Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Santa Isabel

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Isabel: $1,300 a month against $2,223 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Santa Isabel
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Santa Isabel Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Santa Isabel

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,300

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Santa Isabel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Calgary versus $1,300 in Santa Isabel.

Calgary $2,223
Santa Isabel $1,300

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,301 in Calgary versus $2,047 in Santa Isabel.

Calgary $3,301
Santa Isabel $2,047

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,379 in Calgary versus $2,793 in Santa Isabel.

Calgary $4,379
Santa Isabel $2,793

Living in Calgary is roughly 71% more expensive than in Santa Isabel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calgary is 65% above, Santa Isabel is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.34

$18.81 $18.81

-8.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 CA$100

$83.3 $83.3

-14.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 CA$14.89

$8.95 $8.95

17.65%

Cappuccino

$3.66 CA$5.18

$3.55 $3.55

3.10%

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

$1.98 CA$2.80

$1.91 $1.91

3.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.50 $1.50

29.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 CA$7.00

$2.96 $2.96

67.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 CA$7.87

$5.09 $5.09

9.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.65

$1.31 $1.31

43.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.78

$3.40 $3.40

-21.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.32 CA$7.52

$2.31 $2.31

130.30%

Eggs

$3.79 CA$5.35

$6.33 $6.33

-40.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 CA$15.68

$12.63 $12.63

-12.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 CA$16.05

$9.52 $9.52

19.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.40 CA$26.01

$13.13 $13.13

40.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 CA$6.45

$4.95 $4.95

-7.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$2.62 $2.62

-45.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.76

$4.83 $4.83

-15.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.50

$4.95 $4.95

-21.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$3.73 $3.73

-29.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$4.05 $4.05

-34.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 CA$3.54

$3.54 $3.54

-29.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.66 $1.66

-9.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.05 CA$19.86

$11.99 $11.99

17.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.70 CA$22.20

$15.63 $15.63

0.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$2.98 $2.98

-18.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.37

$3.98 $3.98

-22.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.99

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 CA$125

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$2.44 $2.44

27.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$0.66 $0.66

104.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.02 CA$38.20

$40.77 $40.77

-33.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$1.05 $1.05

10.48%

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$39.5K $39.5K

-29.30%

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

$20.3K CA$28.8K

$28.2K $28.2K

-27.85%

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

$161 CA$227

$326 $326

-50.72%

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

$38.13 CA$53.9

$68.8 $68.8

-44.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 CA$70.7

$69.0 $69.0

-27.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 CA$72.8

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.64

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 CA$19.54

$10.32 $10.32

33.91%

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

$786 CA$1,111

$830 $830

-5.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K CA$21.8K

$12.6K $12.6K

23.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 CA$82.4

$56.0 $56.0

4.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 CA$55.5

$61.4 $61.4

-36.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$127

$109 $109

-17.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$113 $113

-2.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 CA$1,737

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 CA$1,415

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 CA$2,716

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 CA$2,292

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,549 CA$5,018

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,335 CA$4,715

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 CA$4,474

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

6.55

-31.15%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Last update for Santa Isabel: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45%

Santa Isabel

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$385 17.3%

Santa Isabel

$399 30.7% 3.5% $13

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Santa Isabel

$259 19.9% 2.4% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$249 11.2%

Santa Isabel

$464 35.7% 86.4% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Santa Isabel

$153 11.8% 14.4% $19

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 4.9%

Santa Isabel

$5.8 * 0.4% 94.8% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$79 3.6%

Santa Isabel

$21 * 1.6% 73.9% $59

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $71.0 in Calgary vs $83.0 in Santa Isabel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $399 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇵🇷 Santa Isabel

🕒 Local time

16:46 4:46 PM

18:46 6:46 PM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

23,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Calgary Santa Isabel 5,560 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Santa Isabel

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 Santa Isabel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Isabel is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 71% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,335 in Calgary and $1,951 in Santa Isabel to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $786 in Calgary versus $830 in Santa Isabel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Isabel – a meal for two runs $83.0 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,300 in Santa Isabel versus $2,223 in Calgary, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santa Isabel but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Isabel 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.

Safety-wise, Calgary and Santa Isabel 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 Santa Isabel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.