Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Scarborough, Canada

Name: Scarborough
Address: Scarborough, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,561 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Scarborough outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Scarborough

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,561 in Scarborough.

Calgary $2,303
Scarborough $2,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,474 in Scarborough.

Calgary $3,366
Scarborough $3,474

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $4,388 in Scarborough.

Calgary $4,428
Scarborough $4,388

Living in Calgary costs roughly 10% less than in Scarborough, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Scarborough 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.63

$17.32 CA$24.30

1.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.8

$70.3 CA$98.7

0.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$15.00

$10.89 CA$15.28

-1.84%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.46

$3.99 CA$5.59

-2.51%

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

$2.04 CA$2.86

$2.03 CA$2.85

0.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.64

$1.47 CA$2.06

27.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.87

$6.55 CA$9.19

-25.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.11

$7.29 CA$10.23

-20.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.75

$2.51 CA$3.53

-21.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.84

$2.63 CA$3.69

4.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.67

$2.28 CA$3.20

139.47%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.17

$3.64 CA$5.11

1.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.78

$9.14 CA$12.83

22.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.19

$11.44 CA$16.06

0.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.79

$12.96 CA$18.19

41.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.88

$3.43 CA$4.81

42.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$2.00

$1.21 CA$1.70

17.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.91

$3.34 CA$4.69

26.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.65

$4.17 CA$5.85

-3.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.78

$1.69 CA$2.38

59.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.74

$1.68 CA$2.36

58.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.67

$2.20 CA$3.09

18.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.24

$1.26 CA$1.76

26.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.65

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.61

$12.58 CA$17.66

22.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.50

$2.19 CA$3.07

14.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.34

$2.55 CA$3.58

21.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.11

$2.40 CA$3.36

22.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$105 CA$147

-14.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.59

$3.06 CA$4.30

6.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

$1.28 CA$1.80

5.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.43

$22.52 CA$31.60

21.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.65

$1.25 CA$1.75

-6.40%

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

$27.9K CA$39.2K

$26.1K CA$36.7K

6.87%

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

$21.0K CA$29.5K

$21.7K CA$30.5K

-3.16%

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

$167 CA$234

$137 CA$193

21.38%

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

$38.27 CA$53.7

$35.21 CA$49.42

8.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.5

$48.56 CA$68.1

4.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.5

$35.87 CA$50.3

42.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.50

$35.96 CA$50.5

-49.47%

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.27

$12.95 CA$18.18

11.51%

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

$545 CA$766

$749 CA$1,052

-27.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

$10.8K CA$15.2K

49.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.6

$53.4 CA$75.0

10.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.8

$40.94 CA$57.5

-2.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$85.1 CA$119

9.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$105 CA$147

4.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,760

$1,744 CA$2,448

-28.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,483

$1,415 CA$1,986

-25.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,838

$2,122 CA$2,979

-4.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,286

$1,758 CA$2,467

-7.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,053

$7,770 CA$10.9K

-53.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,551

$6,085 CA$8,539

-46.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,372

$2,980 CA$4,182

4.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.55

-0.88%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Scarborough: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Scarborough

$1.4K 55.3% 33.9% $358

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Scarborough

$331 12.9% 15.8% $62

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Scarborough

$280 11% 3.5% $9.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Scarborough

$221 8.6% 13.6% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Scarborough

$128 5% 5.8% $7.9

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Scarborough

$124 4.8% 11.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Scarborough

$62 2.4% 22.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $1,744 in Scarborough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 5% 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 $70 in Scarborough. Groceries flip the comparison at $393 vs $331, with Scarborough cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

18:59 6:59 PM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

29,960

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Calgary Scarborough 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Scarborough

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 Scarborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in transport and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 5% 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 $1,744 in Scarborough. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $545 in Calgary versus $749 in Scarborough. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Calgary runs roughly 15% less than in Scarborough. 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 Scarborough, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.