Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Sault Ste. Marie

For one person, living is cheaper in Sault Ste. Marie: $2,051 a month against $2,303 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Sault Ste. Marie
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Sault Ste. Marie Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Sault Ste. Marie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,051

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Sault Ste. Marie

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 Sault Ste. Marie actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,051 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Calgary $2,303
Sault Ste. Marie $2,051

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $2,970 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Calgary $3,366
Sault Ste. Marie $2,970

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $3,890 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Calgary $4,428
Sault Ste. Marie $3,890

Living in Calgary is roughly 12% more expensive than in Sault Ste. Marie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Sault Ste. Marie 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.53

$17.15 CA$23.98

2.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.4

$71.3 CA$99.6

-1.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$14.94

$10.12 CA$14.15

5.63%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.44

$3.50 CA$4.89

11.14%

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

$2.04 CA$2.85

$1.63 CA$2.28

25.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.62

$1.37 CA$1.92

37.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.84

$4.76 CA$6.65

2.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.08

$5.11 CA$7.15

13.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.74

$2.49 CA$3.48

-21.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.83

$2.04 CA$2.85

34.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.63

$3.25 CA$4.54

68.00%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.15

$2.90 CA$4.06

27.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.72

$8.60 CA$12.01

30.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.13

$9.74 CA$13.62

18.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.68

$10.42 CA$14.56

76.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.85

$3.08 CA$4.31

59.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$1.99

$1.01 CA$1.41

40.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.89

$3.04 CA$4.25

38.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.62

$3.38 CA$4.72

18.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.77

$1.98 CA$2.77

35.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.72

$1.71 CA$2.39

55.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.79 CA$3.91

-6.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.23

$1.25 CA$1.75

28.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.57

$15.68 CA$21.92

-10.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.52

$10.57 CA$14.77

45.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.49

$1.85 CA$2.59

35.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.32

$2.37 CA$3.31

30.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.10

$2.52 CA$3.52

16.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$57.4 CA$80.3

55.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.57

$3.48 CA$4.87

-6.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

$2.40 CA$3.35

-43.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.28

$23.76 CA$33.21

15.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.64

$1.14 CA$1.59

2.63%

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

$27.9K CA$39.1K

$26.6K CA$37.1K

5.22%

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

$21.0K CA$29.4K

$20.0K CA$28.0K

5.16%

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

$167 CA$233

$177 CA$247

-5.68%

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

$38.27 CA$53.5

$44.21 CA$61.8

-13.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.2

$79.2 CA$111

-35.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.2

$30.85 CA$43.11

65.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.40

$17.68 CA$24.72

2.77%

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.18

$11.37 CA$15.90

27.00%

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

$545 CA$762

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

$4,943 CA$6,908

227.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.3

$45.82 CA$64.0

28.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.6

$35.41 CA$49.49

12.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$130

$74.3 CA$104

25.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$117 CA$164

-5.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,753

$1,055 CA$1,474

18.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,477

$939 CA$1,312

12.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,826

$1,574 CA$2,200

28.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,276

$1,423 CA$1,989

14.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,032

$3,358 CA$4,693

7.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,532

$3,434 CA$4,799

-5.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,354

$3,022 CA$4,224

3.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

5.53

-18.44%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sault Ste. Marie: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Sault Ste. Marie

$939 45.8% 11.1% $118

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Sault Ste. Marie

$297 14.5% 24.4% $96

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Sault Ste. Marie

$256 12.5% 5.6% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Sault Ste. Marie

$300 14.6% 17.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Sault Ste. Marie

$123 6% 9.7% $13

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Sault Ste. Marie

$83 4.1% 25.3% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Sault Ste. Marie

$54 2.6% 32.9% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $1,055 in Sault Ste. Marie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 3% 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: $70 in Calgary vs $71 in Sault Ste. Marie. Groceries flip the comparison at $393 vs $297, with Sault Ste. Marie cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Sault Ste. Marie

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

15:03 3:03 PM

1 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

73,368

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Calgary Sault Ste. Marie 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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 Sault Ste. Marie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sault Ste. Marie is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 3% 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 $1,055 in Sault Ste. Marie. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Calgary. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

A monthly transit pass in Sault Ste. Marie runs roughly 36% less than in Calgary. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

It comes down to priorities – Sault Ste. Marie wins on affordability, Calgary on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.