Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Quesnel

For one person, living costs are similar in Calgary and in Quesnel: $2,223 and $2,330 a month, rent and utilities included.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Quesnel
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Quesnel Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Quesnel

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Quesnel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,330 in Quesnel.

Calgary $2,223
Quesnel $2,330

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,301 in Calgary versus $3,279 in Quesnel.

Calgary $3,301
Quesnel $3,279

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,379 in Calgary versus $4,227 in Quesnel.

Calgary $4,379
Quesnel $4,227

Living in Calgary costs roughly 5% less than in Quesnel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 65% above, Quesnel 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.34

$16.27 CA$23.00

5.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 CA$100

$44.91 CA$63.5

58.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 CA$14.89

$10.90 CA$15.41

-3.39%

Cappuccino

$3.66 CA$5.18

$4.02 CA$5.69

-8.96%

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

$1.98 CA$2.80

$2.38 CA$3.36

-16.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.99 CA$2.81

-2.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 CA$7.00

$4.50 CA$6.37

10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 CA$7.87

$5.74 CA$8.12

-2.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.65

$2.27 CA$3.21

-17.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.78

$2.45 CA$3.46

8.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.32 CA$7.52

$3.95 CA$5.59

34.68%

Eggs

$3.79 CA$5.35

$4.66 CA$6.59

-18.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 CA$15.68

$11.82 CA$16.72

-6.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 CA$16.05

$16.49 CA$23.31

-31.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.40 CA$26.01

$16.55 CA$23.40

11.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 CA$6.45

$4.05 CA$5.72

12.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.29 CA$1.82

11.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.76

$4.36 CA$6.17

-6.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.50

$4.27 CA$6.03

-8.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$3.04 CA$4.30

-13.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$3.64 CA$5.15

-27.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 CA$3.54

$2.46 CA$3.48

1.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.72 CA$2.43

-12.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.05 CA$19.86

$11.87 CA$16.78

18.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.70 CA$22.20

$10.46 CA$14.79

50.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$2.55 CA$3.60

-4.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.37

$3.24 CA$4.58

-4.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.22 CA$3.14

27.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 CA$125

$55.6 CA$78.7

59.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$2.49 CA$3.53

25.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$2.15 CA$3.03

-37.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.02 CA$38.20

$41.45 CA$58.6

-34.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$1.24 CA$1.76

-6.45%

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$28.6K CA$40.4K

-2.40%

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

$20.3K CA$28.8K

$22.1K CA$31.2K

-7.93%

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

$161 CA$227

$172 CA$243

-6.61%

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

$38.13 CA$53.9

$38.46 CA$54.4

-0.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 CA$70.7

$69.1 CA$97.7

-27.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 CA$72.8

$40.54 CA$57.3

27.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.64

$18.31 CA$25.89

-0.93%

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 CA$19.54

$7.26 CA$10.26

90.36%

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

$786 CA$1,111

$736 CA$1,041

6.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K CA$21.8K

$12.4K CA$17.5K

24.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 CA$82.4

$36.45 CA$51.5

59.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 CA$55.5

$45.75 CA$64.7

-14.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$127

$76.6 CA$108

17.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$107 CA$151

2.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 CA$1,737

$771 CA$1,089

59.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 CA$1,415

$1,133 CA$1,601

-11.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 CA$2,716

$1,910 CA$2,701

0.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 CA$2,292

$1,664 CA$2,353

-2.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,549 CA$5,018

$3,754 CA$5,306

-5.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,335 CA$4,715

$3,780 CA$5,344

-11.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 CA$4,474

$2,424 CA$3,427

30.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

5.35

-15.70%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Last update for Quesnel: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45%

Quesnel

$1.1K 48.6% 13.1% $131

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$385 17.3%

Quesnel

$403 17.3% 4.6% $18

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Quesnel

$263 11.3% 0.9% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$249 11.2%

Quesnel

$280 12% 12.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Quesnel

$120 5.1% 10.6% $14

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 4.9%

Quesnel

$78 3.3% 29.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$79 3.6%

Quesnel

$55 2.4% 30.4% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,229 in Calgary and $771 in Quesnel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $71.0 in Calgary vs $45.00 in Quesnel. Groceries flip the comparison at $385 vs $403, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Quesnel

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

13:59 1:59 PM

1 h behind Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

10,007

💱 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

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Between locations

Calgary Quesnel 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Quesnel

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 Quesnel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and utilities. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 31% 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 $771 in Quesnel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $45.00 in Quesnel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Calgary versus $2,330 in Quesnel – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,330 in Quesnel, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Quesnel. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary 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 Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Quesnel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.