Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Picton

For one person, living is cheaper in Picton: $1,020 a month against $2,303 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Picton
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Picton Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Picton

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Picton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $1,020 in Picton.

Calgary $2,303
Picton $1,020

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $1,686 in Picton.

Calgary $3,366
Picton $1,686

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $2,353 in Picton.

Calgary $4,428
Picton $2,353

Living in Calgary is roughly 126% more expensive than in Picton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calgary is 69% above, Picton is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.63

$17.64 CA$24.76

-0.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.8

$71.0 CA$99.6

-0.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$15.00

$9.88 CA$13.86

8.20%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.46

$3.49 CA$4.90

11.46%

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

$2.04 CA$2.86

$2.06 CA$2.89

-0.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.64

$1.68 CA$2.36

11.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.87

$5.67 CA$7.96

-13.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.11

$5.77 CA$8.10

0.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.75

$1.67 CA$2.35

17.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.84

$1.99 CA$2.80

37.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.67

$2.27 CA$3.19

140.53%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.17

$2.92 CA$4.10

26.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.78

$9.14 CA$12.82

22.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.19

$11.72 CA$16.45

-1.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.79

$14.94 CA$20.96

23.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.88

$2.73 CA$3.84

79.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$2.00

$1.19 CA$1.67

19.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.91

$3.47 CA$4.87

21.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.65

$4.01 CA$5.63

0.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.78

$1.83 CA$2.56

46.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.74

$1.67 CA$2.34

59.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.67

$2.31 CA$3.25

12.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.24

$1.20 CA$1.69

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.65

$13.71 CA$19.24

2.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.61

$13.97 CA$19.60

10.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.50

$2.10 CA$2.94

19.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.34

$2.44 CA$3.43

26.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.11

$2.19 CA$3.08

33.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$19.77 CA$27.74

351.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.59

$2.96 CA$4.15

10.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

$1.28 CA$1.79

5.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.43

$21.77 CA$30.56

25.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.65

$1.13 CA$1.58

3.54%

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

$27.9K CA$39.2K

$26.1K CA$36.6K

7.13%

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

$21.0K CA$29.5K

$21.6K CA$30.3K

-2.61%

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

$167 CA$234

$125 CA$176

33.27%

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

$38.27 CA$53.7

$28.11 CA$39.45

36.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.5

$49.12 CA$68.9

3.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.5

$42.10 CA$59.1

21.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.50

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.27

$8.80 CA$12.34

64.09%

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

$545 CA$766

$283 CA$397

92.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

$23.6K CA$33.1K

-31.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.6

$49.98 CA$70.2

17.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.8

$35.89 CA$50.4

10.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$85.1 CA$119

9.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$126 CA$176

-12.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,760

$1,025 CA$1,439

22.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,483

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,838

$1,642 CA$2,304

23.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,286

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,053

$3,772 CA$5,294

-4.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,551

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,372

$3,151 CA$4,422

-1.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.45

1.35%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Picton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Picton

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Picton

$319 31.3% 18.8% $74

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Picton

$268 26.2% 1.2% $3.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Picton

$202 19.8% 20.9% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Picton

$133 13.1% 1.8% $2.4

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Picton

$38 3.7% 65.9% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Picton

$60 5.9% 25.2% $20

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 $1,025 in Picton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $71 in Picton. Groceries flip the comparison at $393 vs $319, with Picton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Picton

🕒 Local time

16:07 4:07 PM

18:07 6:07 PM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

4,702

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Calgary Picton 2,850 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Picton

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 Picton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Picton is about 56% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,454 in Calgary and $1,530 in Picton 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,254 in Calgary versus $1,025 in Picton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $545 in Calgary versus $283 in Picton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Picton runs roughly 78% less than in Calgary. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,020 in Picton versus $2,303 in Calgary, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Picton but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Picton 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.