.1K
Peterborough
$1.1K 6.8% $72
Groceries & Markets
Calgary
$393
Peterborough
$336 14.4% $56
Eating Out
Calgary
$271
Peterborough
$235 13.4% $36
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calgary
$256
Peterborough
$217 15.3% $39
Clothing & Footwear
Calgary
$136
Peterborough
$109 19.7% $27
Getting Around
Calgary
$111
Peterborough
$75 32.6% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Calgary
$80
Peterborough
$59 25.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $1,325 in Peterborough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $70 in Peterborough. Groceries flip the comparison at $393 vs $336, with Peterborough cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Calgary
🇨🇦 Peterborough
🕒 Local time
00:04 12:04 AM
01:04 1:04 AM
1 h ahead of Calgary
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,267,344
81,032
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Calgary Peterborough 2,750 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Calgary
  • Peterborough

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 Peterborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Peterborough cheaper than Calgary?
Peterborough is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $3,454 in Calgary and $3,240 in Peterborough to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Calgary and Peterborough?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,254 in Calgary versus $1,325 in Peterborough. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $545 in Calgary versus $351 in Peterborough. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Peterborough runs roughly 38% less than in Calgary. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Is it better to live in Calgary or in Peterborough?
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.

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