Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and St. Albert, AB

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Albert, AB: $1,179 a month against $2,255 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in St. Albert, AB
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St. Albert, AB Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

St. Albert, AB

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,179

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in St. Albert, AB

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 St. Albert, AB actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,255 in Calgary versus $1,179 in St. Albert, AB.

Calgary $2,255
St. Albert, AB $1,179

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,361 in Calgary versus $2,479 in St. Albert, AB.

Calgary $3,361
St. Albert, AB $2,479

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,468 in Calgary versus $3,779 in St. Albert, AB.

Calgary $4,468
St. Albert, AB $3,779

Living in Calgary is roughly 91% more expensive than in St. Albert, AB, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calgary is 66% above, St. Albert, AB is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 CA$24.85

$19.81 CA$28.01

-11.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.6

$69.5 CA$98.3

-0.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.97

$10.13 CA$14.32

4.54%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.42

$3.82 CA$5.40

0.52%

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

$1.93 CA$2.72

$2.16 CA$3.05

-10.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.66

$2.02 CA$2.86

-6.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.09 CA$7.20

$5.01 CA$7.08

1.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 CA$7.97

$5.69 CA$8.04

-0.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 CA$2.82

$1.68 CA$2.37

19.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 CA$3.93

$2.24 CA$3.17

24.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.59 CA$7.90

$3.02 CA$4.27

85.10%

Eggs

$3.70 CA$5.23

$3.42 CA$4.83

8.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.48 CA$16.23

$11.26 CA$15.92

1.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 CA$15.84

$11.21 CA$15.85

-0.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.59 CA$26.28

$18.59 CA$26.29

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 CA$6.64

$4.11 CA$5.80

14.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.41 CA$1.99

2.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 CA$6.13

$4.27 CA$6.04

1.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 CA$5.36

$3.89 CA$5.50

-2.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.81

$2.74 CA$3.87

-1.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 CA$3.88

$2.67 CA$3.77

3.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 CA$3.62

$2.63 CA$3.72

-2.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.51 CA$2.13

-0.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.39 CA$20.34

$14.09 CA$19.92

2.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.81 CA$22.35

$12.04 CA$17.03

31.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 CA$3.49

$2.39 CA$3.37

3.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CA$4.39

$2.96 CA$4.18

4.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$2.13 CA$3.01

31.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.6 CA$128

$61.1 CA$86.4

48.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 CA$4.64

$2.90 CA$4.10

13.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.97

$1.37 CA$1.94

2.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.45

$20.94 CA$29.61

26.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.15 CA$1.63

6.09%

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

$28.4K CA$40.1K

$28.0K CA$39.6K

1.42%

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

$20.8K CA$29.5K

$20.7K CA$29.3K

0.43%

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

$165 CA$233

$161 CA$228

1.95%

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

$38.24 CA$54.1

$38.16 CA$54.0

0.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 CA$70.9

$53.9 CA$76.2

-6.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 CA$76.1

$40.31 CA$57.0

33.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.04 CA$25.51

Cinema Ticket

$14.04 CA$19.84

$12.26 CA$17.33

14.52%

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

$797 CA$1,126

$757 CA$1,070

5.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K CA$22.3K

$9,418 CA$13.3K

67.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 CA$83.5

$57.2 CA$80.8

3.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.20 CA$56.8

$40.28 CA$56.9

-0.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 CA$128

$84.9 CA$120

6.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

$113 CA$159

-2.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 CA$1,707

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 CA$1,429

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,949 CA$2,756

$1,341 CA$1,895

45.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 CA$2,371

$1,133 CA$1,602

48.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,532 CA$4,993

$2,528 CA$3,573

39.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,392 CA$4,795

$2,580 CA$3,647

31.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,152 CA$4,456

$3,206 CA$4,532

-1.68%

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 18, 2026

Last update for St. Albert, AB: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 44.8%

St. Albert, AB

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$392 17.4%

St. Albert, AB

$360 30.6% 8.1% $32

Eating Out

Calgary

$270 12%

St. Albert, AB

$288 24.4% 6.4% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$253 11.2%

St. Albert, AB

$254 21.5% 0.2% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$135 6%

St. Albert, AB

$133 11.3% 1.5% $2

Getting Around

Calgary

$112 5%

St. Albert, AB

$79 6.7% 29.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$82 3.6%

St. Albert, AB

$65 5.5% 20.8% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

St. Albert, AB pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69.0 in Calgary vs $70.0 in St. Albert, AB. Groceries flip the comparison at $392 vs $360, with St. Albert, AB cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 St. Albert, AB

🕒 Local time

04:48 4:48 AM

Same time as Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

68,232

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Calgary St. Albert, AB 290 km

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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 St. Albert, AB: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. Albert, AB is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 91% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 2% lower in St. Albert, AB. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Dining out is cheaper in St. Albert, AB – a meal for two runs $70.0 versus $69.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,255 per month in Calgary versus $1,179 in St. Albert, AB – a 91% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,179 in St. Albert, AB versus $2,255 in Calgary, a $1,000 budget is realistic in St. Albert, AB but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes St. Albert, AB 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 St. Albert, AB gentler on the wallet – expenses run 91% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.