Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Squamish, BC

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,303 a month against $2,633 in Squamish, BC, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Squamish, BC outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Squamish, BC
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Squamish, BC Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,303

/mo nomad

Squamish, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,633

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Squamish, BC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,303 in Calgary versus $2,633 in Squamish, BC.

Calgary $2,303
Squamish, BC $2,633

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Calgary versus $3,977 in Squamish, BC.

Calgary $3,366
Squamish, BC $3,977

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,428 in Calgary versus $5,322 in Squamish, BC.

Calgary $4,428
Squamish, BC $5,322

Living in Calgary costs roughly 13% less than in Squamish, BC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 69% above, Squamish, BC 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 CA$24.52

$16.13 CA$22.54

8.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 CA$98.4

$50.9 CA$71.1

38.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 CA$14.94

$10.35 CA$14.47

3.29%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.43

$3.87 CA$5.40

0.52%

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

$2.04 CA$2.85

$1.83 CA$2.56

11.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.62

$1.56 CA$2.17

20.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 CA$6.84

$5.76 CA$8.05

-14.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.08

$5.77 CA$8.06

0.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CA$2.74

$1.72 CA$2.41

13.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.83

$2.16 CA$3.01

26.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 CA$7.63

$3.51 CA$4.91

55.56%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.15

$3.13 CA$4.37

17.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.71

$12.63 CA$17.65

-11.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 CA$16.12

$15.42 CA$21.55

-25.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 CA$25.68

$19.49 CA$27.23

-5.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.85

$5.33 CA$7.45

-8.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$1.99

$1.18 CA$1.65

20.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.88

$4.85 CA$6.77

-13.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.62

$3.69 CA$5.15

8.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.77

$4.22 CA$5.90

-36.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.72

$2.56 CA$3.57

3.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.65

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.23

$1.82 CA$2.54

-12.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.57

$14.69 CA$20.53

-4.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 CA$21.52

$10.85 CA$15.16

41.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.49

$2.89 CA$4.04

-13.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.32

$3.60 CA$5.04

-14.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.09

$1.46 CA$2.04

100.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$125

$31.22 CA$43.62

185.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 CA$4.57

$3.62 CA$5.05

-9.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

$1.44 CA$2.02

-6.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 CA$38.27

$24.78 CA$34.63

10.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.64

$1.20 CA$1.67

-2.50%

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

$27.9K CA$39.0K

$26.6K CA$37.1K

5.20%

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

$21.0K CA$29.4K

$19.0K CA$26.5K

10.88%

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

$167 CA$233

$116 CA$162

43.85%

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

$38.27 CA$53.5

$44.40 CA$62.0

-13.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.2

$64.0 CA$89.5

-20.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$71.2

$51.5 CA$71.9

-0.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.17 CA$25.39

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 CA$20.18

$11.29 CA$15.77

27.90%

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

$545 CA$762

$1,088 CA$1,521

-49.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

$8,575 CA$12.0K

89.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.3

$52.3 CA$73.0

12.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 CA$55.6

$42.74 CA$59.7

-7.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$130

$79.4 CA$111

17.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$99.4 CA$139

10.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,752

$1,639 CA$2,291

-23.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 CA$1,476

$1,499 CA$2,095

-29.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 CA$2,826

$3,153 CA$4,406

-35.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 CA$2,276

$2,821 CA$3,941

-42.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,600 CA$5,031

$5,834 CA$8,153

-38.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,243 CA$4,531

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,115 CA$4,353

$3,121 CA$4,360

-0.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.72

-4.45%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 26, 2026

Last update for Squamish, BC: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1.1K 45.9%

Squamish, BC

$1.5K 56.9% 41.9% $443

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$393 17.1%

Squamish, BC

$404 15.3% 2.8% $11

Eating Out

Calgary

$271 11.8%

Squamish, BC

$260 9.9% 3.9% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$256 11.1%

Squamish, BC

$224 8.5% 12.3% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$136 5.9%

Squamish, BC

$123 4.7% 9.4% $13

Getting Around

Calgary

$111 4.8%

Squamish, BC

$48 1.8% 56.9% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$80 3.5%

Squamish, BC

$74 2.8% 7.3% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,254 in Calgary and $1,639 in Squamish, BC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70 in Calgary vs $51 in Squamish, BC. Groceries flip the comparison at $393 vs $404, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 Squamish, BC

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

05:23 5:23 AM

1 h behind Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

19,512

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Calgary Squamish, BC 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Calgary vs Squamish, BC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is about 13% cheaper overall, especially in utilities and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,454 in Calgary and $3,949 in Squamish, BC 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 $1,639 in Squamish, BC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Squamish, BC – a meal for two runs $51 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 $2,633 in Squamish, BC – Calgary is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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