Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Red Deer

For one person, living costs are similar in Calgary and in Red Deer: $2,255 and $2,225 a month, rent and utilities included.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Red Deer
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Red Deer Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Red Deer

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,225

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Red Deer

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,255 in Calgary versus $2,225 in Red Deer.

Calgary $2,255
Red Deer $2,225

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,361 in Calgary versus $3,182 in Red Deer.

Calgary $3,361
Red Deer $3,182

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,468 in Calgary versus $4,138 in Red Deer.

Calgary $4,468
Red Deer $4,138

Living in Calgary is roughly 1% more expensive than in Red Deer, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 66% above, Red Deer 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 CA$24.85

$19.05 CA$26.93

-7.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.6

$59.2 CA$83.7

16.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.97

$11.26 CA$15.92

-5.95%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.42

$5.39 CA$7.62

-28.76%

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

$1.93 CA$2.72

$2.05 CA$2.89

-5.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.66

$2.12 CA$2.99

-11.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.09 CA$7.20

$5.46 CA$7.71

-6.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 CA$7.97

$6.77 CA$9.57

-16.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 CA$2.82

$1.76 CA$2.49

13.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 CA$3.93

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.59 CA$7.90

$3.42 CA$4.84

63.45%

Eggs

$3.70 CA$5.23

$3.38 CA$4.77

9.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.48 CA$16.23

$10.05 CA$14.21

14.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 CA$15.84

$16.72 CA$23.63

-33.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.59 CA$26.28

$17.42 CA$24.63

6.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 CA$6.64

$6.90 CA$9.75

-31.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.69 CA$2.38

-14.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 CA$6.13

$2.43 CA$3.44

78.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 CA$5.36

$5.57 CA$7.88

-31.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.81

$5.46 CA$7.72

-50.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 CA$3.88

$2.18 CA$3.08

26.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 CA$3.62

$3.14 CA$4.44

-18.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.75 CA$3.89

-45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.39 CA$20.34

$15.58 CA$22.03

-7.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.81 CA$22.35

$13.93 CA$19.70

13.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 CA$3.49

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CA$4.39

$6.20 CA$8.77

-50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$2.18 CA$3.08

28.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.6 CA$128

$51.3 CA$72.5

76.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 CA$4.64

$2.69 CA$3.80

21.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.97

$1.38 CA$1.95

1.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.45

$23.06 CA$32.60

14.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.07 CA$1.51

14.02%

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

$28.4K CA$40.1K

$24.8K CA$35.1K

14.25%

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

$20.8K CA$29.5K

$20.6K CA$29.1K

1.10%

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

$165 CA$233

$177 CA$250

-6.72%

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

$38.24 CA$54.1

$64.5 CA$91.1

-40.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 CA$70.9

$64.0 CA$90.5

-21.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 CA$76.1

$36.34 CA$51.4

48.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.04 CA$25.51

$10.50 CA$14.84

71.81%

Cinema Ticket

$14.04 CA$19.84

$10.48 CA$14.81

33.97%

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

$797 CA$1,126

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K CA$22.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 CA$83.5

$50.4 CA$71.3

17.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.20 CA$56.8

$34.10 CA$48.21

17.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 CA$128

$76.7 CA$108

18.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

$106 CA$149

3.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 CA$1,707

$1,037 CA$1,467

16.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 CA$1,429

$937 CA$1,325

7.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,949 CA$2,756

$1,548 CA$2,189

25.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 CA$2,371

$1,322 CA$1,869

26.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,532 CA$4,993

$2,712 CA$3,834

30.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,392 CA$4,795

$2,686 CA$3,798

26.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,152 CA$4,456

$3,043 CA$4,302

3.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

5.8

-22.24%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 18, 2026

Last update for Red Deer: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 44.8%

Red Deer

$937 42.1% 7.3% $74

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$392 17.4%

Red Deer

$427 * 19.2% 9.1% $36

Eating Out

Calgary

$270 12%

Red Deer

$308 13.9% 14% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$253 11.2%

Red Deer

$305 13.7% 20.5% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$135 6%

Red Deer

$120 5.4% 10.9% $15

Getting Around

Calgary

$112 5%

Red Deer

$70 3.1% 37.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$82 3.6%

Red Deer

$57 2.6% 30% $25

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 $1,207 in Calgary and $1,037 in Red Deer. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 4% 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: $69.0 in Calgary vs $59.0 in Red Deer. Groceries flip the comparison at $392 vs $427, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Red Deer

🕒 Local time

02:08 2:08 AM

Same time as Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

100,418

💱 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

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Calgary Red Deer 140 km

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Calgary
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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 Red Deer: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Red Deer is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and leisure. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 4% 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: $1,207 in Calgary versus $1,037 in Red Deer. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Red Deer – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $69.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Red Deer runs roughly 77% less than in Calgary. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,225 in Red Deer versus $2,255 in Calgary, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Red Deer but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Red Deer 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 Red Deer gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.