Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Quebec City

For one person, living is cheaper in Quebec City: $1,935 a month against $2,303 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Quebec City
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Quebec City Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Quebec City

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Quebec City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $1,935 in Quebec City.

Calgary $2,303
Quebec City $1,935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $2,912 in Quebec City.

Calgary $3,366
Quebec City $2,912

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $3,889 in Quebec City.

Calgary $4,428
Quebec City $3,889

Living in Calgary is roughly 19% more expensive than in Quebec City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Quebec City 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.53

$21.22 CA$29.66

-17.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.4

$63.9 CA$89.3

10.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$14.94

$10.75 CA$15.03

-0.56%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.44

$3.83 CA$5.35

1.57%

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

$2.04 CA$2.85

$2.13 CA$2.97

-4.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.62

$1.50 CA$2.09

25.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.84

$5.68 CA$7.94

-13.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.08

$5.88 CA$8.21

-1.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.74

$2.06 CA$2.88

-4.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.83

$2.89 CA$4.04

-5.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.63

$4.14 CA$5.79

31.88%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.15

$3.15 CA$4.40

17.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.72

$9.13 CA$12.76

23.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.13

$10.99 CA$15.35

5.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.68

$10.62 CA$14.85

73.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.85

$4.17 CA$5.82

17.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$1.99

$1.55 CA$2.17

-8.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.89

$3.71 CA$5.19

13.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.62

$4.04 CA$5.64

-0.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.77

$2.93 CA$4.10

-8.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.72

$2.86 CA$3.99

-6.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.73 CA$3.81

-4.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.23

$1.52 CA$2.12

5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.57

$14.78 CA$20.66

-5.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.52

$11.35 CA$15.87

35.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.49

$3.24 CA$4.53

-22.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.32

$3.44 CA$4.81

-10.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.10

$2.91 CA$4.06

0.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$70.6 CA$98.7

26.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.57

$2.89 CA$4.04

13.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

$1.48 CA$2.07

-8.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.28

$35.46 CA$49.56

-22.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.64

$1.30 CA$1.81

-10.00%

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

$27.9K CA$39.1K

$28.7K CA$40.1K

-2.68%

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

$21.0K CA$29.4K

$22.2K CA$31.0K

-5.11%

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

$167 CA$233

$100 CA$140

66.39%

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

$38.27 CA$53.5

$32.19 CA$44.99

18.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.2

$45.61 CA$63.7

11.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.2

$33.12 CA$46.29

53.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.40

$12.66 CA$17.69

43.52%

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.18

$10.56 CA$14.76

36.74%

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

$545 CA$762

$676 CA$945

-19.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

$9,492 CA$13.3K

70.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.3

$59.3 CA$82.9

-0.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.6

$50.9 CA$71.2

-21.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$130

$89.8 CA$126

3.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$109 CA$152

1.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,753

$1,029 CA$1,438

21.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,477

$821 CA$1,147

28.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,826

$1,633 CA$2,282

23.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,276

$1,333 CA$1,863

22.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,032

$4,733 CA$6,615

-23.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,532

$2,728 CA$3,813

18.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,354

$2,906 CA$4,062

7.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.44

1.58%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Quebec City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Quebec City

$821 42.4% 22.3% $236

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Quebec City

$347 18% 11.5% $45

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Quebec City

$303 15.6% 11.7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Quebec City

$178 9.2% 30.4% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Quebec City

$139 7.2% 2.2% $3

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Quebec City

$93 4.8% 16.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Quebec City

$54 2.8% 32.1% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $1,029 in Quebec City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 7% 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: $70 in Calgary vs $64 in Quebec City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $347 per month, with Quebec City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Quebec City

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

09:07 9:07 AM

1 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

530,168

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Calgary Quebec City 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Quebec City

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 Quebec City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quebec City is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 7% 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 $1,029 in Quebec City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Quebec City – a meal for two runs $64 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 $1,935 in Quebec City – Quebec City is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Expats usually find Quebec City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.