Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Santo Domingo

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo: $1,122 a month against $2,232 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
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Santo Domingo Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,122

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Santo Domingo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,232 in Calgary versus $1,122 in Santo Domingo.

Calgary $2,232
Santo Domingo $1,122

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,363 in Calgary versus $1,761 in Santo Domingo.

Calgary $3,363
Santo Domingo $1,761

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,493 in Calgary versus $2,401 in Santo Domingo.

Calgary $4,493
Santo Domingo $2,401

Living in Calgary is roughly 99% more expensive than in Santo Domingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calgary is 67% above, Santo Domingo is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.49

$10.19 DOP 622

68.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 CA$101

$50.5 DOP 3,082

40.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.02

$7.79 DOP 475

35.56%

Cappuccino

$3.77 CA$5.37

$2.23 DOP 136

69.06%

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

$1.91 CA$2.72

$1.02 DOP 62.5

87.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 CA$2.62

$0.54 DOP 33.14

240.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 CA$6.92

$2.55 DOP 156

90.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 CA$7.90

$3.30 DOP 201

68.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.67

$1.33 DOP 81.1

41.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 CA$3.88

$1.50 DOP 91.5

82.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.34 CA$7.60

$1.63 DOP 99.3

227.61%

Eggs

$3.77 CA$5.36

$2.36 DOP 144

59.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.29 CA$16.06

$7.40 DOP 451

52.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.30

$5.59 DOP 341

105.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.26 CA$25.97

$6.71 DOP 409

172.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 CA$6.60

$3.19 DOP 194

45.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$0.85 DOP 51.8

69.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 CA$6.01

$2.76 DOP 168

52.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.49

$1.86 DOP 114

107.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 CA$3.73

$2.07 DOP 127

26.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.78

$2.25 DOP 137

18.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.59 CA$3.68

$1.03 DOP 63.1

151.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 CA$2.18

$0.97 DOP 59.0

57.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.26 CA$20.28

$5.19 DOP 317

174.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 CA$21.71

$10.24 DOP 625

49.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 CA$3.43

$2.53 DOP 154

-4.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.40

$2.97 DOP 181

4.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$0.60 DOP 36.59

380.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.7 CA$126

$18.04 DOP 1,101

391.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.60

$3.36 DOP 205

-3.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.97

$2.21 DOP 135

-37.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.67

$5.71 DOP 348

363.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.67

$1.43 DOP 87.4

-17.48%

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

$28.3K CA$40.2K

$23.4K DOP 1.4M

20.96%

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

$20.7K CA$29.5K

$34.2K DOP 2.1M

-39.31%

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

$159 CA$227

$93.8 DOP 5,720

69.84%

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

$37.61 CA$53.5

$31.81 DOP 1,940

18.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.68 CA$70.7

$37.01 DOP 2,258

34.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 CA$75.7

$29.96 DOP 1,828

77.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 CA$26.04

$24.22 DOP 1,477

-24.40%

Cinema Ticket

$14.08 CA$20.02

$7.30 DOP 445

92.88%

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

$809 CA$1,151

$256 DOP 15.6K

216.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K CA$22.5K

$7,297 DOP 445.1K

117.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 CA$83.6

$45.66 DOP 2,785

28.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.84 CA$55.2

$46.81 DOP 2,855

-17.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 CA$130

$88.1 DOP 5,373

3.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

$126 DOP 7,691

-13.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,760

$712 DOP 43.4K

73.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$996 CA$1,417

$348 DOP 21.2K

186.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,908 CA$2,714

$1,451 DOP 88.5K

31.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 CA$2,377

$622 DOP 38.0K

168.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,530 CA$5,022

$2,205 DOP 134.5K

60.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,336 CA$4,745

$1,203 DOP 73.4K

177.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,130 CA$4,452

$590 DOP 36.0K

430.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

13.56

-66.74%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Last update for Santo Domingo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$996 44.8%

Santo Domingo

$348 31.5% 65% $648

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$387 17.4%

Santo Domingo

$221 20% 42.8% $166

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Santo Domingo

$157 14.2% 40.7% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$247 11.1%

Santo Domingo

$163 14.7% 34.1% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Santo Domingo

$138 12.5% 2.9% $3.9

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 5%

Santo Domingo

$35 3.2% 68.4% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$81 3.7%

Santo Domingo

$45 4% 45.2% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,237 in Calgary and $712 in Santo Domingo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 431% 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 $51.0 in Santo Domingo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $387 vs $221 per month, with Santo Domingo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

23:48 11:48 PM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

965,040 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.46 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 61 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.42 DOP (100 DOP = 1.46 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Calgary Santo Domingo 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Calgary vs Santo Domingo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santo Domingo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 99% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 431% 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 $712 in Santo Domingo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Santo Domingo – a meal for two runs $51.0 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,232 per month in Calgary versus $1,122 in Santo Domingo – a 99% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,122 in Santo Domingo versus $2,232 in Calgary, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santo Domingo but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Santo Domingo 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 Santo Domingo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 99% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.