Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and St. Thomas

For one person, living is cheaper in Calgary: $2,223 a month against $2,432 in St. Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in St. Thomas outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in St. Thomas
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St. Thomas Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,432

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,432 in St. Thomas.

Calgary $2,223
St. Thomas $2,432

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,301 in Calgary versus $3,274 in St. Thomas.

Calgary $3,301
St. Thomas $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,379 in Calgary versus $4,117 in St. Thomas.

Calgary $4,379
St. Thomas $4,117

Living in Calgary costs roughly 9% less than in St. Thomas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 65% above, St. Thomas 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.34

$21.05 CA$29.76

-18.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 CA$100

$62.6 CA$88.5

13.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 CA$14.89

$11.38 CA$16.09

-7.47%

Cappuccino

$3.66 CA$5.18

$3.32 CA$4.69

10.24%

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

$1.98 CA$2.80

$2.19 CA$3.10

-9.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.59 CA$2.24

22.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 CA$7.00

$5.02 CA$7.10

-1.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 CA$7.87

$5.89 CA$8.33

-5.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.65

$2.08 CA$2.95

-9.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.78

$2.61 CA$3.69

2.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.32 CA$7.52

$3.73 CA$5.27

42.63%

Eggs

$3.79 CA$5.35

$3.09 CA$4.37

22.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 CA$15.68

$9.94 CA$14.05

11.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 CA$16.05

$15.43 CA$21.81

-26.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.40 CA$26.01

$19.20 CA$27.15

-4.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 CA$6.45

$3.86 CA$5.46

18.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.24 CA$1.75

16.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.76

$3.49 CA$4.94

16.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.50

$3.97 CA$5.61

-2.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$3.36 CA$4.76

-21.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$3.07 CA$4.34

-14.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 CA$3.54

$2.85 CA$4.03

-12.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.46 CA$2.06

2.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.05 CA$19.86

$10.98 CA$15.52

27.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.70 CA$22.20

$12.74 CA$18.01

23.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$2.40 CA$3.39

1.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.37

$2.78 CA$3.93

11.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.25 CA$3.18

25.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 CA$125

$58.7 CA$82.9

51.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$2.30 CA$3.26

35.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$1.62 CA$2.29

-16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.02 CA$38.20

$21.70 CA$30.68

24.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$1.13 CA$1.59

2.65%

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$28.0K CA$39.6K

-0.44%

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

$20.3K CA$28.8K

$19.7K CA$27.9K

3.24%

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

$161 CA$227

$123 CA$174

30.30%

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

$38.13 CA$53.9

$42.76 CA$60.5

-10.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 CA$70.7

$55.5 CA$78.4

-9.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 CA$72.8

$44.43 CA$62.8

15.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.64

$20.32 CA$28.72

-10.73%

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 CA$19.54

$10.33 CA$14.61

33.79%

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

$786 CA$1,111

$399 CA$564

97.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K CA$21.8K

$16.7K CA$23.5K

-7.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 CA$82.4

$53.5 CA$75.7

8.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 CA$55.5

$35.84 CA$50.7

9.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$127

$82.2 CA$116

9.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$90.6 CA$128

21.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 CA$1,737

$1,148 CA$1,622

7.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 CA$1,415

$1,267 CA$1,792

-20.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 CA$2,716

$1,794 CA$2,537

7.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 CA$2,292

$1,470 CA$2,078

10.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,549 CA$5,018

$4,187 CA$5,919

-15.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,335 CA$4,715

$3,561 CA$5,034

-6.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 CA$4,474

$2,970 CA$4,198

6.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.99

-9.62%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Last update for St. Thomas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45%

St. Thomas

$1.3K 52.1% 26.6% $266

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$385 17.3%

St. Thomas

$387 15.9% 0.6% $2.1

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

St. Thomas

$294 12.1% 11.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$249 11.2%

St. Thomas

$222 9.1% 11% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

St. Thomas

$118 4.9% 11.7% $16

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 4.9%

St. Thomas

$78 3.2% 28.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$79 3.6%

St. Thomas

$65 2.7% 17.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,229 in Calgary and $1,148 in St. Thomas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $71.0 in Calgary vs $63.0 in St. Thomas. Groceries flip the comparison at $385 vs $387, with Calgary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇨🇦 St. Thomas

🕒 Local time

13:24 1:24 PM

15:24 3:24 PM

2 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

38,909

💱 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

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Between locations

Calgary St. Thomas 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
St. Thomas

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. Thomas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 7% 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: $1,229 in Calgary versus $1,148 in St. Thomas. 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 $71.0 versus $63.0 in St. Thomas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Calgary versus $2,432 in St. Thomas – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Calgary versus $2,432 in St. Thomas, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Calgary but tight or insufficient in St. Thomas. 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 9% less than in St. Thomas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.