Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Saanich

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,592 in Saanich, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Saanich
Learn more

Saanich Living Index

Jump to prices

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Saanich

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,592

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Saanich

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,592 in Saanich.

Calgary $2,303
Saanich $2,592

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,650 in Saanich.

Calgary $3,366
Saanich $3,650

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $4,707 in Saanich.

Calgary $4,428
Saanich $4,707

Living in Calgary costs roughly 11% less than in Saanich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Saanich 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.52

$17.77 CA$24.83

-1.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.3

$71.0 CA$99.2

-0.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$14.93

$11.26 CA$15.73

-5.06%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.43

$4.25 CA$5.93

-8.47%

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

$2.04 CA$2.85

$2.34 CA$3.27

-12.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.62

$1.73 CA$2.42

8.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.84

$5.58 CA$7.80

-12.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.08

$6.59 CA$9.21

-12.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.74

$1.93 CA$2.70

1.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.83

$3.04 CA$4.24

-9.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.63

$3.12 CA$4.36

75.00%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.15

$4.08 CA$5.70

-9.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.71

$11.36 CA$15.87

-1.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.12

$12.69 CA$17.74

-9.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.67

$17.34 CA$24.23

6.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.85

$4.62 CA$6.46

6.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$1.99

$1.44 CA$2.02

-1.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.88

$4.23 CA$5.91

-0.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.62

$5.78 CA$8.07

-30.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.77

$3.45 CA$4.82

-22.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.72

$2.89 CA$4.04

-7.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$3.26 CA$4.56

-19.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.23

$2.22 CA$3.10

-27.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.56

$14.46 CA$20.20

-3.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.51

$15.63 CA$21.84

-1.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.49

$2.67 CA$3.73

-6.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.32

$3.64 CA$5.09

-15.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.09

$2.29 CA$3.19

27.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$80.0 CA$112

11.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.57

$2.83 CA$3.95

15.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

$1.57 CA$2.19

-14.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.26

$28.10 CA$39.26

-2.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.64

$1.39 CA$1.94

-15.83%

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

$27.9K CA$39.0K

$28.4K CA$39.7K

-1.72%

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

$21.0K CA$29.4K

-0.01%

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

$167 CA$233

$119 CA$166

40.19%

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

$38.27 CA$53.5

$41.27 CA$57.7

-7.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.2

$66.2 CA$92.5

-23.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.2

$69.6 CA$97.2

-26.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.39

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.18

$11.22 CA$15.67

28.70%

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

$545 CA$762

$877 CA$1,225

-37.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.6K

$13.3K CA$18.6K

21.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.3

$54.3 CA$75.8

8.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.5

$35.53 CA$49.64

11.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$130

$90.4 CA$126

3.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$107 CA$150

2.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,752

$1,470 CA$2,053

-14.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,476

$1,347 CA$1,882

-21.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,825

$2,039 CA$2,848

-0.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,275

$1,890 CA$2,641

-13.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,030

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,530

$3,819 CA$5,335

-15.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,352

$2,903 CA$4,056

7.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.72

-4.45%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Saanich: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Saanich

$1.3K 52% 27.5% $290

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Saanich

$413 16% 5.3% $21

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Saanich

$284 11% 5% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Saanich

$226 8.7% 11.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Saanich

$129 5% 4.8% $6.5

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Saanich

$100 3.9% 10.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Saanich

$92 3.6% 15.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $1,470 in Saanich. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $71 in Saanich for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $413 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Saanich

🕒 Local time

02:34 2:34 AM

01:34 1:34 AM

1 h behind Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

117,735

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calgary Saanich 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Saanich

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 Saanich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. 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 $1,470 in Saanich. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $545 in Calgary versus $877 in Saanich. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Saanich runs roughly 10% less than in Calgary. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

For families, Calgary is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Saanich, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.