Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Puerto Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Plata: $824 a month against $2,223 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Plata
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Puerto Plata Living Index

Jump to prices

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Puerto Plata

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$824

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Puerto Plata

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Calgary versus $824 in Puerto Plata.

Calgary $2,223
Puerto Plata $824

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,301 in Calgary versus $1,338 in Puerto Plata.

Calgary $3,301
Puerto Plata $1,338

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,379 in Calgary versus $1,852 in Puerto Plata.

Calgary $4,379
Puerto Plata $1,852

Living in Calgary is roughly 170% more expensive than in Puerto Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calgary is 65% above, Puerto Plata is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.34

$5.64 DOP 346

205.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 CA$100

$32.77 DOP 2,007

116.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 CA$14.89

$7.55 DOP 463

39.47%

Cappuccino

$3.66 CA$5.18

$1.47 DOP 90.1

148.98%

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

$1.98 CA$2.80

$0.70 DOP 42.87

182.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$0.34 DOP 21.07

470.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 CA$7.00

$1.93 DOP 118

156.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 CA$7.87

$2.53 DOP 155

120.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.65

$1.17 DOP 71.4

60.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.78

$1.51 DOP 92.8

76.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.32 CA$7.52

$1.01 DOP 62.0

426.73%

Eggs

$3.79 CA$5.35

$1.32 DOP 80.6

187.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 CA$15.68

$3.82 DOP 234

190.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 CA$16.05

$5.38 DOP 329

111.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.40 CA$26.01

$5.38 DOP 330

242.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 CA$6.45

$2.42 DOP 148

88.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$0.79 DOP 48.17

82.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.76

$1.72 DOP 105

137.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.50

$0.88 DOP 54.2

342.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$1.03 DOP 63.3

156.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$1.25 DOP 76.3

111.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 CA$3.54

$0.85 DOP 52.0

194.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.01 DOP 61.8

48.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.05 CA$19.86

$2.40 DOP 147

485.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.70 CA$22.20

$9.39 DOP 575

67.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$2.07 DOP 127

17.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.37

$3.00 DOP 184

3.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$0.97 DOP 59.2

190.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 CA$125

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$3.24 DOP 199

-3.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$2.28 DOP 140

-40.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.02 CA$38.20

$5.74 DOP 352

370.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$1.31 DOP 80.0

-11.45%

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$22.9K DOP 1.4M

22.11%

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

$20.3K CA$28.8K

$33.0K DOP 2.0M

-38.41%

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

$161 CA$227

$40.58 DOP 2,486

296.16%

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

$38.13 CA$53.9

$23.14 DOP 1,418

64.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 CA$70.7

$36.33 DOP 2,226

37.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 CA$72.8

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.64

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 CA$19.54

$5.00 DOP 306

176.40%

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

$786 CA$1,111

$253 DOP 15.5K

210.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K CA$21.8K

$7,437 DOP 455.6K

107.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 CA$82.4

$19.30 DOP 1,182

201.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 CA$55.5

$13.03 DOP 798

201.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$127

$86.6 DOP 5,304

3.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$123 DOP 7,528

-10.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 CA$1,737

$434 DOP 26.6K

183.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 CA$1,415

$308 DOP 18.8K

225.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 CA$2,716

$834 DOP 51.1K

130.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 CA$2,292

$669 DOP 41.0K

142.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,549 CA$5,018

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,335 CA$4,715

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 CA$4,474

$328 DOP 20.1K

866.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

13.56

-66.74%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Last update for Puerto Plata: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45%

Puerto Plata

$308 37.3% 69.3% $694

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$385 17.3%

Puerto Plata

$175 21.2% 54.6% $210

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Puerto Plata

$104 12.7% 60.6% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$249 11.2%

Puerto Plata

$100 12.1% 59.8% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Puerto Plata

$109 13.2% 18.6% $25

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 4.9%

Puerto Plata

$19 * 2.3% 83.1% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$79 3.6%

Puerto Plata

$10 * 1.2% 87.3% $69

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 $1,229 in Calgary and $434 in Puerto Plata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 866% 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: $71.0 in Calgary vs $33.00 in Puerto Plata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $175 per month, with Puerto Plata cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇩🇴 Puerto Plata

🕒 Local time

05:31 5:31 AM

07:31 7:31 AM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

130,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Calgary Puerto Plata 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Puerto Plata

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 Puerto Plata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Plata is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 170% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 866% 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: $1,229 in Calgary versus $434 in Puerto Plata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $786 in Calgary versus $253 in Puerto Plata. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Puerto Plata – a meal for two runs $33.00 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $824 in Puerto Plata versus $2,223 in Calgary, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Puerto Plata but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Plata 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.

Expats usually find Puerto Plata gentler on the wallet – expenses run 170% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.