Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Simpson Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,232 a month against $3,851 in Simpson Bay, rent and utilities included – about $19,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Simpson Bay outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Simpson Bay

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,851

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Simpson Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,232 in Calgary versus $3,851 in Simpson Bay.

Calgary $2,232
Simpson Bay $3,851

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,363 in Calgary versus $6,504 in Simpson Bay.

Calgary $3,363
Simpson Bay $6,504

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,493 in Calgary versus $9,157 in Simpson Bay.

Calgary $4,493
Simpson Bay $9,157

Living in Calgary costs roughly 42% less than in Simpson Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 67% above, Simpson Bay 187% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.54

$19.11 ANG 34.22

-9.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 CA$101

$131 ANG 234

-45.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.06

$12.78 ANG 22.88

-17.37%

Cappuccino

$3.77 CA$5.38

$4.44 ANG 7.96

-15.09%

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

$1.91 CA$2.73

$2.91 ANG 5.22

-34.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 CA$2.63

$3.04 ANG 5.44

-39.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 CA$6.93

$5.43 ANG 9.73

-10.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 CA$7.91

$4.11 ANG 7.36

35.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.68

$4.03 ANG 7.21

-53.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 CA$3.89

$2.81 ANG 5.02

-2.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.34 CA$7.61

$3.09 ANG 5.53

72.82%

Eggs

$3.77 CA$5.37

$4.49 ANG 8.04

-16.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.29 CA$16.09

$24.93 ANG 44.63

-54.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.34

$13.40 ANG 23.98

-14.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.26 CA$26.03

$16.98 ANG 30.39

7.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 CA$6.62

$4.26 ANG 7.63

8.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.05

$3.55 ANG 6.35

-59.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 CA$6.02

$6.32 ANG 11.31

-33.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.50

$5.06 ANG 9.05

-23.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 CA$3.74

$3.96 ANG 7.08

-33.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.79

$3.44 ANG 6.16

-22.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.59 CA$3.69

$3.06 ANG 5.47

-15.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 CA$2.19

$1.47 ANG 2.64

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.26 CA$20.32

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 CA$21.76

$15.22 ANG 27.24

0.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 CA$3.44

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.41

$1.79 ANG 3.20

72.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 CA$4.11

$3.08 ANG 5.51

-6.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.7 CA$126

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.61

$15.22 ANG 27.24

-78.78%

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

$1.27 ANG 2.27

-7.09%

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

$502 ANG 899

-68.27%

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

$37.61 CA$53.6

$35.56 ANG 63.7

5.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.68 CA$70.8

$87.6 ANG 157

-43.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 CA$75.9

$74.8 ANG 134

-28.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 CA$26.10

Cinema Ticket

$14.08 CA$20.06

$8.18 ANG 14.65

72.13%

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

$809 CA$1,154

$761 ANG 1,362

6.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K CA$22.6K

$12.0K ANG 21.6K

31.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 CA$83.8

$50.6 ANG 90.6

16.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.84 CA$55.4

$39.59 ANG 70.9

-1.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 CA$130

$99.5 ANG 178

-8.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

$59.5 ANG 106

83.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,764

$2,330 ANG 4,171

-46.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$996 CA$1,420

$2,273 ANG 4,069

-56.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,908 CA$2,720

$6,007 ANG 10.8K

-68.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 CA$2,382

$5,604 ANG 10.0K

-70.18%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

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

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Last update for Simpson Bay: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$996 44.8%

Simpson Bay

–

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$387 17.4%

Simpson Bay

–

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Simpson Bay

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$247 11.1%

Simpson Bay

–

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Simpson Bay

–

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 5%

Simpson Bay

–

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$81 3.7%

Simpson Bay

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,237 in Calgary and $2,330 in Simpson Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $71.0 in Calgary vs $131 in Simpson Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $387 vs $467 per month, with Calgary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇸🇽 Simpson Bay

🕒 Local time

02:24 2:24 AM

04:24 4:24 AM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

6,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.498 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ANG, 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).

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.498 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Calgary Simpson Bay 5,770 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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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 Simpson Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 72% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,349 in Calgary and $5,776 in Simpson Bay 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,237 in Calgary versus $2,330 in Simpson Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $809 in Calgary versus $761 in Simpson Bay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $131 in Simpson Bay. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,232 in Calgary versus $3,851 in Simpson Bay, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in Simpson Bay. The gap between the two cities makes Calgary 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 Calgary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Simpson Bay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.