Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and St.Catharines

For one person, living costs are similar in Calgary and in St.Catharines: $2,255 and $2,309 a month, rent and utilities included.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
Learn more

Calgary Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in St.Catharines
Learn more

St.Catharines Living Index

Jump to prices

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

St.Catharines

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,309

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in St.Catharines

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,255 in Calgary versus $2,309 in St.Catharines.

Calgary $2,255
St.Catharines $2,309

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,361 in Calgary versus $3,210 in St.Catharines.

Calgary $3,361
St.Catharines $3,210

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,468 in Calgary versus $4,111 in St.Catharines.

Calgary $4,468
St.Catharines $4,111

Living in Calgary costs roughly 2% less than in St.Catharines, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 66% above, St.Catharines 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 CA$24.85

$14.32 CA$20.24

22.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 CA$97.6

$57.6 CA$81.5

19.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.97

$12.63 CA$17.86

-16.15%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.42

$3.03 CA$4.29

26.73%

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

$1.93 CA$2.72

$1.65 CA$2.34

16.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.66

$1.60 CA$2.27

17.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.09 CA$7.20

$4.65 CA$6.58

9.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 CA$7.97

$4.61 CA$6.52

22.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 CA$2.82

$2.09 CA$2.96

-4.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 CA$3.93

$2.18 CA$3.08

27.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.59 CA$7.90

$4.60 CA$6.50

21.52%

Eggs

$3.70 CA$5.23

$4.28 CA$6.06

-13.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.48 CA$16.23

$14.90 CA$21.06

-22.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 CA$15.84

$11.22 CA$15.86

-0.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.59 CA$26.28

$14.04 CA$19.85

32.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 CA$6.64

$5.19 CA$7.34

-9.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.11 CA$1.57

30.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 CA$6.13

$4.36 CA$6.17

-0.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 CA$5.36

$4.14 CA$5.85

-8.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.81

$2.82 CA$3.99

-4.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 CA$3.88

$4.39 CA$6.20

-37.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 CA$3.62

$2.60 CA$3.67

-1.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.29 CA$1.83

16.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.39 CA$20.34

$13.73 CA$19.41

4.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.81 CA$22.35

$12.65 CA$17.88

24.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 CA$3.49

$3.00 CA$4.24

-17.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CA$4.39

$3.02 CA$4.28

2.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$2.46 CA$3.48

14.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.6 CA$128

$70.9 CA$100

27.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 CA$4.64

$2.88 CA$4.07

13.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.97

$2.22 CA$3.14

-36.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.45

$22.28 CA$31.50

18.90%

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

$26.4K CA$37.4K

7.40%

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

$20.8K CA$29.5K

$22.0K CA$31.1K

-5.24%

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

$165 CA$233

$178 CA$251

-7.45%

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

$38.24 CA$54.1

$33.39 CA$47.21

14.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 CA$70.9

$47.75 CA$67.5

4.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 CA$76.1

$31.41 CA$44.41

71.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.04 CA$25.51

$41.10 CA$58.1

-56.11%

Cinema Ticket

$14.04 CA$19.84

$11.04 CA$15.60

27.17%

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

$797 CA$1,126

$504 CA$713

57.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K CA$22.3K

$27.6K CA$39.0K

-42.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 CA$83.5

$73.6 CA$104

-19.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.20 CA$56.8

$52.2 CA$73.8

-23.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 CA$128

$80.1 CA$113

13.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

$76.7 CA$108

42.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 CA$1,707

$1,210 CA$1,710

-0.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 CA$1,429

$1,159 CA$1,638

-12.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,949 CA$2,756

$1,707 CA$2,413

14.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 CA$2,371

$1,557 CA$2,201

7.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,532 CA$4,993

$3,026 CA$4,277

16.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,392 CA$4,795

$2,705 CA$3,824

25.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,152 CA$4,456

$2,969 CA$4,198

6.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

5.71

-21.02%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 18, 2026

Last update for St.Catharines: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 44.8%

St.Catharines

$1.2K 50.2% 14.6% $148

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$392 17.4%

St.Catharines

$381 16.5% 2.6% $10

Eating Out

Calgary

$270 12%

St.Catharines

$234 10.2% 13.3% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$253 11.2%

St.Catharines

$259 11.2% 2.4% $6

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$135 6%

St.Catharines

$127 5.5% 5.6% $7.6

Getting Around

Calgary

$112 5%

St.Catharines

$95 4.1% 15.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$82 3.6%

St.Catharines

$53 2.3% 34.7% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,207 in Calgary and $1,210 in St.Catharines. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 6% 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 $58.0 in St.Catharines for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $381 per month, with St.Catharines cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 St.Catharines

🕒 Local time

01:00 1:00 AM

03:00 3:00 AM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

133,113

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calgary St.Catharines 2,750 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
St.Catharines

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.Catharines: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary and St.Catharines differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($2,255 vs $2,309 including rent). Calgary is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 6% 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: $1,207 in Calgary versus $1,210 in St.Catharines. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Calgary – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $58.0 in St.Catharines. 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 $2,309 in St.Catharines – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,255 in Calgary versus $2,309 in St.Catharines, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in St.Catharines. 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 2% less than in St.Catharines. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.