Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Saint John's

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint John's: $1,816 a month against $2,232 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Saint John's
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Saint John's Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Saint John's

🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda

$1,816

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Saint John's

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,232 in Calgary versus $1,816 in Saint John's.

Calgary $2,232
Saint John's $1,816

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,363 in Calgary versus $2,873 in Saint John's.

Calgary $3,363
Saint John's $2,873

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,493 in Calgary versus $3,929 in Saint John's.

Calgary $4,493
Saint John's $3,929

Living in Calgary is roughly 23% more expensive than in Saint John's, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 67% above, Saint John's 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.54

$22.50 EC$60.8

-23.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 CA$101

$75.0 EC$203

-5.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.06

$10.97 EC$29.62

-3.74%

Cappuccino

$3.77 CA$5.38

$3.80 EC$10.27

-0.79%

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

$1.91 CA$2.73

$2.03 EC$5.47

-5.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 CA$2.63

$0.87 EC$2.34

111.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 CA$6.93

$1.87 EC$5.05

159.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 CA$7.91

$4.48 EC$12.09

23.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.68

$2.18 EC$5.88

-13.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 CA$3.89

$2.81 EC$7.59

-2.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.34 CA$7.61

$1.90 EC$5.14

181.05%

Eggs

$3.77 CA$5.37

$6.63 EC$17.91

-43.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.29 CA$16.09

$8.32 EC$22.46

35.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.34

$8.31 EC$22.44

37.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.26 CA$26.03

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 CA$6.62

$6.48 EC$17.49

-28.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.05

$2.42 EC$6.54

-40.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 CA$6.02

$8.12 EC$21.93

-48.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.50

$8.10 EC$21.87

-52.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 CA$3.74

$2.92 EC$7.88

-10.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.79

$2.90 EC$7.84

-8.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.59 CA$3.69

$2.64 EC$7.12

-1.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 CA$2.19

$1.61 EC$4.34

-4.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.26 CA$20.32

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 CA$21.76

$5.53 EC$14.93

176.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 CA$3.44

$2.73 EC$7.36

-11.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.41

$4.55 EC$12.29

-32.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 CA$4.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.7 CA$126

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.61

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.68

$1.63 EC$4.40

-27.61%

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

$28.3K CA$40.3K

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

$20.7K CA$29.5K

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

$159 CA$227

$256 EC$692

-37.89%

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

$37.61 CA$53.6

$40.32 EC$109

-6.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.68 CA$70.8

$81.4 EC$220

-38.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 CA$75.9

$65.3 EC$176

-18.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 CA$26.10

Cinema Ticket

$14.08 CA$20.06

$6.43 EC$17.36

118.97%

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

$809 CA$1,154

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K CA$22.6K

$1,855 EC$5,009

754.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 CA$83.8

$49.21 EC$133

19.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.84 CA$55.4

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 CA$130

$75.4 EC$204

21.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,764

$1,036 EC$2,796

19.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$996 CA$1,420

$680 EC$1,835

46.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,908 CA$2,720

$1,694 EC$4,573

12.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 CA$2,382

$1,497 EC$4,043

11.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,530 CA$5,032

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,336 CA$4,755

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,130 CA$4,461

$1,344 EC$3,630

132.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

5.5

-18.00%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Last update for Saint John's: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$996 44.8%

Saint John's

$680 37.2% 31.8% $316

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$387 17.4%

Saint John's

$349 * 19.1% 10% $39

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Saint John's

$288 15.8% 8.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$247 11.1%

Saint John's

$378 20.7% 53.4% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Saint John's

$56 * 3.1% 58.2% $78

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 5%

Saint John's

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$81 3.7%

Saint John's

$78 4.3% 4% $3.2

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 $1,237 in Calgary and $1,036 in Saint John's. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 133% 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 $75.0 in Saint John's. Groceries flip the comparison at $387 vs $349, with Saint John's cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇦🇬 Saint John's

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

07:49 7:49 AM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

21,926 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.331 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Calgary Saint John's 5,930 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Saint John's

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 Saint John's: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint John's is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 133% 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: $1,237 in Calgary versus $1,036 in Saint John's. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Calgary. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Saint John's – a meal for two runs $75.0 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,816 in Saint John's versus $2,232 in Calgary, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Saint John's but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Saint John's the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Calgary and Saint John's are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Saint John's gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.