Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Tena

For one person, living is cheaper in Tena: $891 a month against $2,297 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Tena
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Tena Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,297

/mo nomad

Tena

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Tena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,297 in Calgary versus $891 in Tena.

Calgary $2,297
Tena $891

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,378 in Calgary versus $1,475 in Tena.

Calgary $3,378
Tena $1,475

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,459 in Calgary versus $2,060 in Tena.

Calgary $4,459
Tena $2,060

Living in Calgary is roughly 158% more expensive than in Tena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calgary is 70% above, Tena is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 CA$25.05

$5.63 $5.63

218.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 CA$96.1

$54.8 $54.8

25.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 CA$15.27

$7.58 $7.58

44.33%

Cappuccino

$3.70 CA$5.17

$3.34 $3.34

10.78%

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

$2.07 CA$2.89

$1.43 $1.43

44.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 CA$2.85

$1.05 $1.05

94.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 CA$8.02

$3.43 $3.43

67.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 CA$7.96

$6.12 $6.12

-6.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 CA$2.76

$1.14 $1.14

73.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 CA$3.70

$1.60 $1.60

65.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.84 CA$8.15

$1.51 $1.51

286.75%

Eggs

$3.81 CA$5.33

$2.08 $2.08

83.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 CA$15.08

$6.51 $6.51

66.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.02 CA$15.38

$5.42 $5.42

103.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.87 CA$24.95

$7.67 $7.67

132.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.88 CA$6.81

$2.33 $2.33

109.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.03

$1.22 $1.22

18.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 CA$5.80

$1.27 $1.27

226.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 CA$5.57

$1.13 $1.13

253.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 CA$4.09

$1.19 $1.19

146.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 CA$4.22

$1.08 $1.08

179.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 CA$3.72

$0.87 $0.87

206.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.19

$1.00 $1.00

57.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 CA$19.69

$5.93 $5.93

137.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.45 CA$21.57

$8.27 $8.27

86.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.50

$1.58 $1.58

58.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CA$4.44

$3.10 $3.10

2.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.85 CA$3.97

$0.33 $0.33

763.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.2 CA$126

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 CA$4.41

$1.53 $1.53

106.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 CA$1.96

$0.75 $0.75

88.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.46 CA$38.33

$9.91 $9.91

177.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.65

$0.86 $0.86

37.21%

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

$27.9K CA$38.9K

$23.4K $23.4K

19.14%

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

$21.1K CA$29.4K

$30.1K $30.1K

-30.04%

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

$182 CA$254

$28.50 $28.50

537.89%

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

$36.01 CA$50.3

$17.84 $17.84

101.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.80 CA$68.1

$28.34 $28.34

72.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 CA$68.1

$29.89 $29.89

63.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.15 CA$25.34

$16.69 $16.69

8.75%

Cinema Ticket

$14.52 CA$20.26

$6.50 $6.50

123.38%

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

$542 CA$756

$729 $729

-25.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.2K CA$29.5K

$9,064 $9,064

133.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 CA$82.5

$71.3 $71.3

-17.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.34 CA$59.1

$50.4 $50.4

-15.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 CA$131

$116 $116

-18.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$152

$109 $109

-0.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,214 CA$1,694

$422 $422

187.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 CA$1,447

$270 $270

283.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,045 CA$2,855

$802 $802

155.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,655 CA$2,310

$507 $507

226.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,653 CA$5,099

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,183 CA$4,443

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,219 CA$4,493

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.43

10.12

-56.23%

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

Last update for Calgary: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tena: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45.1%

Tena

$270 30.4% 73.9% $766

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$390 17%

Tena

$193 21.7% 50.5% $197

Eating Out

Calgary

$277 12.1%

Tena

$147 16.5% 47% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$267 11.6%

Tena

$75 8.4% 72% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$137 6%

Tena

$156 17.5% 14% $19

Getting Around

Calgary

$112 4.9%

Tena

$6.6 * 0.7% 94.1% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$78 3.4%

Tena

$43 4.8% 44.9% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,214 in Calgary and $422 in Tena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69 in Calgary vs $55 in Tena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $390 vs $193 per month, with Tena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇪🇨 Tena

🕒 Local time

17:47 5:47 PM

18:47 6:47 PM

1 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

16,669

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Calgary Tena 6,720 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Tena

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 Tena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tena is about 61% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,445 in Calgary and $1,336 in Tena 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: $1,214 in Calgary versus $422 in Tena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $542 in Calgary versus $729 in Tena. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tena – a meal for two runs $55 versus $69 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $891 in Tena versus $2,297 in Calgary, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tena but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Tena 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.