Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Smithers

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,422 in Smithers, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Smithers outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Smithers
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Smithers Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Smithers

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,422

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Smithers

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,422 in Smithers.

Calgary $2,303
Smithers $2,422

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,389 in Smithers.

Calgary $3,366
Smithers $3,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $4,356 in Smithers.

Calgary $4,428
Smithers $4,356

Living in Calgary costs roughly 5% less than in Smithers, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Smithers 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.63

$17.95 CA$25.20

-2.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.8

$64.4 CA$90.3

9.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$15.00

$10.66 CA$14.95

0.28%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.46

$3.69 CA$5.18

5.42%

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

$2.04 CA$2.86

$1.99 CA$2.79

2.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.64

$1.63 CA$2.29

15.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.87

$5.10 CA$7.16

-3.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.11

$5.70 CA$8.00

1.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.75

$2.03 CA$2.85

-3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.84

$2.63 CA$3.68

4.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.67

$3.35 CA$4.70

62.99%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.17

$3.39 CA$4.76

8.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.78

$10.11 CA$14.18

11.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.19

$11.88 CA$16.68

-2.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.79

$14.93 CA$20.95

23.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.88

$3.74 CA$5.25

31.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$2.00

$1.37 CA$1.92

3.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.91

$3.68 CA$5.16

14.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.65

$3.72 CA$5.22

8.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.78

$2.35 CA$3.30

14.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.74

$2.19 CA$3.07

21.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.67

$2.39 CA$3.35

9.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.24

$1.66 CA$2.33

-3.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.65

$16.26 CA$22.82

-13.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.61

$12.73 CA$17.86

20.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.50

$3.09 CA$4.34

-19.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.34

$3.25 CA$4.56

-4.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.11

$2.25 CA$3.16

30.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$61.6 CA$86.5

44.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.59

$2.67 CA$3.75

22.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

$1.64 CA$2.30

-17.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.43

$23.42 CA$32.87

16.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.65

$1.18 CA$1.65

-0.85%

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

$27.9K CA$39.2K

$27.8K CA$39.0K

0.57%

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

$21.0K CA$29.5K

$23.5K CA$33.0K

-10.51%

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

$167 CA$234

$150 CA$210

11.17%

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

$38.27 CA$53.7

$39.00 CA$54.7

-1.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.5

$58.5 CA$82.1

-12.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.5

$35.13 CA$49.31

45.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.50

$17.93 CA$25.17

1.34%

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.27

$10.65 CA$14.94

35.59%

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

$545 CA$766

$629 CA$883

-13.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

$15.1K CA$21.2K

7.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.6

$56.2 CA$78.9

4.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.8

$38.51 CA$54.1

3.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$87.9 CA$123

6.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$103 CA$145

6.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,760

$1,291 CA$1,812

-2.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,483

$1,280 CA$1,796

-17.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,838

$1,989 CA$2,792

1.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,286

$1,801 CA$2,527

-9.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,053

$4,739 CA$6,651

-24.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,551

$3,719 CA$5,220

-12.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,372

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.68

-3.63%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Smithers: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Smithers

$1.3K 52.8% 21.1% $223

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Smithers

$357 14.7% 9.2% $36

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Smithers

$271 11.2% 0.2% $0.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Smithers

$247 10.2% 3.3% $8.4

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Smithers

$129 5.3% 5.3% $7.2

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Smithers

$81 3.4% 26.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Smithers

$56 2.3% 29.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $1,291 in Smithers. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $64 in Smithers for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $357 per month, with Smithers cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Smithers

🕒 Local time

16:03 4:03 PM

15:03 3:03 PM

1 h behind Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

5,400

💱 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

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Between locations

Calgary Smithers 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Smithers

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 Smithers: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,454 in Calgary and $3,632 in Smithers 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: $1,254 in Calgary versus $1,291 in Smithers. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Smithers – a meal for two runs $64 versus $70 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,303 per month in Calgary versus $2,422 in Smithers – Calgary is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

For families, Calgary is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Smithers, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.